English: spelled and spelt
Tutoring English, you encounter words you’ve heard for decades, but not seen in print. The tutor mentions spelt. I’ve heard people say spelt as past tense of spell, as in “I didn’t know that word is spelt that way.” Yet, …
Category: spelling
Spelling: adapter or adaptor?
Self-tutoring about English: the tutor checks a fact. Adaptor or adapter? Either one, apparently: both are correct and have the same meaning. Source: Mish, Frederick C. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 2004.
English: non-words: “irrecognizable”
Self-tutoring about English: the tutor relates a story. For years I’ve used “irrecognizable.” I guess I just didn’t type it. When I did yesterday, the spell-checker complained. (I think the spell checker and I have been ready to divorce numerous …
English: how do you spell the word for “one who denies?”
Tutoring English never gets old. The tutor shows a reason why. Denier: one who denies. I can barely believe my eyes, yet the spell checker has no quarrel with denier. How can I never have seen denier in print, yet …
English: how do you spell the word for “one who denies?” Read more »
Spelling: “forgivable” misses
Self-tutoring about English: the tutor mentions an interesting notion. In English, consonants are easy, but vowels can be a challenge. Perhaps that’s why we might forgive wrong consonants but can’t forgive wrong vowels. For instance, consider the word “meant”: spelling …
Spelling: tendinitis or tendonitis?
Self-tutoring about spelling: the tutor shares a find. Tendinitis or tendonitis – which one is correct? Both are, it turns out: they mean the same. Source: Mish, Frederick C. (editor). Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 2004.
English: barbecue or barbeque?
Self-tutoring about spelling: the tutor researches, to him, an age-old question. Which is correct – barbecue or barbeque? Either, according to the Oxford Canadian dictionary. However, this spell-checker prefers barbecue. Source: Barber, Katherine et al. Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current …
Spelling: esthetic vs aesthetic
Self-tutoring about English: the tutor checks about esthetic and aesthetic. Apparently, aesthetic and esthetic have the same meaning. Source: Mish, Frederick C (editor). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 2004.
Spelling: I was skeptical…but was I sceptical?
Self-tutoring about spelling: the tutor had his doubts in one case…. I read the word “sceptical” with surprise. One of the word processing programs I use doesn’t like it either. Yet, Webster’s Dictionary and Oxford Canadian Dictionary agree: sceptic is …
Vocabulary: another -ible
Tutoring English, suffixes are interesting. The tutor mentions a word ending with -ible. In a post from December 30, 2012, I mention some -ibles – for example, credible. By an -ible I mean a word that ends in -ible but …