GRADE 9 English INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES – WRITING:SPELLING Notes
ENGLISH — WRITING: SPELLING
Topic: Income‑Generating Activities (Age 14 — Kenya)
Goal: Learn correct spelling of common words used when talking about income‑generating activities, practise spelling rules and fix common mistakes you might meet in Kenyan English.
1. Key vocabulary (learn these spellings)
Farm & crops
- agriculture
- crop / crops
- harvest
- irrigation
- fertiliser (UK spelling)
Business & money
- income
- profit
- revenue
- capital
- investment
- loan
Jobs & services
- trader
- shopkeeper
- tailoring / tailor
- carpentry / carpenter
- hairdressing / barber
- transport: matatu, boda‑boda
2. Spelling rules to remember
- Dropping the final "e": When adding -ing, drop the silent e: make → making; but if the verb is only one syllable and ends consonant‑vowel‑consonant (CVC), double the final consonant: stop → stopping, but farm → farming (no doubling because final sound is /m/ after two letters).
- Doubling final consonants: For many one‑syllable words or words stressed on the last syllable ending CVC, double the consonant before -ed or -ing: run → running; prefer → preferred.
- Change y to i: For words ending in a consonant + y, change y to i before adding -ed or -es: carry → carried; baby → babies. If the y follows a vowel, keep y: play → played.
- Plurals: Most nouns add -s: crop → crops. Nouns ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x, -z add -es: box → boxes; bus → buses. Nouns ending in consonant + y change y → ies: supply → supplies.
- Prefixes and suffixes: Prefixes (re-, un-, in-) do not change the spelling of the root: replant, untrained. When adding suffixes, follow dropping e / doubling rules above.
- British (Kenyan) English spellings: Use -our not -or (colour, labour); -ise is common (organise) though both -ise and -ize may be seen. Use cheque (not check) for bank document.
- "I before E" rule: i before e except after c (receive) — many exceptions exist (either, neighbour). Learn common exceptions rather than rely only on the rule.
3. Common mistakes and tips
- Often confused: "entrepreneur" — pronounce slowly: en‑tre‑pre‑neur. Memorise the spelling; many miss the final -eur.
- Silent letters: debt (silent b), knowledge (silent d?), knife (silent k). Remember from listening then check spelling.
- Compound words: Some are written as one word, some hyphenated or two words: shopkeeper (one word), boda‑boda (often hyphenated), farm manager (two words). Check a dictionary if unsure.
- Borrowed/local words: Matatu and boda‑boda are used in Kenya — they are correct as shown (matatu, boda‑boda).
- Check verb forms: invest → invested, invest → investing (drop nothing; no doubling).
4. Short practice (try these)
- Fill the blank with the correct word:
- a) The farmer made a good h_____st this year. (harvest)
- b) She works as a s_____r in the local market. (seller / tailor?) — choose: seller
- c) They took a l_____n from the bank to buy seeds. (loan)
- Choose the correct spelling:
- a) fertiliser / fertilizer
- b) cooperative / co‑operative / cooperative
- c) organise / organize
- Correct the misspelt words:
- a) bussiness → ________
- b) tranport → ________
- c) invesment → ________
- Write plural:
- one potato → many ________
- one bus → many ________
- one supply → many ________
5. Answers
- Fill blanks:
- a) harvest
- b) seller
- c) loan
- Correct spelling choices:
- a) fertiliser (Kenyan/British) — fertiliser is common in Kenya
- b) co‑operative or cooperative (both used)
- c) organise (British spelling preferred in Kenya)
- Correct the misspelt words:
- a) bussiness → business
- b) tranport → transport
- c) invesment → investment
- Plurals:
- potatoes
- buses
- supplies
6. Tips for practice
- Make flashcards for the key vocabulary above — practise spelling aloud and writing.
- When you hear a word, try to break it into syllables: en‑tre‑pre‑neur, ag‑ri‑cul‑ture.
- Use a Kenyan English dictionary or the Kenya Ministry of Education word lists for classroom checks.
- Ask a friend to test you: dictation helps with spelling accuracy.
Good luck — practise a little each day! ✍️