English spelling

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Bad habits can cause bad spelling

If you ever find yourself thinking, “I need to improve my spelling,” you’re not alone. Most of us learn to spell in school, but as adults we don’t always get the chance to practise our spelling, and as a result we can develop bad spelling habits, if we are not careful. Because so many words follow general spelling rules, it can be easy to lose track of those words to which common spelling formulas do not apply. This is when good habits turn into bad habits and mistakes begin to occur.

One common bad spelling habit that results in many mistakes among adults is to assume that any apostrophe indicates a possessive. Consider the following phrases: “The boy’s house,” “the dog’s bone” and “the earth’s axis.” In each phrase the use of an apostrophe and the letter “s” are combined to create a possessive, where one noun belongs to another.

Now consider the following phrase: “It’s fruit punch.” Does this phrase mean “the fruit punch that belongs to it”? No. It means “it is fruit punch.” In order to indicate the possessive, the word is spelled “its” without an apostrophe. The word “it” is a special case where the “apostrophe ‘s’” rule does not apply to the word “it,” but many writers forget this fact in their work and apply the rule incorrectly.

Another common spelling rule often used incorrectly is the rule ‘i’ before ‘e,’ except after ‘c’. This rule helps many students learn to spell words such as “fierce,” “pier,” “receipt” and “conceited,” but it also leads to many common misspellings. Consider the words “weird” and “science.” Applying the ‘i’ before ‘e’ rule to either of these words would result in a misspelling. Once again, by relying too heavily on common spelling rules, it is easy for students to develop habits that lead to mistakes.

Whether your problems stem from over-generalizing with common spelling rules, or from confusing the spelling of homophones (words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings), the next time you think about checking “improve my spelling” off of your “to do” list, consider using a spelling improvement computer software program.

Computer programs such as Ultimate Spelling are a proven method for breaking those bad spelling habits that keep finding their way into your writing. With tools and drills to help you commit these words to memory, you’ll find yourself remembering not only the applications of common spelling rules, but also their limitations, and the exceptions where they do not apply.

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