The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · Nos. 145–146 · Part 8: Special sounds
111. Silent g, and g sounded again: sign, signify
Goal: Your child knows that g is silent before n at the end of some words, but is heard again in longer forms of the same word.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
No. 145, "In the following, g is silent", with a note that p. stands for past. No. 146, "g is resumed": impregnable, repugnant, signify, significant. Further down are rules about vowels that are mute in some endings, and words marked v. that may be used as verbs.
The lesson, step by step
The pattern
In some words g is silent before n at the end: think of "sign". But add an ending and the g comes back: sig-ni-fy, sig-nif-i-cant. The book calls this "g is resumed". That is a good reason to keep the silent g in the spelling.
Read the table aloud
Read the "g is resumed" list together. Some of the words:
impregnable, repugnant
signify, significant
Then read the list under No. 145, where the g is silent.
Spell aloud by syllables
Spell each word a syllable at a time, the way Webster's pupils did: spell the first syllable and say it, spell the next and say it, then say the whole word.
Says, i, g, sig; n, i, ni; f, y, fy; signify.
Do a column this way while looking, then cover it and spell a few from memory.
Word families
Write sign, signal, signify. Your child reads each and listens for when the g is heard.
Dictation
Say each word, use it in a short sentence of your own, and say it again. Your child writes it. Try these: signify, significant, repugnant.
Check together against the book. Any word that came out wrong goes on a card for tomorrow.
Review
Finish with the cards from earlier days: your child reads and spells each one. Put a card away after three right days in a row.