EXPECTANCIES

1. EXPECTANCIES HOW WORDS CAN BE EXPECTED TO BE SPELLED

2. EXPECTANCIES • Expectancies tell us how we can EXPECT a word to be spelled. These are not RULES since they are not 100% dependable, but they’ll give a person a definite advantage in predicting how a word is spelled because they work most of the time.

3. -CK EXPECTANCY: WORDS THAT END WITH THE /K/ SOUND ONE syllable words with ONE SHORT vowel sound that end with the /k/ sound are spelled with a -ck at the end.

4. Back Pack Rack Shack Knack Deck Beck Neck Check Wreck Peck Kick Lick Stick Thick Chick Lock Knock Rock Block Buck Tuck Truck Struck -CK EXAMPLES

5. -TCH EXPECTANCY:W0RDS THAT END WITH THE /CH/ SOUND ONE syllable words with ONE SHORT vowel sound that end with the /ch/ sound are spelled with –tch at the end.

6. Ditch Hitch Pitch Snitch Stitch Switch Twitch Blotch Splotch Dutch Crutch Clutch Batch Catch Hatch Latch Match Patch Thatch Scratch Fetch Retch Stretch -TCH EXAMPLES

7. -DGE EXPECTANCY:WORDS THAT END WITH THE /J/ SOUND ONE syllable words with ONE SHORT vowel sound that end with the /j/ sound are spelled with –dge at the end. Note: The silent e can’t jump over two letters to make the vowel sound long!

8. Badge Edge Hedge Ledge Wedge Pledge Dredge Ridge Bridge Dodge Lodge Budge Fudge Judge Nudge Grudge Sludge Smudge Trudge -DGE EXAMPLES

9. SOFT C (/S/) AND SOFT G(/J/) EXPECTANCIES If an I, E, or Y follows a C or a G, it makes them have the SOFT sound. The soft sound for C is /S/. The SOFT sound for G is /J/.

10. Cell Cent City Cycle Dance Prance Race Center Certain Cider Place Cyclone Cymbal Gem Germ Gym Generous Gentle Page Wage Giant Ginger Giraffe Genuine Geography Geometry SOFT C(/S/) AND SOFT G(/J/)EXAMPLES

11. LITTLE FISH SWIM ZIG ZAGS ONE syllable words with ONE short vowel that END with L, F, S, or Z usually have the L, F, S, or ZDOUBLED. Get it? Little Fish Swim Zig Zags

12. Ball Call Mall Hall Tall Fall Squall Bell Cell Fell Yell Smell Spell Bill Fill Hill Skill Doll Stroll Bull Pull Skull Staff Tiff Cliff Stiff Sniff Off Buff Huff Bluff Little Fish Swim Zig Zags Examples

13. Bass Lass Mass Pass Brass Class Grass Less Mess Chess Dress Press Guess Hiss Kiss Miss Boss Loss Toss Cross Floss Fuss Puss Jazz Fizz Frizz Buzz Fuzz More Examples of Little Fish Swim Zig Zags

14. Some OUTLAW Words to the Little Fish Swim Zig Zags Expectancy • Bus and gas are exceptions to Little Fish Swim Zig Zags because they are short words for gasoline and omnibus. • Function words such as is, was, his, of, if, and as are exceptions to Little Fish Swim Zig Zags.

15. Plurals Plural words are words that mean MORE than one.

16. Add S to make most nouns plural. Girls, computers, Desks, kids, chairs, Coats, cars, trucks, Stairs, halls, papers, Towels, books, tapes, CDs, pens, pencils, Dogs, goats, tests Add ES to words that end in s, sh, ch, or x. Classes, passes, kisses, Wishes, pushes, dishes, Inches, patches, churches, Boxes, foxes, sixes (You can HEAR the E sound before the S. It sounds like /ez/.) Rules for Plural Words

17. If a word ends with a consonant before the Y, Change the Y to an i and add e s. Cities, ladies, babies, ponies, cries, pennies, kitties, abilities, capacities, fantasies, bodies If a word ends with a vowel before the Y, DON’T change the Y, just add S. Monkeys, plays, boys, toys, trays, essays, turkeys The Y Rule for Plurals

18. Doubling Rule When adding an -ed or and –ing to a ONE syllable word with ONE SHORT vowel that ends with ONE consonant, DOUBLE that last letter. Note: this way the e in the –ed can’t jump over the last 2 letters to make the vowel sound long (say its name).

19. Hop = hopped Gab = gabbed Tag = tagged Stop = stopped Nap = napped Rip = ripped Lug = lugged Plug = plugged Bug = bugged Jog = jogged Tap = tapped Trot = trotted Hop = hopping Gab = gabbing Tag = tagging Stop = stopping Nap = napping Rip = ripping Lug = lugging Plug = plugging Bug = bugging Jog = jogging Tap = tapping Trot = trotting Examples

20. Drop the Silent E Rule In a One Syllable word with a LONG vowel sound and a SILENT E at the end, DROP the silent E before adding –ed or –ing!

21. Hope + -ing = hoping Name + -ing = naming Bike + -ing = biking Poke + -ing = poking Rake + -ing = raking Rule + -ing = ruling Close + -ing = closing Vote + -ing = voting Tube + -ing + tubing Time + -ing = timing Tape + -ing = taping Size + -ing = sizing Hope + -ed = hoped Name + -ed = named Bike + -ed = biked Poke + -ed = poked Rake + -ed = raked Rule + -ed = ruled Close + -ed = closed Vote + -ed = voted Tube + -ed = tubed Time + -ed = timed Tape + -ed = taped Size + -ed = sized Examples of the Drop the Silent E Rule

22. Contractions are two words that have been forced together to make a smaller word. Use an apostrophe (‘) to show where the missing letter is missing.

23. Can not = can’t Are not = aren’t Could not = couldn’t Would not = wouldn’t Should not = shouldn’t Did not = didn’t Had not = hadn’t Has not = hasn’t Have not = haven't He is = he’s She will = she’ll I will = I’ll I am = I’m Is not = isn’t Would have = would’ve Should have = should’ve I have = I’ve You are = you’re They are = they’re Will not = won’t Were not = weren’t Who is = who’s Examples of Contractions

24. Suffixes are word parts added to the END of a word to change its meaning. • If a base word ends with an E and the suffix begins with a VOWEL, drop the E before adding the suffix. • Examples: Love + -able = lovable Complete + -ing = completing Describe + -ing = describing Imagine + -able = imaginable Excuse + -able = excusable Surprise + -ing = surprising