English Spelling Rules for ESOL Learners

English Spelling Rules for ESOL Learners The Most Important Spelling Rules in English to Help You Progress Faster ChaptersThe Logic of English Spelling RulesThe 10 Most Common Spelling Mistakes in EnglishRules of English SpellingLearn English Spelling: UK vs the USChoosing the Right English Dictionary for YouWith its international status and easy conjugation, English is a brilliant language to learn, whether you learn english online or face to face.Gaining reading and writing skills with the possibility of achieving fluency in any language is highly beneficial for the future prospects of the learners, as acquiring valuable language skills is a small step in promoting healthy intercultural relations.However, there is one particularly tricky aspect of the English language, which causes all manner of problems for those learning English as a second language, as well as native English speakers.The offender is English spelling.With its silent letters making new words difficult to pronounce, and several different pronunciations for words ending in o-u-g-h, English spelling is anything but phonetic.The way that ‘tough’ rhymes with ‘rough’, but it doesn’t rhyme with ‘though’ is enough to make anyone dizzy.English also features silent letters, which appear in the spelling of a word but are not said aloud.Some examples of silent letters include the letter ‘K’ in ‘knife’ and ‘knead’, as well as the ‘G’ in ‘gnarl’ and ‘gnat’.Even the many English dictionaries on the market can’t seem to completely agree when it comes to the spelling of certain words, and whether compound words like ‘makeup’ should feature a hyphen to become ‘make-up’.From Westminster to Washington DC and beyond - English is an international language ¦ source: Pixabay - derwikiThe interestingness of English spelling is largely due to the early origins of the English language, as well as more recent variations that have surfaced with English being spoken in North America.English started life as, and still technically is, a part of the Germanic family of languages.But the N orman invasion of 1066 brought a Latin influence across the channel, which had a lasting impact on English language and how language was used within society at that time.When you learn to speak English as a foreign language, it is about more than your conversational English skills, listening comprehension and getting the hang of the latest slang to make an impression in your English lessons.Being able to speak English fluently isn't the be-all and end-all of acing your English course.As a non native English learner, knowing how to read and write in good English is an essential part of using English in every aspect of communication, and will stand you in good stead if you take any written exams in English.Its rich yet somewhat rocky history is what makes some aspects of English challenging, but it is nevertheless a truly unique language and a joy to learn!Shoe ? ShoesPhotograph ? PhotographsAngel ? AngelsHowever, this rule is only general, and there is a whole host of exceptions.Than kfully, since most of these exceptions follow the same pattern, you can easily learn how they work.Rules are made to be broken, and they definitely are in English spelling! ¦ source: Pixabay - MoneyforCoffeeLet’s start with words ending in ‘Y’.For words ending in a consonant followed by ‘Y’, you remove the Y and add ‘i-e-s’:Pony ? PoniesCompany ? CompaniesParties ? PartiesThe exception to this rule is the less common words which end with a vowel before the Y follow the usual rule or simply adding an ‘S’.Bay ? BaysKey ? KeysPlay ? PlaysSo, even though, as a speaker of another language, English spelling may seem to make people bend over backwards with its traps and inconsistencies, they’re not always too difficult to get the hang of.Another exception to standard pluralisation is words which already end in ‘S’, like ‘bus’, for example.The rule for pluralising these words is that you add ‘es’ instead of just ‘S’, and it applies to words ending in ‘ s-s’, ‘Z’, ‘c-h’, ‘s-h’ and ‘X’, too.Bus ? BusesKiss ? KissesWaltz ? WaltzesMatch ? MatchesBrush ? BrushesTax ? TaxesThis part of the pluralisation rule isn’t so difficult to remember since these words are nearly impossible to pronounce without the additional ‘E’ to facilitate a consonant.Learn English Spelling: UK vs the USAs English has become so widely spoken, there are areas where populations have adapted and added to the language to create their own version of English.This is particularly notable in the USA, where variant spellings have gained status as a standardised version of English.According to Oxford Dictionaries, these differences have arisen because British English has kept the original spellings of the words it has acquired from other languages, such as French in particular, whereas American English has adapted spellings to better reflect the way words are pronounced.One of the most noticeable of these variations is in words ending in ‘r-e’ in English, which American English spells ‘e-r’.The reason for this is exactly as Oxford Dictionaries explains: British English has stuck with the French spelling.FrenchBritish EnglishAmerican EnglishCentreCentreCenterThéâtreTheatreTheaterMètreMetreMeterOther examples of spellings that have been altered by US English are words which feature the vowels ‘O’ and ‘U’ side by side British English, but where the ‘U’ has been omitted in the American versions of these words.British EnglishAmerican EnglishColourColorHonourHonorNeighbourNeighborRegarding this phenomenon, BBC America explains that, just like the change in spelling of words ending in ‘r-e’, the omission of the letter ‘U’ was a deliberate change to make words better reflect their pronunciation.Removing the ‘U’ from words such as ‘color’ was to help differentiate them from words containing ‘o-u-r’ but which were pronounced differently, as ‘ower’.For example, ‘colour’ and ‘flour’ end with the same letters, but the ‘o-u-r’ in ‘flour’ is pronounced as ‘ower’.Other words which have been altered to make spelling more phonetic for the American English speaker include ‘plow’, which is spelt as ‘plough’ in British English, ‘catalog’, which was originally ‘catalogue’, and ‘ax’, which the Brits spell with an ‘E’, as ‘axe’.UK spelling vs. US spelling: the great debate ¦ source: Pixabay - ErikaWittliebThe variation in spelling between British and US English is always recognisable, however, it rarely gets in the way of reading comprehension.This is why to learn English is to open up a whole world of reading opportunity, as you can enjoy literature from both sides of the Atlantic!Choosing the Right English Dictionary for YouWhen you’re learning to speak English, you’ll undoubtedly need some kind of dictionary to help with practicing your literacy, vocab and spelling.But dictionaries come in all shapes and sizes: monolingual, b ilingual, rhyming, prescriptive, descriptive, electronic, comprehensive or pocket.However, being spoilt for choice can sometimes be overwhelming.So how do you choose the right English dictionary for you?Since each type of dictionary serves a different purpose, the one you choose will depend on your needs as a learner.Some dictionaries are simply for looking up the spellings of words, and may only have a simple definition, whereas others will have definitions accompanied by related words and their usage.It may surprise you that the dictionaries we know today started life as bilingual glossaries in medieval Europe, which were used by churchgoers to translate biblical texts between Latin and their native language.Similarly, the earliest English dictionaries in Great Britain were used to define Latin, French and Spanish words in English, and later developed to only contain English words with detailed definitions.The alphabetical dictionaries we know today came about in the year 1755, wi th the publication of ‘A Dictionary of the English Language’ by Samuel Johnson.Dictionaries, glossaries and word lists offered a standardisation of English spelling at a time when there were few reference resources.This made the dictionary a powerful tool when it came to influencing the way in which the English language developed, as Noah Webster, as American compiler, realised.Webster began making subtle changes to the spellings used by the Brits to make words better reflect their pronunciation, and these changes subsequently became responsible for what we know today as ‘US English’.The world of dictionaries is far richer and more interesting than anyone ever imagines, and every publication is much more than a simple book of words.The pros and cons of learning English as a native speaker of a foreign language are mainly due to the expanse of the English speaking world, but rest assured that help is never far away and from day one, you can reap the rewards.