Improve Your Spelling (1951)

[Music] end of the term term paper I'd put in a lot of work made sure it was really good nothing was going to keep me from a good grade this time did I say nothing SII psychology psychology that's what I meant but who would have guessed it from the way IID spelled it might as well face it spelling was always giving me trouble in class writing letters even when I applied for a part-time job my spelling made me feel foolish and maybe it was the reason I didn't get the job now my term paper was going to be a flop because of spelling well that did it I was going to have that paper right even if it meant looking up every word PS y c h o l o g y PS y c psyc c what I figured I'd better look at that word long enough to be able to write it psychology [Music] psy [Music] psy G psychology now could I remember it I closed my eyes and a little at a time I could see it Psy ology I got a picture of it in my mind was it right it checked [Music] Psy psychology just the way I saw it in my mind now if I could remember that picture of the word long enough to write it it seemed to flow right out of the pencil you know I sort of had the feel of it I checked it again and it was right I knew how to spell it it hadn't taken long but how' I do it first I looked at the word and pronounced it psychology then I tried to imagine the word get a picture of it in my mind then I checked it to see if the picture was right then I wrote it a few times and checked it again to make sure I really had it yes that was it that sounded like a system I wrote down the steps see and hear the word imagine the word check the word write the word check it again there it was it had worked for psychology but would it work for other words I wondered well I didn't have long to wait is not so hard to believe that sounded awkward wasn't there a better way to say it sure is not inconceivable but how do you spell inconceivable I tried the system first see and hear the word [Music] inconceivable Inc conceive a bull it was sort of a complicated word but I really concentrated on it it didn't look so complicated when I saw other words in it almost all of conceive except the final e in and able and another thing there was that tricky letter combination c e I yes by concentrating I could see a lot in that word see and hear the word that was the first step but what was the next imagine the word well I found that it helped me to imagine the word by writing it out with my finger and saying it to myself and when I closed my eyes I got a clear picture of it in my mind well all except that tricky letter combination was that EI I or I E I checked c e i v c e i v I tried to again and this time I got a clear picture of the whole word every part inconceivable well what came next check the word I'd already done that it helped me with that tricky letter combination so I went on to the next step write the word it was easy just as if I'd known it all the time i n c o n c e i v a b l e and the next step check it again in con Steve a bull inconceivable now all I had to do was use it you know that was my word now along with psychology and before that term paper was finished I had quite a list takes a little more time to write a paper that way but I knew it was a good paper and the spelling was accurate after I turned in my paper the more I used my spelling system the more I realize the good spellers were using it too Jim he always carries a pocket size dictionary to see words and check them Mary she carries a little notebook to practice writing words that bother her bill you could just see him trying to picture words in his mind yes good spellers had been using that system all along it helps them with tricky ones like these does a kurd have two RS or one is it o or Os is it Ys or i s is it Z or S how about it well when I got my paper back I knew it was all worthwhile but what about you why not try the system see how easy it can be take this word commendable really see it and hear it commendable can you see other words in it can you see any tricky letter combinations in it now imagine the word try to picture it in your mind as you saw it did it look like this remember to check it and remember to write it too that's the way to make it your own