Spelling Patterns — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which word correctly doubles the consonant before adding -ed?
A) stoped
B) stopped
C) stoppped
D) stopted
When a one-syllable verb ends with a single vowel followed by a single consonant, you double that final consonant before adding -ed. Stop has the short vowel o and ends in p, so the p doubles to give stopped.
2. When you add -ous to "marvel," what is the correct spelling?
A) marvelous
B) marvelos
C) marveleous
D) marvellious
Marvel keeps its single l, and the suffix -ous is added directly to form marvelous. The other choices either add extra letters or change the base word incorrectly.
3. Which group of words all follow the same spelling pattern?
A) bright, freight, eight
B) bright, weight, catch
C) night, train, fight
D) sight, light, might
Sight, light, and might all share the -ight pattern, where the letters i-g-h-t spell the long-i sound with silent gh. The other groups mix in different patterns like -eight or -atch.
4. What happens when you add -ing to the word "write"?
A) writeing
B) writting
C) writing
D) writhing
Write ends in a silent e, and the rule says to drop the silent e before adding -ing. That gives writing, not writeing or writting.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The bridge across the river was closed for repairs. (-ight is not the pattern; think of a word with silent letters)
A structure that crosses a river and can be closed for repairs is a bridge. Bridge has the silent letters d and g working together to make the soft -dge sound at the end.
2. Be careful with that vase; it is very breakable. (prefix + base: break → able)
Something fragile that could shatter is breakable, made by joining the base word break with the suffix -able, which means "able to be." A vase that can be broken easily is breakable.
3. She was writing a letter to her grandmother. (write → drop e + -ing)
When -ing is added to write, the silent e is dropped first, giving writing. The sentence describes the action of putting words on paper for grandmother, which is exactly what writing means.
4. The gorgeous sunset painted the sky orange and pink. (-ous word)
A sky painted with bright orange and pink colors looks stunningly beautiful, and the -ous word that means full of beauty is gorgeous. The -ous suffix turns the idea into an adjective describing the sunset.
5. We need to preview the paragraph before we publish it. (prefix pre- + view)
The prefix pre- means before, so adding it to view makes preview, meaning to look at something before it is finished or shared. Checking the paragraph before publishing is exactly a preview.