0
BarbaraPA Posted 16 years ago
Vocabulary
A question for CJ or anyone else who knows
Okay, this always bothers me. I am a HORRIBLE speller, and without the those little red lines, I'd be a mess.
Public. Publicly. Not publically.
Accident. Accidentally. Not accidently.
Why? Is there any sort of rule that can be applied? I know you can have "accidental" but not "publical" so is that the key? Is it really just "al gets ally and everything else gets ly"?
Are there other words that take the -ally ending?
You seem to be so well informed about the evolution of these things. I'd appreciate your insight, and maybe it will help me spell more things right the first time.
Public. Publicly. Not publically.
Accident. Accidentally. Not accidently.
Why? Is there any sort of rule that can be applied? I know you can have "accidental" but not "publical" so is that the key? Is it really just "al gets ally and everything else gets ly"?
Are there other words that take the -ally ending?
You seem to be so well informed about the evolution of these things. I'd appreciate your insight, and maybe it will help me spell more things right the first time.
Top answer
I have the same problem. I would say "public-lee" and "accident-uh-lee", so the spellings -cly and -tally would make sense, somehow. However, not everyone pronounces those words the same way, and so I don't think this can be a sensible rule.
- I have the same problem.
- I would say "public-lee" and "accident-uh-lee", so the spellings -cly and -tally would make sense, somehow.
- However, not everyone pronounces those words the same way, and so I don't think this can be a sensible rule.
- Merriam-Webstersays "publically" is a possible spelling as well, and the same goes for "accidently", but it doesn't mention spellings like "harmonicly" or "magicly".
- Grammar Geek Why?
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
2 Answers
0
I have the same problem. I would say "public-lee" and "accident-uh-lee", so the spellings -cly and -tally would make sense, somehow. However, not everyone pronounces those words the same way, and so I don't think this can be a sensible rule. Merriam-Webstersays "publically" is a possible spelling as well, and the same goes for "accidently", but it doesn't mention spellings like "harmonicly" or "m
00
Well, maybe it makes you feel better to know that I have the same problem as you!
As for "knowing" whether that "al" ending exists, I wish I had a dollar for every time I was tempted to write "There is no such word X" in the forum in response to a post, and then, just to be sure, I looked it up, and by gum, it WAS a word. Just not a word that I've ever seen used!
Thanks!
As for "knowing" whether that "al" ending exists, I wish I had a dollar for every time I was tempted to write "There is no such word X" in the forum in response to a post, and then, just to be sure, I looked it up, and by gum, it WAS a word. Just not a word that I've ever seen used!
Thanks!
0
Related Questions