SPELLING ISSUES:

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• Correct spelling creates a good impression – frequent spelling errors create a less favourable impression
  
  
• Spelling errors may be accidental errors – the most usual  – or they may occur because of lack of knowledge.  In the first case, careful checking is needed and in the second, use a good dictionary.  There's no need to hand in work with spelling errors.
  
  
• Do use the spellcheck on your computer.  However, remember that (i) most spellchecks check for American not British spelling and (ii) they don't cope well with more complex language and easily miss basic errors such as the confusion of "their" and "there".
  
  Finding a friend to help you check your work can often work better than the spellcheck.
  
  
• Confusion is caused by words with similar sounds and different meanings, called homophones. A few examples are:
  
  affect/effect
  complement/compliment
  principle/principal
  passed/past
  your/you're
  accept/except
  advice/advise
  practice/practise
  
  
• Double letters in words often cause difficulty:
  
  accommodation
  address
  recommend
  
  
• Use the spelling rule "i before e except after c" (though there are exceptions:
  
  receive
  receipt
  sieve
  thief
  
  
• Make an effort to learn to spell the main vocabulary used in your subject area.
  
  
• Do use a dictionary frequently.
  
  
• Building up the number of words you can make from one word helps expand your vocabulary: add prefixes and suffixes, e.g. economic – economy, economist, to economize, uneconomic, economically.

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