Praise for Uncovering The Logic of engLish Awards received: Silver Medalist - independent Publisher Book Awards 2011 Gold Medalist - indie excellence Awards Finalist - ForeWord reviews Winner - Midwest Book Awards Finalist - Benjamin Franklin Awards 2012 “A clarion call to all teachers of reading. This book is a must read for anyone who cares about the future of our children and the welfare of our nation.” —Dr. Robert W. Sweet, Jr, President The national right to read Foundation “A gem of a book that brings light to the way in which words are read and spelled. This is a very useful book for teachers, parents and anyone interested in bringing the joy of reading to our nation’s children.” —Dr. Reid Lyon, Distinguished Professor of education Policy, southern Methodist University “Uncovering the Logic of English is a thoughtful guide for anyone who wants to understand language better or is looking for advice to help them teach it.” —Midwest Book Review “it looks fabulous—like a resource i’ve been looking for for about 15 years!” —Speech Therapist “The ‘thrust’ of this book might be better described if the title was changed to The Heartbreak of English: a Logical Means of Recovery.” —Jack Blackburn, retired 3M engineer Copyright © 2012 Pedia Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved. “The best spelling and reading book ever!” —Teacher “A must-read for anyone involved in teaching literacy.” —Cathie Baier, homeschool speaker and Parent “This book is changing my life. if you struggle with reading, or know anyone that does, Uncovering the Logic of English is totally worth it!” —Allie Gower, Designer “i teach language arts to middle school students with autism. My literal, logi- cal thinking students are frustrated daily by the seemingly endless exceptions to the rules of the english language. Until today, the only answer i ever had for them was, ‘The english language is full of exceptions to the rules. Be glad you are learning it as your native language and have had the benefit of years of immersion.’ This is of little comfort to them. i finally have a comprehensive list of the real rules of the english language! The best thing of all is that experts talk a lot about using the obsessions of students with autism to teach them. Most of my students are obsessed with rules (memorizing them, following them to the very literal letter, and making sure others follow them as well), so i am confi- dent that they will enthusiastically devour and retain this information! For the first time since learning to diagram sentences in college, when parts of speech rules really clicked for me, i am excited to teach english!” —Jenny Lundgren, Middle school Teacher “Denise eide’s book is outstanding! i could not put it down when i started read- ing it. Wish all schools could use it as a text.” —Sharon Campbell, parent and grandmother “once it is understandably explained to you, the perceived illogical spelling sys- tem of the english language actually starts to make a lot of sense—and FUn! My first language is german—completely different spelling system— and i learned to read and write in english ‘the old way’. it did work alright, but i know, had i Copyright © 2012 Pedia Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved. been taught the way described in Uncovering the Logic of English, it would have been so much easier!” —Valerie Adomakoh, parent, non-native english speaker “i am a certified reading specialist and have been studying reading instruction for years, but most of the information in eide’s book was completely new to me... if you are a parent or educator, this passage from eide’s is a MUsT-reAD! she provides critical information and insights for all of us…” —Susan Kruger, M.Ed., author of the best-selling book SOAR Study Skills and founder of www.studyskills.com Copyright © 2012 Pedia Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved. Uncovering Logic The of engLish A common-sense Approach to reading, spelling, and Literacy D e n i s e e i De Copyright © 2012 Pedia Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved. Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common-Sense Approach to Reading, Spelling, and Literacy copyright © 2011, 2012 Pedia Learning inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in any part in any form. Pedia Learning inc. 10800 Lyndale Ave s. suite 181 Minneapolis, Mn 55420 United states of America Previously published as Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common-Sense Solution to America’s Literacy Crisis, © 2011 second edition paperback First Printing cover design: Dugan Design group interior design and typsetting: Katherine Lloyd, The Desk Printed in the United states of America PDF eBook isBn 978-1-936706-23-5 Paperback isBn 978-1-936706-21-1 Library of congress control number: 2012941978 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright © 2012 Pedia Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved. This book is dedicated to all students of English. I hope it brings clarity where there was confusion and renews hope for those who have struggled. Copyright © 2012 Pedia Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2012 Pedia Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS M any thanks to everyone who has contributed to this work! it would not have been possible without you. Thank you to nathan eide, Timothy eide, sara eppinga, Jamie calvert, Kristi Bakken, Amy conners, and Martine haglund who encouraged me to begin this project and encouraged me along the way. Thank you to carmita sequeira, Kimber iverson, Kristi Laidlaw, Jean Dem- ing, Martine hagland, valerie Kiger, nathan eide, Timothy eide, Beverly eide, valerie Adomakoh, Pavel romaniko, Jenny reichmann, Paul hawley, and everyone who has provided editing and feedback. Your questions, comments, encouragement and critique have added clarity and power to the book. You have challenged me to research and dig deeper, making this a more usable and readable book for everyone. My deepest gratitude is to my family for believing in me, encouraging me, giving me space to write and rewrite and rewrite, reading drafts, and running our home and business. You have been unbelievably supportive. Thank you so much: nathan, Miriam, Abraham, Josiah, hannah, Tim, Bev, vernon, Kimber, and Andy for helping me fulfill a dream. Soli Deo Gloria Copyright © 2012 Pedia Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2012 Pedia Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved.