11-Plus English: Spelling Rules and Patterns

Understanding Spelling in 11-Plus English

Spelling is a crucial component of the 11-plus English exam, encompassing various rules, patterns, and common challenges that students must master. This guide will cover essential spelling rules for making words plural, adding prefixes and suffixes, and understanding homophones and silent letters.

Spelling Rules

• Making Words Plural: Generally, to make a noun plural, you add -s or -es. For example, cat becomes cats, and box becomes boxes.
• Adding Prefixes and Suffixes: When adding prefixes (e.g., un-, re-) or suffixes (e.g., -ing, -ed), be mindful of the base word. For instance, happy becomes unhappy and happiness.
• Words with Double Letters: Some words require double letters when adding suffixes. For example, run becomes running, while stop becomes stopped.

Common Letter Strings

Recognizing common letter strings can help in spelling. For example, the -ough string can be pronounced differently in words like though, through, and cough.

Silent Letters

Words with silent letters can be particularly challenging. Examples include:

• knife (the k is silent)
• island (the s is silent)
• honest (the h is silent)

Homophones

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Common examples include:

• their, there, and they're
• to, two, and too
• your and you're

Commonly Misspelled Words

Students should also familiarize themselves with commonly misspelled words, such as:

• definitely
• accommodate
• separate

Practice Exercise

Task: Fill in the blanks with the correct spelling of the homophones.

1. I left my book over ______ (there/their/they're).

2. Can you come ______ (to/two/too) the party?

Answers: 1. there, 2. to

By mastering these spelling rules and patterns, students will enhance their writing skills and perform better in the 11-plus English exam.