Spelling Rules
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Prefixes and
Suffixes
When adding a prefix, don’t change the spelling of the word.
When adding the suffix “ness” or” ly”, don’t change the spelling of the word.
Exceptions: For most words that end in “y”, change the “y” to “I” before ”ly”
or “ness”.
happy + ly = happily
friendly + ness = friendliness
Drop the
final silent “e” before a suffix beginning with a vowel.
Examples:
cause + ing = causing
reverse + ible = reversible
Keep the
final silent “e” before a suffix beginning with a consonant.
Examples:
hope + less = hopeless
agree + ment = agreement
For words
ending in a consonant plus “y”, change the “y” to “i” before any suffix that
does not begin with “i”.
Examples:
cry + ed = cried
pretty + er = prettier
Double the
final consonant before adding (ing, ed, er, or est) to a one-syllable word that
ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant.
Examples:
beg + ing = begging
bat + ed = batted
Forming the
Plural of Nouns
To form the
plural of most nouns, add “s”.
Singular: snack oven heap valley
Plural: snacks ovens heaps valleys
Form the
plural of nouns ending in (s, x, z, ch, or sh ) by adding “es”.
Singular: glass, fox, buzz, patch
Plural: glasses, foxes, buzzes, patches
Form the
plural of nouns ending in a consonant plus “y” by changing the “y” to” i” and
adding “es”.
Singular: country, puppy ,berry
Plural: countries ,puppies, berries
Form the plural of nouns ending in a vowel plus “y” by adding “s”.
Singular: boy, turkey ,holiday
Plural: boys ,turkeys, holidays
Form the
plural of nouns ending in a vowel plus “o” by adding “s”.
Singular: patio, stereo
Plural: patios, stereos
Form the plural
of nouns ending in a consonant plus “o” by adding “es”.
Singular: tomato, echo, veto, torpedo
Plural: tomatoes, echoes, vetoes, torpedoes
The Plural of a Few Nouns is Formed in Irregular Ways.
Singular: woman, mouse, foot, man, child
Plural: women, mice, feet, men, children
Still we have exceptions; the plural of a computer mouse is mouses not mice.
Some nouns
are the same in the singular and the plural:
Salmon, Sioux, deer, fowl, sheep
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Firass Kaddour
