Errors of Diction and Spelling: MDCAT English notes
Errors of Diction and Spelling MDCAT notes: commonly misspelt words, spelling rules, confusable words and wrong word choice, with worked examples.
Diction and spelling
Diction means choosing the right word for the meaning and context. Spelling errors are incorrect letter sequences. MDCAT tests both: pick the correctly spelt word, find the wrongly spelt one, or choose the sentence with no spelling or word-choice error.
Useful spelling rules
- i before e except after c (when the sound is "ee"): believe, achieve, but receive, ceiling. Exceptions: seize, weird, neither.
- Drop final silent e before a vowel suffix: write, writing; hope, hoping. Keep it before a consonant suffix: hopeful, careful.
- Double the final consonant of a one-syllable word ending consonant-vowel-consonant before a vowel suffix: stop, stopped; run, running. For longer words, double only if the stress is on the last syllable: begin, beginning; but visit, visited.
- y to i after a consonant: carry, carried; happy, happiness. Keep y after a vowel: play, played.
- Adding a prefix never changes the root: dis + satisfy = dissatisfy; mis + spell = misspell.
Commonly misspelt words
| Correct | Common mistake | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|
| explanation | explaination | explain loses its i |
| pronunciation | pronounciation | pronounce loses its o |
| restaurant | restaurent | ends in -ant |
| persuade | perswade | -suade |
| colleague | collegue | league |
| annihilate | anihilate | double n, then -hil- |
| sovereign | soverign | contains "reign" |
| renaissance | renaisance | double s |
| senescent | senesent | -sc- as in adolescent |
| accommodate | accomodate | double c, double m |
| necessary | neccessary | one collar, two sleeves (1 c, 2 s) |
| separate | seperate | there is "a rat" in separate |
| occurrence | occurence | double c, double r |
| definitely | definately | contains "finite" |
Errors of diction (confusable words)
| Pair | Distinction |
|---|---|
| affect / effect | affect is usually the verb; effect is usually the noun |
| principal / principle | head of a school; a rule or belief |
| stationary / stationery | not moving; paper and pens |
| accept / except | receive; excluding |
| lose / loose | misplace; not tight |
| advice / advise | noun; verb |
| complement / compliment | completes; praise |
| lightning / lightening | flash in a storm; making lighter |
Diction also covers idiom: one is invited to a dinner (not "on"), and one pays for a meal.
Worked examples
- Choose the correct spelling: (a) embarass (b) embarrass (c) embaras (d) embarrasse. Answer: embarrass.
- Find the misspelt word: (a) receive (b) achieve (c) beleive (d) ceiling. Answer: beleive (believe).
- Diction: "The medicine had a strong ___ on him." Answer: effect.
- Diction: "Please buy some ___ for the office." Answer: stationery.
Common MDCAT traps
- Options differ by only one letter; read each slowly.
- A "no spelling error" sentence may still contain other errors; focus on what is asked.
- Words from verbs often change spelling: explain to explanation, pronounce to pronunciation.
- Lightning (storm) is often misspelt as lightening.
Quick revision
- i before e except after c.
- Drop silent e before a vowel suffix.
- Colleague, sovereign, annihilate, renaissance.
- Affect (verb), effect (noun).
- Stationery = writing materials.