Editing: Spelling

The ultimate goal of many language arts teachers is to get their students to write with zero grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. Little did we realize how lofty a goal this actually is! As soon as students focus on spelling, their comma use disintegrates. Once we get them to look at grammar, their spelling becomes atrocious. It seems to be a never-ending cycle in which they slowly (but surely) improve. Here are some common errors made in spelling.

Spelling Rules

i before e

dropping the e

doubling consonants

changing y to i

i before e

The rule: i before e except after c and in sounding like ay as in neighbor and weigh.

perceive
receive

dropping the e

Often words that end in an e that makes the preceeding vowel long drop the e when adding the ending -ing. The e is no longer necessary because the i in the -ing ending has the same effect on the preceeding vowel (making it long.)

hope→hoping: I am hoping for a new car for Christmas.
slice→slicing: My dad is slicing the birthday cake.

doubling consonants

Some words that end in a vowel consonant combination double the consonant when endings are added: -ing or -ed. In these words the vowel is short and in order to keep the vowel sound the same, the consonant is doubled so the added i or e doesn’t make it long.

cut→cutting: They are cutting the ribbon at noon tomorrow.
bat→batting, batted: He is batting a .400 average.
stop→stopping, stopped: They stopped at the gas station first.

changing y to i

Words that end in a consonant and a y must obey this rule. When an -ed ending is added the y changes to an i and the ending is added. When adding -ing, there is no change. The y stays a y and the -ing ending is added.

reply→replied, replying: He replied quickly to my email.
spy→spied, spying: Our neighbors spied on our party.