Understanding and Teaching English Spelling

Concise and engaging, this text provides pre-service and practicing English language teachers with the knowledge they need to successfully teach the spelling of English. Offering context and explanation for the English spelling system as well as uniquely addressing specific problems in learning the spelling of English words, this book empowers readers with strategies for coping with these problems. Divided into six accessible sections, Brown covers the history of English spelling, the influence of technology on spelling, the role of punctuation, the features of present-day English spelling, teaching strategies for coping with difficult spelling, and the future of spelling and literacy. The short, digestible chapters include practical learning objectives and end-of-chapter exercises to help teachers understand and explain English spelling concepts.

Adam Brown is Director of Research at Auckland Institute of Studies, New Zealand.

1. Introduction 2. Types of Spelling System 3. Spelling, Writing and Reading 4. History of English 5. History of English Spelling 6. A Computer is Not a Typewriter 7. Technology 8. Rules of English Spelling 9. Punctuation 10. Spaces and Hyphens 11. Capital Letters 12. Silent Letters 13. Doubled Consonant Letters 14. Spelling of Unstressed Vowels 15. Variation 16. Loanwords 17. Names of Letters 18. Spelling Pronunciation 19. Pronunciation Spelling 20. Homophones and Homographs 21. Other Consequences of English Spelling 22. Morphological Strategy 23. Etymological Strategy 24. Phonological Strategy 25. Analogical Strategy 26. Visual Strategy 27. Teaching English Spelling 28. Testing English Spelling 29. Spelling Reform 30. English Spelling and Malay Spelling 31. The Future of English Spelling 32. Conclusion Appendix 1: Sound-to-spelling correspondences for British English Appendix 2: Surnames exemplifying spelling rules Appendix 3: The main uses of punctuation in English Appendix 4: Answers