They ------------------- our donation with thanks

Analyze the question: The sentence needs a verb in the past tense to fit "They ___ our donation with thanks." This is also a spelling test, so only the correctly spelled option will work.

Explain the concept: The rule is "i before e, except after c." After the letter c, the order is ei, as in receive, received, receipt, deceive, ceiling.

Show the solution:

• A. recieved is wrong because it breaks the rule. After "c" it should be "ei", not "ie".
• B. receipt is spelled correctly, but it is a noun meaning a written acknowledgement of payment. A verb is needed here, so it doesn't fit grammatically ("They receipt our donation" makes no sense).
• C. received is spelled correctly, and it is the past tense of the verb receive. "They received our donation with thanks" is grammatically correct and makes sense.
• D. recceived is wrong because it has a double "c" that doesn't belong.

Answer: The correct option is C. received.

Tip: Remember the rhyme: "I before E, except after C." Words like receive, receipt, deceive, conceive and ceiling all use "ei". Also check the part of speech. A spelling that is correct, like "receipt", can still be the wrong answer if the sentence needs a verb.