Conventions of Standard English Flashcards
Homophones
Words that sound the same, such as “new” and “knew,” but have different meanings.
to/too/two
its/it’s
lead/led
bare/bear
their/there/they’re
Homographs
Words that are spelled the same, such as “bass” ( a fish) ,and “bass” (a musical instrument), but have different meanings and may be pronounced differently.
bow: to bend at the waist(v);the front of a boat(n); a decoration (n); something that shoots arrows(n)
fair: reasonable (adj); an appearance (n); an exhibition(n)
lead: to show the way(v); a metal (n)
perfect: flawless(adj), to make flawless(v)
tear: to rip something(v);water from the eye(n).
Spelling Rules: “i “Before “e”
“I” Before “E” : believe, hygiene, friend
Except After “C”:
ceiling, conceit, receive
Sounding Like “A”:
beige, rein, sleigh
Exceptions:
Codeine, Leisure, Caffeine
Spelling Rules: Drop the Final “e”
Drop the “E” Before a Vowel:
believe+able=believable
advise+ing=advising
guide+ance= guidance
Spelling rules: Keep the “E” Before a Consonant
nice+ly=nicely
amaze+ment=amazement
rude+ness=rudeness
Exceptions
Notice+able= Noticeable
argue+ment=argument
courage+ous=courageous
Double the Final Consonant
In a verb ending in a consonant, double the final consonant when a single vowel precedes the final consonant.
Double Consonant:
blur+r+ing= blurring
plan+n+er= planner
begin+n+ing=beginning
Do not double the consonant
Do not double the consonant
bleed+ing= bleeding
plow+ed=plowed
despair+ing=despairing
Double the Final Consonant: Exceptions
Exceptions: Both forms correct
traveling, travelling
canceled, cancelled
modeled, modelled
Change the Final “y” to “i”
Change the “Y” to “I” Following a Consonant.
beauty+ful=beautiful
worry+ed=worried
supply+er=supplier
Do not change the “Y” Following a Vowel
day+s=days
obey+ed=obeyed
relay+s=relays
Do not change if the Suffix Begins With “I”
cry+ing=crying
worry+ing=worrying
supply+ing=supplying
Change the Final “y” to “i”: Exceptions
shy+ly=shyly
day+ly=daily
memory+ize=memorize
parts of speech
Eight categories for classifying words: adjective, adverb, conjunction, interjection, noun, preposition, pronoun, and verb
