... or bycicle)bidding or biding?bid + ing = biddingThe BIDDING at the auction was fast and furious.BIDDING farewell, the knight cantered away.bide + ing = bidingHer critics ... trees retain their leaves in autumn.beautifulUse your knowledge of French beau to help you.before(not befor)beginNote these forms and spellings:I begin, I am beginning.I ... begun.beginner(not -n-)beige(not -ie-)See EI/IE SPELLING RULE.belief(not -ei)See EI/IE SPELLING RULE.believebelieved, believing, believerSee EI/IE SPELLING RULE.See ADDING ENDINGS...
... adding an ending that iscausing you trouble, you will find some words listedwith a useful cross-reference.dining or dinning?dine + ing = dining (as in dining room)din + ing ... dining room)din + ing = dinning (noise dinning in ears)See ADDING ENDINGS (i) and (ii).viiHow to use this bookThere are individual entries for confusing endings like-able/-ible; ... rather than being divided intoseparate spelling, usage, punctuation and grammarsections.You will therefore find hypocrisy followinghyphens; paragraphing following paraffin; who orwhom?...
... stress in these wordsaffects the spelling:confer conferred conferring conferencedefer deferred deferring deferenceinfer inferred inferring inferenceprefer preferred preferring preferencerefer ... consonant ending is added:quarrel + some = quarrelsomeinstal + ment = instalmentDouble the -1 when adding a vowel ending:quarrel + ing = quarrellinginstal + ed = installedexcel ... keep the -e in words like singeing(different from singing) and dyeing (different5ADDING ENDINGS(iv) The 2-1-1 ruleThis rule applies to:words of TWO syllablesending with ONE...
... both meanings:You CAN go now (= are permitted).caning or canning?cane + ing = caningCANING is now banned in all schools.Can + ing = canningThe CANNING factory is closing down.See ... sure.Are you CERTAIN that he apologised?CURTAINS are window drapes.Do draw the CURTAINS.Note that the c sounds like s in certain and like k in curtain.See SOFT c AND ... the Vedasto begin each word in an address:Mrs Anna Sendall10 Furze CrescentALPHINGTONHants PD6 9EF40CANING OR CANNING?distinction in formal contexts. However, informally,CAN...
... reversed the car into the main road and mybrother??She reversed the car into the main road, and mybrother waved goodbye.52CORPORAL PUNISHMENTcontinual or continuous?CONTINUAL means ... them off in yourown work by matching them against theseexamples.Can you see the difference in meaning that apair of commas makes here? Read the twosentences aloud, pausing where ... commasindicate that you should pause in the firstsentence, and the two different meanings shouldbecome clear:The firemen, who wore protective clothing,were uninjured. (= nobody injured)The...
... drab.dingo (singular) dingoes or dingos (plural)dining or dinning?dine + ing = dining (as in dining room)din + ing = dinning (noise dinning in ears)See ADDING ENDINGS (i) and (ii).diphtheria(not ... working properly (aDEFECTIVE machine).DEFICIENT means lacking something vital (a dietDEFICIENT in vitamin C).deferdeferred, deferring, deferenceSee ADDING ENDINGS (iv).deffiniteWrong ... reluctant to participate and isclearly UNINTERESTED in any activities the schoolhas to offer.Originally, DISINTERESTED was used in this sense(= having no interest in, apathetic),...
... She couldn’t explain the reason why she was here. She couldn’t explain the reason because she was here. 120. Think of I’m thinking of moving to Australia. I’m thinking to move to Australia. ... She couldn’t explain the reason why she was here. She couldn’t explain the reason because she was here. 120. Think of I’m thinking of moving to Australia. I’m thinking to move to Australia. ... week. 30 . Continuously & continually The bell rang continuously and didn’t stop for even a second. The bell rang continually and didn’t stop for even a second. 31 . Crash into...