Question

select the correct answer.

read the sentence.

in his farewell address, president washington acknowledged that taxes, though inconveneint and unpleasant, generate revenue.

which rule can be used to correct the spelling of the underlined word?

• change y to i when adding an ending.
• use i before e except after c.
• double the final consonant when adding an ending that starts with a vowel.
• drop a final e when adding an ending that begins with a vowel.

Explanation:

Identify the misspelled word

The underlined word in the sentence is "inconveneint". The correct spelling of this word is "inconvenient".

Analyze the spelling error

The error in "inconveneint" lies in the sequence of the vowels "e" and "i" near the end of the word. The misspelled version uses "ei", whereas the correct spelling uses "ie".

Apply spelling rules

We evaluate the spelling rule that governs the order of "i" and "e". The classic rule is "i before e except after c".

• In "inconvenient", the letter preceding the vowel pair is "n" (not "c").
• Therefore, "i" should come before "e", resulting in "ie".
• This matches the rule: "Use i before e except after c".

Evaluate the options

• Option 1: "Change y to i when adding an ending." (Not applicable; the base word does not end in y).
• Option 2: "Use i before e except after c." (Correct; this fixes "ei" to "ie").
• Option 3: "Double the final consonant when adding an ending that starts with a vowel." (Not applicable).
• Option 4: "Drop a final e when adding an ending that begins with a vowel." (Not applicable).

Answer:

• Change y to i when adding an ending.
• Use i before e except after c. (Correct answer)
• Double the final consonant when adding an ending that starts with a vowel.
• Drop a final e when adding an ending that begins with a vowel.