Spelling Review for Police Officer Exam Study Guide (page 2)

Most spelling questions will be presented to you in a multiple-choice format. You are most likely to be given four choices to select from; one, obviously, is the correct spelling of a word and the other three are incorrect. For a small number of questions, you might be given the option to select "none of the above." If this is an available choice, do not make the assumption that it is always the correct one. It is possible that a crafty question designer has presented this choice even if one of the three other choices is correct. While questions are generally not meant to trick you, there might be a few that are designed to make sure you are reading carefully and not just marking off answers in a pre-arranged pattern.

By presenting you with choices, the questions give you the opportunity to separate correct from incorrect spelling. This can be helpful because the word might look familiar enough for you to guess even if you are not sure, but if your knowledge of spelling rules is vague, the incorrect spelling may look as good to you as the correct one. There are far too many words in the English language with irregular spelling for you to memorize every word that does not follow a general rule, but a few general rules can be helpful. As you read them you will probably recall having heard them many years ago, probably as early as grade school. For instance:

• i before e, except after c, or when ei sounds like a as in neighbor or weigh. Other examples: piece [of cake] but receive.
• gh can replace f or be silent. (examples: enough, night, tough)
• drop the e when adding -ing. Examples: hope becomes hoping, cope becomes coping, license becomes licensing, a related rule has to do with a final y, which sometimes changes to an i (example: study, studying, but studied)

One of the best ways to study spelling is similar to the techniques for homophones. After reviewing the rules and a grammar text, make lists of words that seem to give you particular problems. Flash cards can also be helpful and are easy to study from if you use public transportation on your way to school or work or if you have small stretches of free time such as a work break or meal period.

Spelling Sample Questions

To answer questions 1–6, choose the correct spelling of the word that fits in the blank.

1. Office Solis purchased a new car and learned that her ________ is more expensive than for her old car.
   1. insurance
   2. assurance
   3. insurence
   4. insurrence
2. We will ________ go to the movies tonight.
   1. probly
   2. probebly
   3. probably
   4. none of the above
3. After returning from leave, Sergeant Abu said he felt ________.
   1. terriffic
   2. teriffic
   3. terrific
   4. tarrific
4. We sharpshooters had the greatest number of ________ target shots.
   1. accurate
   2. acurate
   3. accuret
   4. accurit
5. Because we work in a large city, we must learn how to ________ park our vehicles.
   1. parrellel
   2. parellel
   3. paralel
   4. parallel
6. Our academy instructors warned us not to use ________ force.
   1. exessive
   2. eksessive
   3. excessive
   4. exccessive

Answers

1. a.
2. c.
3. c.
4. a.
5. d.
6. c.

Ways To Improve Your Spelling

• Learn groups of synonyms for words.
• Learn new words in context.
• Memorize common word roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
• Create and use flashcards regularly.