Spelling lists from hell

[ramblingmum]

I have just been trying and failing to help my 10 year old dd with her spelling homework. She has to put each word into a sentence, the list includes inference, transferable,transferral, deferrable and deferential. I am really struggling to explain these words in terms she can understand. Before I go and speak to the teacher, can I ask is this the new curriculum or just the teacher coming up with these words?

These come under "adding suffixes beginning with vowel letters to words ending in -fer" So yes, infer (ence), transfer (able) transfer (ral) defer (rable) and defer (ential) would all be examples that could be used to match the rule. The NC document gives as examples
referring, referred, referral,
preferring, preferred,
transferring, transferred
reference, referee,
preference, transference

but these are non statutory and it is the rule (The r is doubled if the –fer is still stressed when the ending is added. The r is not doubled if the –fer is no longer stressed.) that must be taught.

Does deferential come from defer? I think it comes from deference, so wouldn't meet the rule in question - possibly completely irrelevant to the task at hand.

When meaning of words are confusing just using dictionary, my ds always look up on thesaurus to find out the meaning.
Still, using all those words in sentences seems really difficult... I don't think I can do it either.

I'd google them lol

Ds is Year 5, and these words are on his statutory list too.

DS1 is year 8 now, and his primary school spellings were nowhere near this hard. In fact neither I, nor DS1, can spell these.

My ds, in yr5 doesn't have spellings to learn...does that sound right ? We have parents evening this week so will be raising it. And When he is writing stuff and doesn't know a spelling we get him to work it out ,But I really think they should be bringing spelling home each week.

OP - your DD's homework is not transferable. Whilst your attitude towards MN in thinking we can solve the problem is admirably deferential, the obvious inference of this transferral of responsibility is that she will believe that the need to do her homework herself is deferrable.

^^ lol

JeffreySadsacIsUnwell
Wow!!!!!

(I should point out, before the pedants swoop, that my use of inference is slightly debatable but I was buggered if I could find any other way of getting it all in one! For the DD's sake, 'implication' is when a meaning is suggested by the statement/action, 'inference' is when a meaning is understood by the reader/listener - you implied that you thought the homework was ridiculous... And I inferred that you were not going to do the homework if you could possibly avoid it!).

I can spend hours trying to devise dictation sentences including words that meet a particular rule, it's often the highlight of my Sunday evening!