Spelling List for Years 7 – 8 (junior high)

ability argument blast cast complain

absolutely arrange blind castle complex
abuse arrest blood catch computer
accepted arrive board chain conduct
accuse article boil chairman confidence
achieve artist bomb challenge confirm
active assess bond champion conflict
activity asset bone championship conservative
addition assist boom channel considerable
address association boot chapter constant
administration assume border character consumer
admit attend bore chart contact
adopt attention born chase contest
adult attitude borrow chat cope
advance attract boss cheap copy
advantage audience bother cheer core
advice August bottle cheese corner
affair aunt bottom chemical correspondent
affect author bound chicken cotton
afternoon auto bowl childhood count
agency autumn brain chocolate countryside
agent average branch choice county
agreement avoid brand choose couple
ahead await brave Christian cousin
aim award bread Christmas crack
aircraft aware breakfast church craft
airline awful breast citizen crash
airport background breath civil crazy
alarm backing bridge clash cream
album badly brief classic creative
alive balance bright classical credit
ally balloon broad clean crew
alone ban brush clever cricket
alternative bare budget client crime
amount bargain bunch climate criminal
anger baseball burn climb crisis
angle basic burst clothing critic
angry basis bury cloud critical
annual bathroom businessmen coach crop
anybody battle busy coal cross
anyone beach butter coalition crowd
anyway bean button coast crown
anywhere bear bye coffee cruise
apart behalf cabinet collapse cry
apartment behave cable collect culture
apparently behaviour / behavior calm collection cure
appeal bend camera college currency
appearance benefit camp comfort curtain
apple bet cancer comment customer
apply beyond candidate commercial daily
approach bid captain commission damage
approve billion caption commit danger
April birth career communist dangerous
aren't bitter caring compare data
argue blame cash competition date
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 Spelling List for Years 7 – 8 (junior high)
dead due extra fuel highly
dear dump extremely fully hint
death duty facility fun hole
debate earlier factory function holiday
debt earn failure funny hook
decade easily fair gain hostage
December eastern faith gang hotel
deck edition false garden housing
declare editor famous gas huge
decline effective fashion gate hunt
defeat eighteenth favour / favor gather hurt
defence / defense eighth favourite / favorite general husband
defend eightieth feature generally ice
degree elect February generation ideal
delay element federal gentle identify
deliver eleventh federation giant ignore
democracy emerge fee gift ill
democrat emergency feed goal image
democratic employee feeling god imagine
deny encourage fellow gold immediate
depend engine female golf impact
deputy enjoy fence governor import
desk ensure festival grab impose
despite enter fifteenth grade impossible
destroy entire fifth grain improve
detail entry fiftieth grand incident
determine environment fighter grant include
diet environmental file grass including
difficulty equal finance grave income
dinner equation fine gross increasingly
dirty equipment fix growth indeed
discovery escape flight guarantee independent
discussion especially float guard indicate
disease essential flood guess individual
dish establish floor guest industrial
dismiss estate flow guide inflation
display estimate focus guilty influence
dispute Europe folk guy injury
district evening following hadn't insist
division eventually fool hair inspire
doctor everybody football handle instance
document everyone foreign hang instead
domestic evidence forget hardly institute
dominate exact formal hasn't insurance
double examine fortieth haven't intend
doubt excellent forward healthy international
dozen except fourteenth hearing interview
draft exchange fourth he'd introduce
drag executive freedom height investigate
drain exist frequent hell investment
dramatic expensive fresh he'll investor
dream expert Friday hello invite
dress export friendly hero involve
drift express fruit hi iron
drum extend fry hide issue
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 Spelling List for Years 7 – 8 (junior high)
item mainly muscle ourselves prepare
it'll maintain museum overall presence
jail majority myself owner pressure
January maker narrow pack pretty
jet male national package prevent
joint manage nationalist pain previous
joke management natural park pride
journal manager nature parliament priest
journalist March nearby particular primary
joy marriage nearly particularly prince
judge marry neat partner princess
juice mass necessary path principal
July master neck patient principle
jump mate neighbour / neighbor payment print
June maximum neither penny prison
junior May net perfect prisoner
justice maybe network perform private
key means newspaper performance prize
kilometre / kilometer meanwhile nice period probably
kitchen meat nineteenth personal production
knowledge media ninetieth phone professional
lack medical ninth photograph professor
lad medium no one physical profit
lady memory nobody pile programme / program
lake mention nod pill progress
lane mess noise pilot project
largely message none pipe promise
latest method nor pitch promote
launch metre / meter normal planet proper
lawyer midnight north-east please property
leadership mild north-west plus proposal
leading military nose pocket propose
leaf mill novel poem prospect
league million November pole protest
lend millionth nowhere policeman prove
lens ministry nuclear policy publish
lesson minority obvious political pump
liberal mirror occasion politician punch
library Miss occupy politics pupil
lie missing occur poll purchase
lift mission o'clock pollution purpose
likely mistake October poor push
limit mix odd popular quality
link model officer population quarter
loan modern okay port queen
Lord Monday onto position quiet
loss monthly opinion positive quote
loud mood opportunity possibility rabbit
lovely mortgage opposition possible racing
lower mostly option possibly radical
luck motor organisation / potential railway
lunch mouth organization pour range
magazine movement organise / organize powerful rapid
magic movie original practice raw
mail murder otherwise prefer ray
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 Spelling List for Years 7 – 8 (junior high)
reaction roll she'd south-west supply
realise / realize roof shell spark suppose
reality route she's speaker surround
rear row shift specific survey
recall royal shirt speech survive
recently rugby shock speed suspect
recession ruin shoe spirit sweep
recognise / recognize runner shopping split sweet
recommend running shortly spokesman swing
reduce rush shoulder sport switch
refer sack shouldn't spray tail
reflect sad shout spread talent
reform safe sight spring tall
refugee safety significant stable tank
refuse sail silent stake tape
regard saint silver stamp target
regional salt similar standard task
regular sand simply stare taste
reject Saturday singer statement tea
relation scale site station teach
relationship scene situation status tear
relief schedule situation steady technique
religion scheme sixth steal technology
religious science sixtieth steam telephone
remove score ski stem television
rent screen skill sterling tend
repeat search skin stick tennis
replace seat sleep stir tenth
reply secret slide stone terrible
reporter secretary slightly storm territory
reporting section slim straight theatre
representative sector slip strain theory
republic secure smart strange therefore
republican security smash strategy they'd
request seed smell stream they'll
require self smile strength they've
reserve senate smoke stress thick
resident senator soccer stretch thin
resolution senior social strike thirteenth
resource separate society string thirtieth
respect September software strip threat
respond series soil structure threaten
response serious soldier struggle throughout
responsible serve solid studio throw
restaurant service solution stuff Thursday
reveal session solve stupid thus
revel settle somebody style ticket
review settlement somehow succeed tie
rice seventeenth someone success till
rich seventh somewhat successful tiny
ride seventieth somewhere suffer tired
ring severe sorry sugar title
risk shake source suit tomorrow
rival sharp south-east Sunday ton
rocket shed southern super tone
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 Spelling List for Years 7 – 8 (junior high)
tonight voter
tool warn
tooth wash
tough waste
tour weapon
tower wear
traditional we'd
transfer wedding
transport Wednesday
traveller / traveler weekend
treat weekly
treatment weight
treaty welcome
trial we'll
troop weren't
truly whatever
trust what's
truth whenever
Tuesday while
twelfth whilst
twentieth whip
twin whisper
twist whom
type who's
unable wicket
uncle wing
underground winner
understanding winning
unfair wipe
unhappy wire
uniform withdraw
university wonderful
unknown worried
unless worry
unlikely worth
unusual wound
upper writing
upset wrong
urge yard
urgent yen
useful yours
user yourself
valley youth
variety
various
vegetable
vehicle
version
victim
victory
video
village
violence
visitor
volume
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A word about the spelling list
The words that appear in this list are British English, with American English appearing in red (for those using
an American syllabus). Whilst you are not expected to know the definition of each and every word it would
certainly help if you learnt as many as possible. If you don’t possess a decent dictionary then now is the time
to buy one. I believe the best dictionary on the market is Collins Cobuild Learner’s Dictionary, Concise Edition
ISBN 0-00-712640-9. It is an indispensable reference book for all students from intermediate level upwards.

The Cobuild provides additional information about word frequency and grammar, and it is from this
information that I have based three of the four spelling lists. Whenever you look up a word you can see
immediately if it is a very common word or not. About half the entries in the dictionary have a frequency
marker. They work on a scale from five black diamonds down to no diamonds at all (these are words which
you are more likely to read or hear than use regularly).

Words with five black diamonds are the most frequently used words and form a huge proportion of the
language – the ‘grammar’ words, such as of, the, as, with, also and so on, as well as frequently used
vocabulary words such as carry, sit, and think etc. There are just over 600 entries (head words) in this band,
representing over 1,500 different forms. The Year 6 spelling list is based on the five black diamond words. In
addition to these an extra 300 words have also been added to the Year 6 list. The majority of these additional
words are classified as common words (three diamonds) and would normally appear in the Years’ 9 -10 list,
however I feel they are more appropriate for the Year 6 list and have therefore included them. Words such as
birthday, cat, clock, milk, pet, sick, swim, tap, truck, wet and so on.

Words with four black diamonds (just over 1,000) are classified as very common words. These account for a
total of nearly 2,500 forms, and together with the five-diamond words account for 75% of all English usage.
Together these two bands represent the essential core of English. The Years’ 7-8 spelling list has been
based on the four black diamond words.

Words with three, two, and with one black diamond are progressively less frequent. The Years’ 9 -10 spelling
list is based predominately on the three diamond words. The words for Years 11-12 were individually chosen
from the three, two and one diamond words and selected on their relevance to essay writing; this list was
compiled by me. Whilst the Cobuild Dictionary has been used as a guide throughout, I take full and absolute
responsibility for the final spelling lists which appear on www.pocketbasics.com - Lyn Magree, 8 February 2004.

Pronunciation
Pronouncing a particular word can sometimes prove difficult and at times embarrassing. There are two
reliable ways you can find out how to pronounce a word correctly. 1 at the back or front of every dictionary
you will find the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) which is used to show how the words are pronounced.
Be warned though, this area is grammarian turf and probably best left to those with a serious interest only
(but not to say you can’t poke your head in and give it a go). 2 the Merriam-Webster OnLine Dictionary
www.m-w.com offers audio pronunciation. It is as simple as typing the word and pressing the go button .
The definition will appear in addition to an audio button . The great thing about this service is that you can
press the audio button over and over again until you have the pronunciation down pat (and no one need
ever know). All those tricky words can now be conquered! Words like apoplectic, awry, genre, hyperbole,
obstreperous, scion and so on. This link is a must for every student. It also offers a free ‘word of the day’ email
service. Great for those adults interested in expanding their vocabulary.

Spelling
There are various guides and rules used for spelling. However, I find in many cases it simply comes down to
practise, practise and more practise. When learning to spell a new word keep in mind that it is much easier to
spell a word you’ve seen and heard before. So before you launch into learning the definition of a new word
first try to become familiar with it by saying it over and over again.

Example

say it: supercilious, supercilious, supercilious, supercilious, supercilious, supercilious, supercilious

spell it: Super·cili·ous, super·cili·ous, super·cili·ous, super·cili·ous, super·cili·ous, super·cili·ous
learn it: Behaving or looking as though one is superior to others e.g. - a supercilious shop assistant.

This spelling list can be downloaded for free from www.pocketbasics.com 6

A word about essay writing
Two students are each given an identical 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, but only one student is given a picture of
the finished puzzle. Both students are capable of completing the puzzle but does the student with the finished
picture have an advantage over the one without?

Having a picture of what the final outcome is supposed to look like is so much easier than taking a stab in the
dark and guessing. Writing an essay is the same thing. Bookstores are filled with books on how to write an A+
essay. They will tell you that to receive top marks an essay must:

• demonstrate extensive, detailed knowledge, insightful understanding and sophisticated evaluation of the ways
meanings are shaped and changed by context, medium of production and the influences that produce different
responses to texts.
• display a highly developed ability to describe and analyse a broad range of language forms, features and
structures of texts and explain the ways these shape meaning and influence responses in a variety of texts and
contexts.
• present a critical, refined personal response showing highly developed skills in interpretation, analysis,
synthesis and evaluation of texts and textual detail.
• exhibit an ability to compose imaginatively, interpretively and critically with sustained precision, flair, originality
and sophistication for a variety of audiences, purposes and contexts in order to explore and communicate
ideas, information and values.

Great. But what does it all mean? Until you actually read an A+ essay you’re pretty much left guessing as to
what one actually looks like and how all the pieces fit together.

The Sydney Morning Herald is one of Australia’s leading newspapers. Each day you can log on to
www.smh.com.au and read the opinion of one of the Herald’s 15 columnists. You don’t have to agree with
their view (and there will be times when you won’t) but do observe their style, their use of vocabulary, quotes,
and transitional words. Their depth of knowledge on the subject. When juxtaposing one image against
another how they do it with great effect. How they move the reader from paragraph to paragraph with the
greatest of ease. Also observe the gutsy way they open their piece and the thought provoking way they close.
Whether you agree with the contents or not, is not the issue. The issue is about observing quality writing;
writing that is informative, well written, and tight. Writing that reflects what an A+ grade essay looks like.

There are two types of newspapers; broadsheets and tabloids. Broadsheets are generally regarded as more
serious than tabloids. Choose an online broadsheet newspaper from your city or state and make it your
homepage. Ensure that it includes opinions, letters to the editor and political cartoons. If you seriously want to
get a better picture as to what a decent essay looks like then you should make the effort to read one
everyday. Also take the time to read the major stories of the day and note how news stories differ in style and
language to that of opinions.

Observe some of these great openers ...

History is junked, and we're losing the voices of entire generations

In the midst of the melee about our culture last week, a reminder came about why young people should study
history, strangely enough from teen queen Britney Spears. "Honestly," she said, "I think we should just trust our
President in every decision he makes and we should just support that." – Julia Baird, The Sydney Morning Herald,
September 13, 2003

Orchestral magic is music to our ears

Jacarandas. Jasmine. Frangipani. Cicadas. Long dusks. It is that time of year. Even the local brothel not far from
home has embraced the season of good karma with a hearty display in its front window of Santa and his reindeer. –
Paul Sheehan, The Sydney Morning Herald, December 15, 2003

PM is the tip from Gough

At a cocktail party a couple of months ago I encountered Gough Whitlam in an ebullient mood. "Do you think
Mark Latham will be the next leader of the Labor Party?” I asked. The great man fixed me with a glittering eye,
like the Ancient Mariner. "The next prime minister of Australia, comrade," he boomed. – Mike Carlton, The Sydney
Morning Herald, December 6, 2003

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A word about political cartoons
At some stage you may be given a political cartoon and asked to comment (in writing) on it. A cartoonist uses
drawings to comment and interpret the news of the day. Their cartoons are generally acerbic, poignant, and
devastatingly accurate. Often they will say what can’t be written. The Age newspaper has an excellent article
on the role cartoonist play. It can be found in the education section at www.theage.com.au. Cartoons make
great classroom debate by helping students hone their observation skills. What may appear obvious to one
student will not always be obvious to another. Class discussion will help students to open their eyes and to
view cartoons from a different perspective.

Peter Nicholson is one of Australia’s leading cartoonists and draws for The Australian newspaper
www.theaustralian.com.au. Peter has hundreds of cartoons on his website – all of them excellent and all
worthy of debate. Here are just two from his collection.

Nicholson of "The Australian" newspaper: www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au

Nicholson of "The Australian" newspaper: www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au

This spelling list can be downloaded for free from www.pocketbasics.com 8