Ways to remember those tricky words

In the English language there are several words which
are so similar it can be difficult to remember which one you use or even how to spell
them.  Each person will, of course, experience problems with different words. 

Here are a few mnemonics, shortcuts
and phrases I have come across, but I am sure you will have some of your own, so
please let us know.  Send them into us at june@hintsandthings.co.uk
so we can add them to this page and help others –

FRIEND

Five Red
Indians
Eating
Nuts
Downstairs

Meggan & Justin
Robertson

If you “fri”
your friend he’ll come to an “end“.

or

Friends end in end.

Amante
Darmanin

Friday is the
end of the school week.                                                                      
Luan Carter

 

ANSWER

A Negative
Score Will
Equal Relegation

..for those footie fans this should be an easy one to remember.

Shelagh Spurway

RHYTHM  

Rhythm
Helps Your
Two Hips
Move

or

Rhythm Has
Your Two
Hips Moving        
                      
                                     Amante
Darmanin)

SIGNIFICANT

SIGN IF I CAN’T

Amber
Patupis-Retsas

CARRIAGE

Carry
A Royal
Rooster
In
A Gold
Egg

JAMES
and Tracey
Glendinning-Smith

CHURCH 

CH on the
right  CH on the left  and
(you are)  U R in the middle.

Amante Darmanin

GEOGRAPHY

Rhonda Courtney

CEMETERY

People frequently spell “cemetery”
with an ‘a’, in order to spell it correctly, simply remember that late at night all the
ghosts come and and go “eeeeeeeee”!

DESSERT

Can’t remember how many s’s there are in the word “dessert” (pudding), well just think, when you eat
dessert you always want “one more”.

Darcy has sent in the
following comments –

Remembering the difference on
how to spell dessert and desert. One usually wants seconds of dessert so
there are 2 s’s. One usually wants less desert (I know I do, I live in
one) so there is only one s.

PRINCIPAL

In the U.S. (and sometimes in the U.K.) the headmaster is called the
Principal.  To remind you that the
ending of this word is ‘p-a-l’ and not ‘p-l-e’ remember he/she is your ‘pal’. 

DIARRHOEA

Diana

I have a feeling the
children are going to remember this one although I appreciate it could be
somewhat distasteful to some (sorry)

Doesn’t
It Always
Really Run
Horribly Over
Each Ankle

Sarah Brown

QUEEN

To remind children that a Q
is followed by the letter U – the Queen always carries an Umbrella.

BECAUSE

Big
Elephants Can
Add Up
Sums Easily

Nikki Chaplin

or

Big Elephants
Can’t Always
Use Small
Exits!

Caroline Noon

or

Big
Elephants Cause
Accidents Under
Small Elephants

Gillian
Jackson

or

Big
Elephants
Can Always
Understand
Small Elephants.

Amante
Darmanin

or

Betty Eats
Cake And
Uncle Sells
Eggs

Meggan &
Justin
Robertson

or

BEC
Always Uses
Silly Excuses

Loretta

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PRACTICE /
PRACTISE

To distinguish between PRACTISE
(verb) and PRACTICE (noun) think of ADVISE and ADVICE.
  To ADVISE is the verb so PRACTISE
is the verb.

Jordan Walters

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To distinguish PRACTICE
(noun) from PRACTISE (verb) and 

ADVICE (noun)
from ADVISE (verb),

just remember that ICE
is a noun and IS is a verb.

John Mihaljevic

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PractiSe
– verb, spelt with an s, S for sports.

Moe

---

PractICE
– I went to the doctor’s practice and he put ice on my leg.

Ice is in
practice.

Debbie Aicken

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STATIONERY
/ STATIONARY

STATIONERY 
meaning paper and Envelopes
  

Mary Ihla

STATIONARY
meaning “not moving”

This can be remembered if you think of “E” stands for
Envelopes, therefore, Stationery with an “e” is paper etc. and a CAR not moving, therefore, the word meaning
“still” ends in ARY.

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StationAry
– StAnd still

StationEry
– PEns, PEncils

Moe

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