Preface

Although English is described as a Germanic language, barely half of English words are of Germanic

origin. English is a polyglot language that has borrowed words from almost every other language across
the globe. The result is an extraordinary mixture of spellings that are either a great irritation or a source of
fascination to the student. However, time and usage have tended to blend all the various spellings into a
number of distinct groups, each of which have their own rules.
This book attempts to show that English spelling is not an illogical mish-mash of sounds and letters. On
the contrary, English spelling does indeed have logical rules that govern how the words are spelled.
Many people believe that there can only be guides to English spelling and that because of its
complexity, strict rules could not possibly exist. But I believe this to be illogical. English is the most
important language in the world. It’s used in both diplomacy and international business and in every form
of communication. When every word in a written communication must be clear and unambiguous, it is
obvious that spelling must follow basic rules.
For a spelling rule to have validity, it must prove to be correct in a very high percentage of cases.
When the number of exceptions to the rule is too high, then the rule is not valid. Almost all the spelling
rules in this book are valid to a very high level. At least two of the rules are completely valid and have no
exceptions whatsoever.
Because of the unique history of the language there are often exceptions to many of the rules, but when
compared to the number of words that do indeed follow the rule, these exceptions often prove to be quite
rare. It is interesting to note that when a particular spelling changes or an incorrect spelling becomes
popular, it is often a move toward the spelling rule than a move away. It is clear that those who use the
language want conformity to logical spelling rules.
Strange as it may seem, considering the importance of spelling, not much school time is devoted to
spelling. Almost all the formal instruction is in the primary grades, and this usually consists of the
memorization of a weekly list of twenty words. The emphasis is on rote memorization and the students are
given little if any explanation of why the words are spelled that way. The amount of time devoted to
spelling decreases in the middle grades, and in high school it is not taught as a subject. There are no
college or university courses in spelling, nor are students in teacher training colleges given spelling
proficiency tests. The result is that many classroom teachers may be poorly equipped to teach spelling.
Adults who are good spellers will find that their skill is due to constant reading rather than any actual
study of spelling. They remember the correct way to spell a word and perhaps, by recognizing the root
word and the various affixes, they can trace the origin of the word. But they do not know why the word is
spelled that way.
While this book is intended as a valuable textbook for students of English, I hope that readers who
already have a good grasp of the English language will find it extremely interesting and that it helps
illuminate a long neglected corner of the English language.