English Grammar Blog
Rules to Improve Your Spelling
It is unfortunate that the English language is probably the hardest to master with regards to spelling. This has to do with the large number of words that have been adopted from other languages and the presence of exceptions to the rules that have been established. In English, there are more than 1,100 ways to spell only 44 types of sounds, which explains the difficulty of mastering the spelling of the different English words. However, there are certain rules that you can follow to improve your spelling skills.
The first rule is to be a voracious reader of books, magazines and other types of reading materials. This is the most effective way of mastering the spelling of English words because your memory of the spelling of each word improves each time you read that particular word. This is because spelling has to do with how a word appears on the page. Of course, you have to make sure that what you are reading uses the correct spelling of the words.
To augment the effect of reading a lot, you can write down in a notebook those words that you have difficulty remembering. Instead of reading a list of the commonly misspelled words, you will have your own list that is specifically tailored to your needs.
And because spelling is nothing more than memory work, another way to improve your spelling is to utilize mnemonics, which are strategies to help your memory. Mnemonics use images and patterns as a memory aid.
Meanwhile, writing is another way to commit the spelling of a word to your memory. Using the words that you have listed in your notebook, you can practice using those words in sentences to make it easier for your brain to retain the proper spelling of those words. However, unlike reading books, there is a danger in writing. You may commit to your memory the wrong spelling of words. To avoid this problem, which may be hard to counteract later on, you should make sure that the spelling of the words that you are writing are correct. One way to do this is to use a spell checker and another way is to let somebody else read what you have written.
Lastly, you will have to learn the basic rules of spelling, such as placing the letter “i” before “e” except when they are found after the letter “c.” Once again, this is memory work and improvement can only be achieved through constant practice.
Related posts:
- Building Your Vocabulary
- The Essentials of Readable Writing
- Tips to Help Keep Readers Interested in Your Writing
