Spelling Rules
Two Vowels Go Walking
Rule: When two vowels are together, the first one usually has a long vowel sound. “When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking!”
Vowel-Consonant-Silent “E”
Rule: Words spelled with a vowel-consonant-silent “e” pattern have a long vowel sound.
“R”-Controlled Words
Rule: Many words have vowels that do not have a short or long sound because they are followed by the letter “r.” You will hear the “r” very clearly controlling the vowel sound.
“Y” Within Words
Rule: The letter “y” within a word usually makes the long “i” sound.
“EI” Words
Rule: The vowels “ei” come together in many words, especially after the letter “c”. The letters “ei” often make the long “a” sound but can make other sounds too.
“IE” Words
Rule: The vowels “ie” come together in many words. The letters “ie” often make the long “e” sound.
Dropping the Silent “E”
Rule: When a word ends with a vowel, a consonant, and a silent “e”, you usually drop the silent “e” before adding “ed” or “ing.”
Doubling the Last Consonant
Rule: When a verb ends with a short vowel and one consonant, you usually double the last consonant before adding “ed” or “ing.”
Words Ending in “Y”
Rule: When a word ends in a consonant followed by the letter “y,” you will change the “y” to “i” before adding an ending. Do not change the “y” to “i” when you add the ending “ing.”
Verb Review
Rule: Remember to make spelling changes to verbs when adding “ed” and “ing.”
“F” Sound Made by “PH” and “GH”
Soft “G” Sound Words
Rule: When the letter “g” is followed by the letters “e,” “i,” or “y,” it usually makes the soft “g” sound like the letter “j.”
Soft “C” Sound Words
Rule: When the letter “c” is followed by the letters “e,” “i,” or “y,” it usually makes the soft “c” sound like the letter “s.”
“QU” and “SQU” Words
Rule: the letter “u” always follows the letter “q”.
Changing “F” to “VES” When Plural
Rule: Words ending in “f” or “fe” are changed to “ves” when made plural.
Irregular Plural Nouns
Rule: Some nouns create new words when showing more than one.Some nouns use the same word for singular and plural forms.
Double Consonant
Rule: Words with double consonants are divided into syllables between the consonants.
Words with Digraphs
Rule: Digraphs are the letter combinations “ch,” “sh,” “th,” and “wh.” The two letters work together to make only one sound.
Words That Add “ES”
Rule: Words that end in “ch,” “s,” “sh,” “ss,” “zz,” and “x” add “es” to the end.
Common Syllables
Rule: Common syllables are letter groups found at the beginning of many words. Some beginning common syllables are “be”.….. and “a”…
Words with Suffixes
Rule: A suffix is a common syllable added to the end of an existing word or base word. A suffix changes the meaning of the base word.
Words with Prefixes
Rule: Prefixes are letters or letter groups that are added to the beginning of a word (base word) to make a new word. Some prefixes are “un,” “re,” “mis,” and “dis.”
Comparative Endings
Rule: To make an adjective compare two things, add “er” to the end. If the adjective ends with “y,” change the “y” to an “i” and then add “er.”
Adverbs
Rule: Adverbs tell more about a verb. They can tell when, where, or how. (Examples: She raced yesterday. The hat blew away. The man spoke softly.
Pronouns
Rule: Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. The can be singular, plural, and/or possessive.
Homophones
Rule: Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.
Contractions
Rule: Contractions are made by combining two words and shortening them by using an apostrophe to make one word.
Compound Words
Rule: A compound word is a new word made from combining (but not changing) two existing words.
Focus on Syllables (1)
Rule: All words can be divided into parts or syllables. Each syllable has one vowel sound. The vowel sounds may be long, short, “r” controlled, dipthongs, or schwas.
Focus on Syllables (2)
Rule: All words can be divided into parts or syllables. Each syllable has one vowel sound. The vowel sound may be long, short, “r” controlled, dipthongs, or schwas.