Top Tips from the Archive

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Over the years, we’ve shared plenty of advice to help you get to grips with some of the trickier aspects of the English language. This week, we’ve compiled a handy list of these tips to make them easier for you to find.

  1. Ten tips for using apostrophes
    One of the most common mistakes people make when using apostrophes is breaking the following rule: NEVER USE AN APOSTROPHE TO FORM A SINGULAR PLURAL. But when should you use an apostrophe? In this list of tips, we go over the appropriate situations in which to use an apostrophe and some common situations in which people incorrectly use them.

  2. Capital letters
    While you probably know that you should use a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and at the start of a proper noun, the rules surrounding capital letters are slightly more complex than this. When should you capitalise an abbreviation? Should you capitalise just the first letter of the word or all the letters in the word? Does it depend on the type of abbreviation? Find out in this article.

  3. Ten tips for forming plurals
    We’ve now learned that we should never form a plural using an apostrophe, but, if that’s the case, what are the correct ways to form plurals? While most plurals are formed by adding the letter –s to the end of a word, there are some exceptions. We explore them in this blog post.

  4. How to use a semicolon
    The semicolon is definitely among the trickiest of punctuation marks to use correctly. It is used to denote a break that has more emphasis than a comma but is less final than a full stop. In this article, we look at the two most common circumstances in which semicolons are used and break down their correct usage into easy steps.

  5. Five tips for spelling words silent letters
    If you find silent letters a pain when you’re practising your spellings, you’re certainly not alone. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to silent letters – the only solution is to practise, practise, practise! Here are five tips to help with the process.

  6. Five tips for adding suffixes
    A suffix is added to the end of a word to change its meaning. Sometimes, when you add a suffix, the root word has to be changed slightly first. In this article, we go over the various spelling rules for adding suffixes and share some examples and exceptions.

Do you have any spelling or grammar problem spots that you’d like us to go over in one of our future blog posts? Find us on Facebook and Twitter, or leave a comment below.


25 Jul 2016
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"Spellzone fits in beautifully with our Scope and Sequence of Phonological Awareness and Spelling. It also aligns perfectly with the four areas of spelling knowledge and uses the Brain, Ears, Eyes approach to learning spelling."
Thank you!

Teacher, Australia