SPELLING RULES

 

Adding -s

We add -s to words for two reasons:

  1. to make plural nouns (boy > boys)
  2. to form the 3rd person singular of the present simple tense (I work > you work > he works)

Spelling Rule
Just add -s to the end of the word, for example:

  • dog > dogs
  • play > plays
  • demand > demands

Exceptions

If the word ends in: do this: and add: For example:
-ch
-s
-sh
-x
-z		 nothing -es church > churches
mass > masses
brush > brushes
fax > faxes
box > boxes
chintz > chintzes
-f
-fe		 remove the -f or -fe -ves wife > wives
calf > calves

except:
beliefs, chiefs, dwarfs, griefs, gulfs, proofs, roofs
consonant + -y remove the -y -ies spy > spies
baby > babies
Note: words that end in -o normally just add s, except:
buffalo > buffaloes
cargoes (or cargos)
domino > dominoes
echo > echoes
go > goes
grotto > grottoes
halo > haloes
hero > heroes
mango > mangoes
mosquito > mosquitoes
motto > mottoes (or mottos)
potato > potatoes
tomato > tomatoes
tornado > tornadoes
torpedo > torpedoes
veto > vetoes
volcano > volcanoes

 

The Use of Large Letters (Capitals)

Each letter of the English alphabet may be written as a small letter (abc...) or as a large or capital letter (ABC...). You can see a full list of capital letters here.

In English, we do not use capitals letters very much. We use them mainly for the first letter of sentences, names, days and months as well for some abbreviations. In addition, of course, we always write the first person pronoun as a capital I.

It is not usual to write whole sentences in capitals. A sentence or paragraph written in capitals is extremely difficult to read. Did you ever see a book or newspaper written completely in capitals? Of course not! We cannot easily read large amounts of text in capital letters. Lawyers know that capital letters are difficult to read. That is why some legal texts are written completely in capitals.

When do we Use Capital Letters?

1. Use a capital letter for the personal pronoun 'I':

  • What can I say?

2. Use a capital letter to begin a sentence or to begin speech:

  • The man arrived. He sat down.
  • Suddenly Mary asked, "Do you love me?"

3. Use capital letters for many abbreviations and acronyms:

  • G.M.T. or GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
  • N.A.T.O. or NATO or Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

4. Use a capital letter for days of the week, months of the year, holidays:

  • Monday, Tuesday
  • January, February
  • Christmas
  • Armistice Day

5. Use a capital letter for countries, languages & nationalities, religions:

  • China, France
  • Japanese, English
  • Christianity, Buddhism

6. Use a capital letter for people's names and titles:

  • Anthony, Ram, William Shakespeare
  • Professor Jones, Dr Smith
  • Captain Kirk, King Henry VIII

7. Use a capital letter for trade-marks and names of companies and other organizations:

  • Pepsi Cola, Walkman
  • Microsoft Corporation, Toyota
  • the United Nations, the Red Cross

8. Use a capital letter for places and monuments:

  • London, Paris, the Latin Quarter
  • the Eiffel Tower, St Paul's Cathedral
  • Buckingham Palace, the White House
  • Oxford Street, Fifth Avenue
  • Jupiter, Mars, Syrius
  • Asia, the Middle East, the North Pole

9. Use a capital letter for names of vehicles like ships, trains and spacecraft:

  • the Titanic
  • the Orient Express, the Flying Scotsman
  • Challenger 2, the Enterprise

10. Use a capital letter for titles of books, poems, songs, plays, films etc:

  • War And Peace
  • If, Futility
  • Like a Virgin
  • The Taming of the Shrew
  • The Lion King, Gone With The Wind

11. Use capitals letters (sometimes!) for headings, titles of articles, books etc, and newspaper headlines:

  • HOW TO WIN AT POKER
  • Chapter 2: CLINTON'S EARLY LIFE
  • LIFE FOUND ON MARS!
  • MAN BITES DOG

 

 

 

Adding -er/est

We make the comparative or superlative forms of short adjectives by adding -er or -est.

Spelling Rule
Just add -er or -est to the end of the adjective, for example:

  • quick > quicker > quickest
  • great > greater > greatest
  • full > fuller > fullest

Exceptions

If the adjective ends in: do this: and add: For example:
consonant + -y change the -y to an -i -er

-est

 happy > happier > happiest
consonant + -e remove the -e late > later > latest
consonant + vowel + consonant double the last letter hot > hotter > hottest
Note: adjectives ending in -l are regular, except:
cruel > crueller > cruellest

 

Adding -ing/-ed

Often we need to add -ing or -ed to a verb to make other forms of the verb, for example:
I was talking when John arrived.

Spelling Rule
Just add -ing or -ed to the end of the base verb:

  • work > working > worked
  • play > playing > played
  • open > opening > opened

Exceptions

If the base verb ends in: do this: and add: For example:
consonant + vowel + consonant

and a stressed syllable

 double the final consonant -ing

-ed

 stop > stopping > stopped
begin > beginning
tap > tapping > tapped

But, for example:
open > opening > opened
(because no stress on last syllable of open)
consonant + -e remove the -e -ing

-ed

 phone > phoning > phoned
dance > dancing > danced
make > making
rake > raking > raked
dye > dying > dyed
-ie change the -ie to -y -ing lie > lying
die > dying
nothing -d lie > lied
die > died

 

Adding -ly

We often make an adverb by adding -ly to an adjective, for example: quick > quickly.

Spelling Rule
Just add -ly to the end of the adjective:

  • coy > coyly
  • loud > loudly
  • beautiful > beautifully
  • senseless > senselessly
  • intelligent > intelligently

Exceptions

If the adjective ends in: do this: and add: For example:
-ll nothing -y full > fully
consonant + -le remove the final -e -y terrible > terribly
-y (except 1-syllable adjectives) remove the -y -ily happy > happily
Note: 1-syllable adjectives ending in -y are regular, except:
day > daily
gay > gaily

 

Information taken from http://writing.englishclub.com/