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Here are some basic spelling rules tailored for Grade 5:
1. Doubling Consonants with Short Vowels
When a short vowel is followed by a single consonant and you add a suffix that begins with a vowel (like -ing, -ed, -er), double the consonant. Examples: run → running, hop → hopped, big → bigger
2. Changing "Y" to "I"
When a word ends with a consonant + y, change the y to i before adding a suffix, except when the suffix begins with i (like -ing). Examples: happy → happier, baby → babies, but cry → crying
3. Dropping the Silent "E"
If a word ends in a silent e, drop the e before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel (like -ing, - able). Examples: make → making, drive → driving, love → lovable
4. "I" Before "E" Except After "C"
Use ie unless the letters come after c, or sound like "ay."
Examples: believe, field, receive, ceiling
5. Plurals for Words Ending in "S," "X," "Z," "CH," or "SH"
Add -es to make words that end in these sounds plural.
Examples: bus → buses, box → boxes, quiz → quizzes, match → matches
6. Adding "S" to Make Most Words Plural
For most nouns, simply add -s to make them plural.
Examples: cat → cats, book → books, car → cars
7. Words Ending in "F" or "FE"
Change f or fe to -ves to make some words plural.
Examples: leaf → leaves, wolf → wolves, but some just add s like cliffs or roofs.
8. Using "C" and "K" for the /k/ Sound
Use c before a, o, and u (cat, cot, cut) but k before e, i, and y (key, kite, sky).
9. Words Ending in "Y" Preceded by a Vowel
If a word ends in a vowel + y, just add -s for the plural, and do not change the y to i. Examples: toy → toys, key → keys
10. Adding Suffixes to Words Ending in "C"
If a word ends in c and you add a suffix that starts with e, i, or y, add k after the c to keep the hard k sound. Examples: panic → panicky, traffic → trafficking
11. Using "-able" and "-ible"
Generally, use -able if the root word is complete on its own and makes sense (e.g., depend → dependable). Use -ible when the root word is not a complete word (e.g., visible). Examples: break → breakable, sense → sensible
12. "O" Sounds in Words
Words with a long o sound are often spelled with oa, ow, or oe in different cases. Examples: boat (oa), show (ow), toe (oe)
13. Words with "Q" Are Almost Always Followed by "U"
The letter q is almost always followed by u in English.
Examples: queen, quick, question
14. Soft "C" and "G" Sounds
C and g are soft when followed by e, i, or y (they sound like /s/ and /j/). Examples: city, gentle, gym
15. Silent Letters
Some words have silent letters (letters that you don't pronounce), like silent k, w, and b. Examples: knee, write, lamb
16. Words Ending in "-ful"
When adding the suffix -ful to a word, only one l is used.
Examples: hopeful, careful, painful
17. Homophones (Words That Sound Alike but Are Spelled Differently)
Learn the correct spelling of words that sound the same but have different meanings. Examples: there/their/they’re, to/too/two, peace/piece
18. Prefixes Do Not Change the Spelling of Root Words
When adding prefixes like un-, dis-, re-, or pre- to a root word, the spelling of the root word does not change. Examples: happy → unhappy, appear → disappear, write → rewrite
19. Double "L" After Short Vowels
In some words, double the l after a short vowel sound.
Examples: fill, doll, will, bell
20. Using "-ence" vs. "-ance"
For nouns ending in -ence or -ance, look at the root word’s final consonant. If it’s a c or g, the suffix is often -ence (e.g., intelligence, innocence). Examples: patience (from patient), attendance (from attend), evidence (from evident)
21. Silent "E" in Compound Words
When adding a word that ends in e to form a compound word, keep the silent e. Examples: home + made → homemade, fire + fighter → firefighter
