St. Paul’s C.E.
Primary School
Spelling Secrets
Book 2
Rule 10: Adding a suffix that begins with a vowel
(er, ing, ed)
If the last syllable of the word is stressed and ends with a
vowel then a consonant, what do we do?
Double the final consonant
forget - forgetting - forgotten
begin - beginning - beginner
prefer - preferred
The consonant letter should not be doubled if the last
syllable is unstressed
garden - gardening - gardener
limit - limiting - limited
Rule 11: The suffix –ation can be added to verbs to form
nouns
inform consider
-
-
information
consideration
If the verb ends in ‘e’ drop it before you add the ‘ation’
adore sense prepare -
-
-
adoration
sensation
preparation
Rule 12: Adding the suffix –ly
‘ly’ starts with a consonant letter so it is added straight onto
most root words
sadly, completely, usually, finally
If the root word ends in y with a consonant before it, the ‘y’
is changed to an ‘i’, but only if the root word has more than
one syllable
happy – happily
angry - angrily
If the root word ends with ‘le’ the ‘le’ is changed to ‘ly’
gentle - gently
simple - simply
humble - humbly
If the root word ends in ‘ic’, -ally is added rather than ‘ly’
basic - basically
frantic - frantically
dramatic - dramatically
Rule 13: Adding the suffix ‘ous’
For most words the usual rules for adding suffixes apply
poison - poisonous
danger - dangerous
mountain - mountainous
If the root word ends in ‘our’ then it must be changed to ‘or’
before ‘ous’ is added
humour - humorous
glamour - glamorous
vigour - vigorous
Some words don’t have a root word
tremendous enormous
A final ‘e’ must be kept after the letter ‘g’
courageous, outrageous
If there is an ‘i’ sound before the –ous ending it is usually
spelt as i, but a few words have e
serious, obvious, curious, hideous, spontaneous
Rule 14: Adding Word Endings
–tion,-sion,-ssion, -cian -tion is the most common.
It is used if the root word ends in t or te
invention, injection, action, hestitation
-ssion is used if the root word ends in ss or mit
expression, discussion, confession, permission
-sion is used if the root word ends in d or se
expansion, extension, comprehension, tension
(except attention and intention)
-cian is used if the root word ends in c or cs
musician, electrician, magician, politician
(these are usually the names of jobs)
Rule 15: Adding prefixes
Most prefixes are added to the beginning of root words
without any changes
un-, dis- and mis- have negative meanings
disappoint, disagree, misbehave, mislead, unhappy
The prefix ‘in-‘ can mean not, in or into. In the words given
here it means not:
inactive, incorrect
Before a root word starting with l, in- becomes il-.
illegal, illegible
Before a root word starting with m or p, in- becomes im-.
immortal, impossible, impatient
Before a root word starting with r, in- becomes ir-.
irregular, irrelevant, irresponsible
Look at the meanings of these prefixes
re- means ‘again’ or ‘back’
sub- means ‘under’
inter- means ‘between’ or ‘among’
super- means ‘above’
anti- means ‘against’
auto- means ‘self’ or ‘own’
Rule 16: The letter y can sometimes make an ‘i’ sound
(but not at the end of words)
myth, gym, Egypt, pyramid, mystery
Rule 17: Using ‘ch’ to make the ‘k’ or ‘sh’ sound
Sometimes the letters ‘ch’ can make a ‘k’ sound
chorus, chemist, echo, character
Sometimes the letters ‘ch’ can make a ‘sh’ sound
Chef, chalet, machine, brochure
Rule 18: These are all different ways of making the sound
‘ay’:
a
ai
ei
eigh
ey
a
paint
vein
weigh
eight
neighbour
they
obey
Rule 19: Adding -tion, -sion,-cian and -ssion
They all say ‘shun’ when in the second syllable of a word.
nation
potion
session
magician
Rule 20: The suffix –ation is added to verbs to form
nouns.
(The rules you have already learnt still apply)
information
adoration
sensation
preparation
admiration
Rule 21: Making Plurals
For most words just add an ‘s’
If the word ends in sh,ch,tch,s then end in ‘es’
brush brushes
church churches
switch switches
gas gases
If it ends in ‘z’ double the ‘z’ and add ‘es’
quiz - quizzes
Rule 22: Sometimes ch can make a ‘k’ sound
or a ‘sh’ sound
Chemist
chorus
echo
character
chef
chalet
machine
brochure
Rule 23: Using possessive apostrophes with plural words
The apostrophe is placed after the plural form of the word if
it ends in s
girls’, boys’, babies’
If the plural does not end in s, add an apostrophe then an s
children’s, men’s
Homophones
brake: the part of a car that makes it slow down
break: to make something go into smaller pieces
grate: to rub something against a rough surface
great: big, impressive, very good
here: in/at this place
hear: to take sounds in through the ears
heel: the back part of your foot
heal:to make someone well again
he’ll: contraction for he will
knot: the twisted part where string has been tied together
not: used to change the meaning of something to the opposite
( it is not cold )
mail: post/ letters
male: a person or animal that can become a father
meat: the flesh of animals used for food
meet: to come together with someone
missed: the past tense of the word miss
(to fail to hit or catch something/ to be sad
because someone is no longer with you)
mist: damp air that is difficult to see through
peace: a time of quiet
piece: a part of something
plain: not patterned
plane: short for aeroplane
rain: drops of water falling from the sky
rein: long straps used for guiding a horse
reign: the time when someone is king or queen
whether: a conjunction- ‘he asked whether i was ready’
weather: sun, wind and rain
whose: belonging to that person
who’s: contraction for who is
MNEMONICS and TRICKS
Some people find that silly sentences and memory tricks like
the ones on this page can help them to remember hard-tospell words!
Do any of these work for you?
• never believe a lie!
• that strange business started on a bus!
• I found three e’s in the cemetery.
• Emma faced a dilemma.
• that liar looks familiar.
• you can be sure of the results if you measure carefully!
• necessary: never eat candy — eat some salad and remain
young!
• do you want a piece of pie?
• rhythm: rhythm helps your two hips move.
• they left all of their money to their son and heir.
• did you know that there is a place just like here?
• I lose an e in every argument
accept - to agree
except - not this one
ball - football
bawl - to cry
fair - fun fair
fare - bus fare
main - the main one
mane - a lion’s mane
medal - a gold medal
meddle - to mess with
seen - something you saw
scene - the scene of a play
Aa
accident
accidentally
across
actual
actually
address
after
again
air
along
although
am
animals
another
answer
any
appear
around
arrive
away
Bb
baby
bad
bear
because
bed
been
before
began
believe
best
better
bicycle
birds
boat
book
box
boy
breath
breathe
build
business
Cc
calendar
can’t
car
cat
caught
centre
century
certain
circle
clothes
cold
coming
complete
consider
continue
couldn’t
country
crescent
cried
Dd
dark
decide
describe
did
different
difficult
disappear
discipline
dog
door
double
duck
Ee
early
earth
eat
eggs
eight
eighth
end
enough
even
ever
every
everyone
exercise
experience
experiment
extreme
eyes
Ff
famous
fascinate
fast
favourite
February
feet
fell
find
first
fish
fly
food
forward
forwards
found
fox
friends
fruit
fun
Gg
garden
gave
giant
girl
going
good
grammar
gran
grandad
great
green
group
grow
guard
guide
Hh
hard
has
hat
he’s
head
heard
heart
height
history
home
horse
hot
how
Ii
I’ll
I’ve
imagine
important
increase
inside
interest
island
its
Jj
jumped
Kk
keep
key
king
know
knowledge
Ll
last
learn
length
let
let’s
lets
library
liked
live
live
lived
long
looking
looks
lots
Mm
magic
man
many
material
may
medicine
mention
minute
miss
more
morning
most
mother
mouse
much
must
Nn
narrator
natural
naughty
need
never
new
next
night
notice
Oo
occasion
occasionally
often
only
opposite
or
ordinary
other
our
Pp
park
particular
peculiar
perhaps
place
plants
play
please
popular
position
possess
possession
possible
potatoes
pressure
probably
promise
pulled
purpose
Qq
quarter
queen
question
Rr
rabbit
ran
really
recent
red
regular
reign
remember
right
river
room
round
run
Ss
sat
suppose
say
surprise
scene
science
school
sea
sentence
separate
shouted
sleep
small
snow
something
soon
special
still
stop
stopped
straight
strange
strength
suddenly
sun
Tt
take
tea
tell
than
that’s
there’s
therefore
these
thing
things
think
though
thought
three
through
told
took
top
touch
town
tree
trouble
Uu
under
use
Vv
various
Ww
water
we’re
weight
well
white
window
woman
women
work
Xx
Yy
young
Zz
Created by St. Paul’s CE Primary School