GCSE English LanguageGrammar and punctuation
30 questions on spelling and homophones. Pick your answer, then tap to see if you were right and why. Every question comes from the Show Working English Language bank.
Spelling counts in every board’s writing marks. These questions cover the homophones that are easiest to mix up (their, there and they’re; to, too and two; affect and effect; practice and practise) and the words that catch people out, all in British spelling.
01 / Quiz yourselfTry it, then tap to check
Choose your answer before you open it. Then read why, so it sticks.
01 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
The pupils left ____ bags in the hall.
Answer: B their
“Their” means belonging to them: the bags belong to the pupils. “There” is a place and “they’re” is short for “they are”.
02 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
____ is a bus stop outside the school.
Answer: C There
“There” points to a place, or says that something exists: “There is a bus stop.” “Their” means belonging to them.
03 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
The soup was ____ hot to eat.
Answer: B too
“Too” means more than enough, or also. “To” goes before a verb or a place (“to eat”, “to London”), and “two” is the number 2.
04 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
We ____ waiting for over an hour.
Answer: B were
“Were” is the past tense of “are”: “We were waiting.” “Where” asks about a place, “wear” is what you do with clothes, and “we’re” means “we are”.
05 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
The cold weather can ____ your mood.
Answer: C affect
“Affect” is usually a verb, an action: the weather affects your mood. “Effect” is usually a noun, the result: the weather has an effect on you.
06 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
Everyone came ____ Sam, who was ill.
Answer: C except
“Except” means apart from or not including. “Accept” means to agree to or receive something, as in “accept a gift”.
07 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
You need to ____ the piano every day.
Answer: C practise
In British English, “practise” with an s is the verb (the action) and “practice” with a c is the noun. Here it is something you do, so it is “practise”.
08 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
Football ____ is on Thursday after school.
Answer: A practice
In British English, “practice” with a c is the noun (a thing or an event) and “practise” with an s is the verb. Football practice is an event, so it takes a c.
09 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
My teacher gave me some good ____.
Answer: C advice
“Advice” with a c is the noun, the thing you are given. “Advise” with an s is the verb. You can hear the difference: advice rhymes with “ice”, advise with “eyes”.
10 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
She ____ all of her exams.
Answer: D passed
“Passed” is the past tense of the verb “to pass”, and here it is the action she did. “Past” is not a verb.
11 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
Don’t ____ your ticket on the way.
Answer: A lose
“Lose” means to mislay something or to be beaten. “Loose” means not tight, as in a loose tooth.
12 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
I ____ a new coat in the sale.
Answer: D bought
“Bought” is the past tense of “buy”. “Brought” is the past tense of “bring”: she brought a cake to the party.
13 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
We had ice cream for ____.
Answer: C dessert
“Dessert” is the sweet course of a meal; it has a double s, like “sweet stuff”. A “desert” is a dry, sandy place.
14 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
Take a deep ____ before you start.
Answer: D breath
“Breath” is the noun: the air you take in. “Breathe”, with an e on the end, is the verb: to breathe in.
15 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
The ball went straight ____ the window.
Answer: A through
“Through” means in one side and out of the other. “Threw” is the past tense of “throw”: she threw the ball.
16 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
You need a ____ to drive a car.
Answer: B licence
In British English, “licence” with a c is the noun (the document) and “license” with an s is the verb. A driving licence is a thing, so it takes a c.
17 / Spelling and homophonesOur own example
The ____ of the college gave a speech.
Answer: B principal
A “principal” is the head of a school or college, and the word also means main. A “principle” is a rule or belief.
18 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: B separate
Remember “there is a rat in separate”: sep-a-rate. The first vowel after the p is an a.
19 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: D beginning
When “begin” adds -ing, the n doubles because the stress falls on the last part of the word: begin-n-ing.
20 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: A government
Government comes from “govern” plus “-ment”. Saying it slowly, gov-ern-ment, helps you keep the n.
21 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: B receive
The rule “i before e, except after c” works here: after the c it is e then i, so receive.
22 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: B accommodate
Accommodate is big enough to hold two double letters: cc and mm.
23 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: D rhythm
Rhythm has no a, e, i, o or u: the y does that job. A memory trick: rhythm helps your two hips move.
24 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: D Wednesday
Wednesday keeps a silent d: Wed-nes-day. Saying each part slowly helps you spell it.
25 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: B immediately
Immediately is “immediate” plus “-ly”. It has a double m, and the e of immediate stays.
26 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: C tomorrow
Tomorrow has one m and a double r: to-mor-row.
27 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: C achieve
Achieve follows “i before e”: ach-ie-ve. Think of a chief who achieves things.
28 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: A surprise
Surprise has an r in the first part as well as the second: sur-prise.
29 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: A disappear
Disappear is “dis” plus “appear”. “Dis” keeps one s, and “appear” keeps its double p.
30 / Spelling and homophones
Answer: C believe
Believe follows “i before e”: there is a lie in believe.
02 / Where marks slipOne thing to watch
Reaching for an ambitious word you are not sure how to spell. A precise, simpler word is the safer choice.
03 / In the appComing to Show Working
In the app, Spelling and homophones gives you ten questions at a time, picked from all 55, with the reason after every answer. English Language is built, but it isn’t on phones yet: it will arrive in an update.
Coming soon to the App StoreOur own questions, written for every board. Lines from books are from authors who died long enough ago that their words are free to quote. Show Working is independent and not affiliated with any exam board.
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