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Thứ Ba, 17 tháng 11, 2009

Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 11, 2009

Endings

Endings

When to Drop a Final e
It's hard to remember when to drop letters and when to keep them. This lesson will nail down some simple rules to help you with those decisions.

Rule1

Drop the final e when you add an ending that begins with a vowel
  • With -ing: change + -ing = changing
  • With -able: argue + -able = arguable
  • With -ous: virtue + -ous = virtuous (có đạo đức, tiết hạnh)
  • With -ity: opportune + -ity = opportunity
The Exceptions
  • Keep the final e after soft c or g in order to keep the soft sound.
peace + -able = peaceable
courage + -ous = courageous
  • Keep the final e in other cases when you need to protect pronunciation.
shoe + -ing = shoeing (not shoing)
guarantee + -ing = guaranteeing (not guaranteing)

Rule 2

Keep the final e before endings that beging with consonants. Here are some examples of words that use this rule:
  • With -ment: advertise + -ment = advertisement
  • With -ness: appropriate + -ness = appropriateness
  • With -less: care + -less = careless
  • With -ful: grace + -ful = graceful
The Exception
There's one important exception to the rule about keeping the final e when you add an ending that begins with a consonant:
  • Drop the final e when it occurs after the letters u or w: argue + -ment = argument; awe + -ful = awful; true + -ly = truly;

Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 11, 2009

The way through a difficult system Vocabulary

Here are four strategies that can guide your way through a difficult system and give you some ways to make good spelling a part of your life.
  1. Learn the rules, but expect some exceptions. The lessons that follow point out both spelling rules and their exceptions.
  2. Use mnemonics (memory tricks) to help you remember how to spell unfamiliar or confusing words. The most common type of mnemonic is the acronym. An acronym is a word created from the first letters in a series of words. Another type of mnemonic is a silly sentence or phrase, known as an acrostic, which is made out of words that each begin with the letter or letters that start each item in a series that you want to remember.
  3. Write it down. This book provides you with helpful exercises that require you to write your vocabulary words in a blank space. This act will help your hand and eye remember how to spell the word. Make sure to spell the word correctly as you go along so you don't have to relearn the word's spelling later on. After you are done with this book, you can teach yourself to spell new words in the same way. The simple act of writing words down several times will help you cement their spellings in your mind.
  4. Referring to a pronunciation chart in any dictionary will help guide you through pronouncing the words in our book and also familiarize you with pronouncing other new words you encounter in everyday life. You can also access pronunciation charts online.

Online dictionary for pronunciation

  1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  2. The Newbury House Online Dictionary
  3. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Online at Bartleby.com
  4. The Free Dictionary