C4.

BRITISH/AMERICAN SPELLING
British English absorbed the spelling of words from other languages, mainly French and
German.
The spelling were cemented by Samuel Johnson.

American English spellings mostly based on how the words sounds when it is spoken.
English was introduced to America in the 17th century by British settlers.
Noah Webster, an author of A Compendious Dictionary of English Language popularized the
American English spellings.

1. -our vs -or
BRITISH AMERICAN
colour color
humour humor

2. -ise vs -ize
BRITISH AMERICAN
organise organize
recognise recognize

3. -yse vs -yze
BRITISH AMERICAN
analyse analyze
paralyse paralyze

4. Doubled consonants
BRITISH AMERICAN
counsellor counselor
traveller traveler

5. -ae- or -or- vs -e-

BRITISH AMERICAN
leukaemia leukemia
manoeuvre maneuver

6. -ence vs -ense
BRITISH AMERICAN
offence offense
defence defense

7. -ogue vs -og
BRITISH AMERICAN
analogue analog
 dialogue dialog

8. -ae- vs -e-
BRITISH AMERICAN
anaemia anemia
paediatrician pediatrician

9. Final -e
BRITISH AMERICAN
annexe annex
programme program

10. Spelling Reforms

BRITISH AMERICAN
aeroplane airplane
grey gray

C5. PLURALIZATION OF NOUNS

The correct plural of nouns usually depends on what letter the singular noun ends.
1. In regular nouns, add -s to the end.
Examples:
dog – dogs
house – houses
2. If the singular noun ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, add -es to the end.
Examples:
bus – buses
lunch – lunches
3. There are cases wherein singular nouns ends in -s or -z, require to double the -s or -z,
then add -es.
Examples:
gas – gasses
quiz – quizzes
4. If the noun ends with -f or -fe, the -f is often changed to -ve- before adding the -s.
Examples:
loaf – loaves
wife – wives
but there are exceptions:
Examples:
chef – chefs
roof – roofs
5. If a singular noun ends in -y and if the letter before the -y is a consonant, change the -y
into -ies.
Examples:
city – cities
puppy – puppies
6. If a singular noun ends in -y and if the letter before the -y is a vowel, simply add -s.
Examples:
bay – bays
 toy – toys
7. If the singular noun ends in -o, add -es.
Examples:
potato – potatoes
tomato – tomatoes
but there are exceptions:
Examples:
photo – photos
halo – halos
8. If the singular noun ends in -us, the plural form frequently ends in -i.
Examples:
alumnus – alumni
cactus – cacti
9. If the singular noun ends in -on, the plural form ending is -a.
Examples:
phenomenon – phenomena
criterion – criteria
10. Some nouns don’t change at all, either singular or plural in form.
Examples:
sheep – sheep
deer – deer
11. There are irregular nouns that follow no specific rules and it change it form.
Examples:
child – children
foot – feet

D. POINTERS FOR BETTER SPELLING

1. Make a list of ‘difficult to spell’ words
2. Use a dictionary.
3. Study common root words.
4. Read
5. Use a pencil
6. Review the prefixes and suffixes
7. Watch out for homophones or easily confusable words
8. Use a spellchecker but with caution.
9. Be familiar with spelling rules.
10. Practice a word, spell it out loud
11. Practice simple spelling quizzes

REFERENCES