SPELLING RULES

Adding -s

We add -s to words for two reasons:

to make plural nouns (boy > boys)
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
-ie	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/