It is a popular misconception that the English language is a highly irregular language, one which largely defies rules and conventions. While many languages are more predictable than English, it remains true that at least 80% of the language conforms to some rule or structural group.
Learning about spelling rules and spelling conventions has a number of benefits. Firstly, it allows children to generalise spelling skills to new words. It encourages the analysis of words and reduces apparent chaos. The teaching of rules is about the teaching of guidelines that assist the spelling of unfamiliar words. There are always exceptions to rules. Teach the rule and be happy when a student finds the exception! This means that they are thinking! 226 pages