how to spell: tip 8 do's & don'ts of spelling

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We're looking at a few do's and don't of spelling or is it dos & don'ts?

You can spell it "dos" without the apostrophe or with an apostrophe. With the apostrophe it makes is clearer what the word is and punctuation is all about making your writing clear for the reader.

The do's and don'ts of spelling or dos and don'ts of spelling:

Do learn about spelling - it's never ever too late to learn to spell well. If you really want to spell well then learn the rules, the conventions, notice spelling patterns and letter patterns and understand why spelling is the way it is.

Do write as often as you can. Also write in lower case, small letters, with capitals in the right places for proper nouns such as Joanne, Britain, Canada, so you can see the shape of the word. And also use the capital I for I and I'm.

Don't write in BLOCK CAPITALS unless it's on a form.

Do use the words you like even if you're not sure of the spelling, ask someone or try to use a dictionary, or spell checker.

Do try to find your own errors. Proofread your emails, comments, messages. Go over them again until you know your writing can be understood by the reader. Go over it slowly and read it out loud to see if you have missing words, missing letters, wrong words, wrong homophones. Be careful with predictive text it's convenient but it might give you a weird totally incorrect word.

Do make a correct copy of the words you need to learn -- make a little dictionary for yourself and use the Look Say Cover Write Check method.

Do practise the words you want to use and test yourself regularly. Use the Look Say Cover Write Check method, do spelling tests, exercises on my website - howtospell.co.uk

Don't look at /concentrate on the wrong spelling (remember visual memory is strong), after you've figured out where you went wrong concentrate on the correct spelling.

Don't learn words you'll never use. Concentrate on those you need.

Don't try to learn too many words at once. Pick the most important for you - key words for work, or home.

Don't rely on the sound of the word for its spelling. Think about it in as many ways as you can -- the look, meaning, sound, feel...

Do use memory tricks.

Do enjoy spelling in all its quirky ways, and stay passionate about your learning and life.

That was a quick look at the do's and don't of spelling. See you in spelling tip 9 on spelling rules.