Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Thrashing
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Spelling questions test your familiarity with common English words and patterns of letter combinations. Here, you must choose the correct spelling of a word that means beating, moving violently, or struggling, depending on the context. Spelling is especially important in descriptive writing and formal examinations because incorrect spellings can change meanings or make writing appear careless.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Four candidate spellings are presented: “Threashing”, “Thrasheing”, “Threasheing”, and “Thrashing”.
- The underlying word is the verb or noun “thrashing”.
- We assume standard British or international English spelling conventions.
- The task is to identify the correct, accepted form.
Concept / Approach:
The correct base verb is “thrash”, which means to beat or move about violently. To form the present participle or gerund, English usually adds “-ing” directly to the root if it ends in “sh”: “thrash” plus “ing” becomes “thrashing”. There is no extra “e” inserted and no rearrangement of vowels. The other options introduce unnecessary letters or incorrect vowel combinations that do not follow standard spelling rules for this word.
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Identify the base word from all four options; they all suggest variations of “thrash”.
2. Recall the standard rule: for most verbs ending in “sh,” adding “-ing” does not change the base spelling.
3. Apply the rule: thrash + ing = thrashing.
4. Analyse each option:
- “Threashing”: adds an unnecessary “e” after “thr”, forming “threash”, which is incorrect.
- “Thrasheing”: inserts “e” before “ing,” which is not how “thrashing” is formed.
- “Threasheing”: contains multiple incorrect vowel insertions and looks highly irregular.
- “Thrashing”: exactly matches the correct rule derived form.
5. Hence, “Thrashing” is the only correctly spelt word.
Verification / Alternative check:
You can cross check using other similar verbs: “wash” becomes “washing,” “crash” becomes “crashing,” and “splash” becomes “splashing.” None of these gain an extra “e” before “ing”. Since “thrash” follows the same pattern, “thrashing” without extra letters is correct. This pattern comparison with related words is a powerful method to verify spellings during exams.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- “Threashing”: The “ea” combination does not exist in the base word “thrash” and misrepresents the pronunciation.
- “Thrasheing”: Adding “e” before “ing” is unnecessary and does not follow the normal spelling rule for this word.
- “Threasheing”: Contains multiple incorrect vowel sequences and does not resemble the standard form.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes insert extra vowels to mirror similar looking words like “threat” or “treat” and then extend that pattern incorrectly to unrelated words. Another pitfall is adding “e” before “ing” even when it is not needed. Remember that verbs ending in “sh” usually just take “ing” directly. Building a mental list of such patterns can greatly improve your accuracy in spelling based questions.
Final Answer:
The correctly spelt word is Thrashing.
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