Some letters are written but not said: k in knight, w in wrap, b in doubt, s in island, t in listen. Related words often reveal them: sign and signature, muscle and muscular. Leo the lion finds the silent k in knife, then you spot the silent b in a SATs-style question.
If the root word ends in -ce, the ending is usually -cious (grace → gracious, space → spacious); otherwise it is usually -tious (ambition → ambitious). -cial usually follows a vowel (official, special) and -tial a consonant (partial, essential). Learn the exceptions examiners like, such as initial and financial, then spell essential in a SATs-style question.
When the letters make an "ee" sound, write i before e (believe, field) except after c (receive, ceiling). Learn the exceptions examiners use, such as seize and protein, and the words where ei does not sound like "ee" (weigh, neighbour). Then choose the correct spelling of perceive in a SATs-style question.
Professor Hoot the owl reads a short story about Pip the panda and shows how to find answers in the text: read the question, pick a key word, scan for it, and answer in a full sentence. Then find where Pip walked to.
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