Linguistic commentary on unit 4.

1. Doubling the final consonant in monosyllabic words when adding a suffix starting with a vowel.

We must double the final consonant if a word is monosyllabic, contains one vowel letter, which gives one short vowel sound, and one consonant at the end (to preserve pronunciation). For example, swim – swimmer – swimming, fun – funny, can – canned, cat – catty.

Exceptions: words which have ‘w’, ‘x’ (as letter ‘x’ in transcription gives two consonant sounds – [ks], and letter ‘w’ together with the preceding vowel usually forms a diphthong): box – boxing, bow – bowed. Vowel letter ‘y’, though pronounced at the end of words as the consonant sound [j], is not doubled still: play – played.

If a word contains two vowel letters, a long vowel sound or a diphthong, or two consonants at the end, the final consonant is not doubled. For example, seem [si:m] – seemed, catch – catcher.

2. Doubling the final consonant in polysyllabic words when adding a suffix starting with a vowel.

   1. If the last syllable is stressed and contains one vowel letter, which gives one short vowel sound, and one consonant at the end, the final consonant is doubled (to preserve pronunciation). For example, be'gin – beginning, com'mit – committed, oc'cur - occurring.

   2. If the last syllable is not stressed or it contains two vowel letters, a long vowel sound or a diphthong, or two consonants at the end, the final consonant is not doubled. For example, 'reckon – reckoned, 'reason – reasoned, 'happen – happened, 'offer – offering, con'ceal – concealed, de'spair – despairing.

   3. In two-stemmed compound words you should take into account individual stems: gravedigger (grave + dig + er).

3. Adding suffixes starting with a vowel to words ending in ‘l’.

   1. ‘L’ is doubled both in mono- and polysyllabic words when the last syllable (no matter stressed or not) contains one vowel: travel – travelling. Exception: parallel – paralleling – paralleled.

   2. ‘L’ is not doubled both in mono- and polysyllabic words when the last syllable contains more than one vowel: trailed – trailed, appeal - appealing. But if there is a letter combination ‘ue’ in the middle of a word, final ‘l’ is doubled: fuel – fuelled.

   3. Exceptions are suffixes ‘-ist’, ‘-ic’ and ‘-ism’ which do not require any doubling: formal – formality, brutal – brutality, capital – capitalism, fatal – fatalist – fatalism.

NB! If you add a suffix starting with a consonant, final consonant is never doubled: glad – gladly, quarrel – quarrelsome, regret – regretful.

Unit 5. Silent ‘e’ at the end of words. Letter combinations ‘-ch’/‘-tch’, ‘-ge’/‘-dge’, ‘-c’/‘-ic’ at the end of words.

Exercise 1. Distribute the words below into three columns:

1. words in which silent ‘e’ is kept;

2. words in which silent ‘e’ is dropped;

3. exceptions to the rule.

Hate + ful, time + ly, true + ly, courage + ous, race + ial, peace + ful, notice + able, move + ment, whole + ly, grace + ous, hope + ing, agree + ing, amuse + ment, tire + less, pronounce + able, marriage + able, receive + ing, due + ly, lie + ing.

Now write the correct variant if the words derived.

Exercise 2. Seven of the underlined words in the letter below contain mistakes. Find and correct them.

I am writeing to thank you for haveing us to stay and to let you know that the improvments on our house have now been completed and hopefully we can move in very soon. We are driving there next Saturday. The children are extremly excited about living in such a beautiful house, but I’m a little worried about keeping the valueable furniture safely away from them!

Hoping you’ll be comeing to visit us soon.

Yours truely, Sarah

Exercise 3. Add suffixes to the words in bold so that the letter had logic. Don’t forget that some words change their spelling when a suffix is added to them.

Dear Jamal,

I’m write to invite you to my birthday celebrate next Thursday at the amuse park. It’s still undergoing renovate but will be open from Monday. It’ll be very excite. There’s an amaze water-flume and a really scare rollercoaster. If you’re extreme dare, there’s also a huge wheel in which you go backwards and upside down while revolve sideways. Can you image it? Even I might not be adventure enough for that!

Dad says he’ll do the drive, so don’t have an argue with your parents about how you’re going to get there and back. I was use at persuade Dad to come in, too. He thinks it’ll be tire and noise. So, we can go on our own as long as we’re on our best behave and act sense. Let me know if you’re come. I’m really hope to see you. It should be true brilliant.

Lots of love, Miles

P.S. I’m sending invite to Tanya and Steve too, but it’s like Tanya won’t come. She’s quite nerve and says you have to be ridicule to enjoy being frightened.

Exercise 4. Choose the correct variant of words with ‘-ch’/‘-tch’ at the end.

1. The football pich/pitch is near the church/churtch.

2. She used a torch/tortch to light up the darkened cellar.

3. The coach/coatch reached/reatched the station on time.

4. I’ve just bought a Swiss wach/watch.

5. The beach/beatch at Brighton is polluted.

6. The customer asked the waiter to fech/fetch a mach/match for his cigar.

7. Can you touch/toutch the branch/brantch of that tree?

8. The pach/patch of grass near the dich/ditch is very wet and muddy.

9. The Pope has preached/preatched in every continent of the world.

10. Take this bunch/buntch of flowers to Mrs. Finch/Fintch.

Exercise 5. Finish the words in the text with ‘-ge’ or ‘-dge’.

PET SHOW FIASCO

A colle…. pet show ended in disaster last week. Besides the usual cats and dogs, some rather stran…. entrants emer….d, including a he….hog, a ba….r, and a rock in a ca….! The ju…. (Annie Mall, a local vet) crin….d as a cat ate a mouse called Mi….t, and a parrot mana….d to fly up to a high le…., out of reach. Some people began to fi….t, and accused the he….hog of having fleas. Its angry owner said that such remarks did dreadful dama…. to people’s ima…. of the creatures, and blows were exchan….d. In the confusion, a puppy called Smu…. ran off with the ba…. for first prize, and was later declared the winner.

Exercise 6. Finish the words in the text with ‘-ch’ or ‘-tch’.

KI….EN PUN….-UP!

Guests at a local hotel had only sandwi….es for lun…. today, as chefs Pierre Noir (Fren….) and Jan Van Glyk (Du….) were fighting. Noir accused Van Glyk of scor….ing his ….icken dish by swi….ing up the oven. Van Glyk said he hadn’t tou….ed it and Noir was no ma…. for him anyway. The waiters wa….ed and ….eered as Noir ….ased Van Glyk, clu….ing a bu….er’s ha….et. Van Glyk threw a ba…. of eggs at Noir, who then poured ke….up over Van Glyk’s head. The enraged Van Glyk pun….ed Noir, who fell and hit his head on a ben…., while Van Glyk pi….ed forward, wren….ing his ankle. Both needed to be carried on a stre….er to an ambulance. The police fe….ed them from the hospital, where Noir received ten sti….ed, and Van Glyk, a pair of cru….es.

Exercise 7. Fill in ‘k’ where it is needed.

1. My mother insisted I had a music..al education.

2. Don’t be such a panic..er! We’ll sort out the problem.

3. The school inspector was very critic..al of the lessons she had seen.

4. If it’s a nice day, we’ll go picnic..ing in the woods.

5. My father was an electric..al engineer.

6. This problem is basic..ally very simple to solve.

7. This new coffeemaker is mechanic..ally very simple.

8. I love the supermarket doors that open automatic..ally.

9. The customs officer opened the case and found the heroin that the drugs traffic..er had hidden in the bottom.

10. She researched the problem systematic..ally from the beginning to the end.

11. Joe was very popular with the other kids because she was always mimic..ing the teachers.