Synopses & Reviews
How to spell, from “A-D-A-G-I-O” to “Z-U-C-C-H-I-N-I”At last, everything you need to master the art of spelling. Learn the basic rules and all their annoying exceptions, plus 26 words of unknown origin, like curmudgeon. • Discover the four most commonly misspelled word types (#3: words with a schwa). • Don’t know what a schwa is? Aren’t sure about the difference between antonyms and eponyms? Discreet and discrete? Here’s your chance to learn all the tricks and tips that’ll make you a bee winner! • Oh, and did we mention the pages and pages of skill-building puzzles and games?
Synopsis
Discusses the origins and rules of spelling bees; provides advice on study techniques, word origins, and spelling rules; and offers word lists, drills, and puzzles to aid spellers.
Synopsis
Written for students ages nine and up, "How to Spell Like a Champ" shows kidshow to build word lists and organize and study them most effectively.
Synopsis
How to spell, from “A-D-A-G-I-O” to “Z-U-C-C-H-I-N-I”At last, everything you need to master the art of spelling. Learn the basic rules and all their annoying exceptions, plus 26 words of unknown origin, like curmudgeon. • Discover the four most commonly misspelled word types (#3: words with a schwa). • Dont know what a schwa is? Arent sure about the difference between antonyms and eponyms? Discreet and discrete? Heres your chance to learn all the tricks and tips thatll make you a bee winner! • Oh, and did we mention the pages and pages of skill-building puzzles and games?
Synopsis
Be all over “minuscule.” Score big with “curvaceous.” Hit “trireme” out of the park. From the authorities behind the Scripps National Spelling Bee comes a comprehensive illustrated book on the endangered art of spelling.
Written for ages 9 and up, How to Spell Like a Champ shows kids how to build word lists, and organize and study them most effectively. How to gain knowledge of etymology, word roots, and spelling patterns from English and other languages. Here are commonly missed words and word patterns— and those feisty (who said “i before e except after c”?) words that don’t fit any pattern. Synonyms, antonyms, eponyms. Suffixes and prefixes. Plus, a whole chapter of word searches and other skill-building games enforces the lessons learned. The book is also a spelling bee primer for the ten million kids who participate in Scripps spelling bees on the local level. It tells what to study, how to study, how much to study. Readers learn what to expect in a bee—whether a classroom contest or the Scripps National Final—and how they can make it through each round by asking the right questions and using their well-honed instincts. Included is an audio CD featuring Dr. Jacques Bailly himself, the official voice of the National Spelling Bee as heard on ABC, ESPN, and in the movies.
Spelling bees are hot stuff: The National Spelling Bee is one of ESPN’s most talked about annual broadcasts, plus bees are the subject of a Tony award–winning Broadway musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; a bestselling novel, Bee Season; an Oscar-nominated documentary, Spellbound; and a forthcoming major motion picture starring Laurence Fishburne, Akeelah and the Bee.
Today’s word: “estimable.”
About the Author
Carolyn Andrews is the word list manager for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Her son, Ned, was the 1994 National Spelling Champion (his word was “antediluvian”).Paige Kimble is the director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She was also the 1981 National Spelling Champion (her word was “sarcophagus”).Barrie Trinkle, a graduate of MIT, has served on the Bees Word Panel since 1996. She was the 1973 National Spelling Champion (her word was “vouchsafe”).
Table of Contents
Contents Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
CHAPTER 1: A Great American Tradition 3
CHAPTER 2: Becoming a Champion 15
CHAPTER 3: Becoming More Serious 29
CHAPTER 4: Roots, Branches, Trees, and Forest 53
CHAPTER 5: A Few Good Rules and Many Annoying Exceptions 91
CHAPTER 6: The Thrill of a Bee 123
CHAPTER 7: Fun with Words 163