Fred J Schonell and the use of the double consonant

[Telo]

My spelling is based upon a hazy recollection of a wee spelling book from primary days by Mr Schonell. However my recollection may not be quite up to the mark as I seem to be the only person that I know of who would use "leafletting" with a double "t", or spell the past tense of "to target" as "targetted", using the double consonant. Oh, and before anyone tells me that "target" isn't a verb, it's listed as such in my Oxford paperback dictionary. So there. "Leafleting" is also there.

Anyway, I see that a BBC news story refers to "worshipers", which to me, and I'm sure Mr Schonell, would rhyme with snipers or pipers. Perhaps the BBC spelling is just a simple mistake, or has something else been going on, and nobody's told me about it?

Are "targetted" or "leafletting" just my idiosyncratic usage, and have they always been wrong?

Does anyone still have a copy of Schonell?

[claymore]

Shard My Ageing Begonia
What a refreshing post. Having just come from a 3 hour meeting concerned with setting out Targets and Budgets for next year - indeed during which I have been Targetting and Budgetting - I feel entirely capable and qualified to respond to your post.
The rules I was taught - and forgive if memory fails somewhat with the passing of a considerable amount of time - the application of a double T affects the way in which the preceding E is sounded
Thus Targetting is pronounced with a hard Eh sound whereas with a single T - spelt wrongly of course as the word does have a double T - would produce more of an ay sound - thus Targayting - which is probably a practice carried out in Gentlemen's conveniences but I would need Parahandy to confirm this

[ParaHandy]

Shard My Ageing Begonia .... Thus Targetting is pronounced with a hard Eh sound whereas with a single T - spelt wrongly of course as the word does have a double T - would produce more of an ay sound - thus Targayting - which is probably a practice carried out in Gentlemen's conveniences but I would need Parahandy to confirm this

Am temporaily itherwise engaged ... global warmming has just struck oxfordshire - again - and am pumpping oot ra moat aroond ra hoos which looks like ra bigest pissoir

[claymore]

Did ye finish yer wintertime hedgehog-raft building project?

[Telo]

global warmming has just struck oxfordshire

Sincere commiserations.

[ash]

Does anyone still have a copy of Schonell?

Have a look on Amazon

Ash

[Fingal]

You have taken me straight back to Mrs McCurdy's (yes, really) P6 class in about 1961. I remeber Fred S well although I can't spell lots of words. I will ask some of my colleagues at Hurry Mouse how spelling is taught in today's schools if at all.

[Rowana]

. . how spelling is taught in today's schools if at all.

It Isn't, or doesn't appear to be.

I was never very good at english & spelling while at school, but it was drummed into us, so I ended up being reasonable in the spelling department. However I was very good at maths and science, being dux in both subjects at Carnoustie school in 1962!

I have 2 daughters who have quite recently completed their education, and they are both terrible spellers, but nothing seems to have been done to correct this. Funnily enough, they are both good at maths and science!

It seems to me that the education system spends an inordinate amount of time teaching them stuff that they should be learning from their parents anyway, and completely missing out on the basics.


Just to get back to the sailing theme before I get told off yet again, where's the best place for anchor chain?

[aitchw]

Just to get back to the sailing theme before I get told off yet again, where's the best place for anchor chain?

On the end of an anchor, I would have thought.



(Sorry, I'll go away again now.)

[Rowana]

Just to get back to the sailing theme before I get told off yet again, where's the best place for anchor chain?

On the end of an anchor, I would have thought.

As long as I keep the other end attached to the boat, I suppose

[sahona]

Shard's correct, as per the teachings of Miss Haggert, Hyndland Academy for sons and daughters of the landed gentry, 1949 onwards. She would certainly be birlin' in her grave if she knew about today's standards.

[Silkie]

Doubtless the very wonderful Miss McGlashan, Elder Park Primary (for the sons and daughters of shipyard workers) 1957, would be suffering the same torment along with the legions of other interestingly named spinsters that were once the backbone of Scottish primary education.