9th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 11 of 12
Proofreading
Spelling and word choice in final drafts
What your child practices
Students practice proofreading in US spelling: commonly misspelled words and confusing pairs such as affect and effect, accept and except, principle and principal.
Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 9-10.L.2; 9-10.W.5 · editing writing for correct spelling and word choice
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Principle is a rule or belief. Principal is a school leader, or means main.
- Affect is usually a verb, effect usually a noun. Accept means receive, except means leaving out.
- Learn tricky words in parts: ex-is-tence, li-ai-son, en-tre-pre-neur.
Example: “The decision was based on a ___ of fairness.” principle or principal? The blank means a rule or belief. Principle is the rule or belief. Answer: principle
Proofreading in Arizona
In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 11 of 12 in 9th grade English Language Arts, after Research & Credibility and before Media Analysis.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
- 9th grade guide for Arizona parents
- Printable 9th grade English Language Arts sheet
- Arizona report cards explained
Source: Arizona Department of Education
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which word is spelled correctly?
- consciense
- conscence
- concience
- conscience
conscience
Hint: Con + science.
Question 2
Which word is spelled correctly?
- ocasionally
- occasionally
- occasionaly
- occassionally
occasionally
Hint: Two c's, one s, two l's.
Question 3
Which word is spelled correctly?
- milennium
- millennium
- millenniumm
- millenium
millennium
Hint: Two l's and two n's.
Question 4
Which word is spelled correctly?
- acquantance
- acquaintence
- aquaintance
- acquaintance
acquaintance
Hint: Ac + quaint + ance.
Question 5
Which word is spelled correctly?
- perseverence
- perserverance
- perseverants
- perseverance
perseverance
Hint: Per-se-ver-ance: no r after the first e.
Question 6
Which word is spelled correctly?
- pronounciation
- pronunsiation
- pronuncation
- pronunciation
pronunciation
Hint: Pronounce drops its o: pro-nun-ci-a-tion.