ENGLISH

Spelling Rules for –ing Forms

Verbs that end in –e, drop the –e and add –ing.
take - taking
give - giving
hide - hiding
wake - waking

Verbs that end in two consonants, add –ing.
spend - spending
hurt - hurting
fall - falling

Verbs that end in two vowels and a consonant, add –ing.
leave leaving
keep keeping
wear wearing
break breaking

Verbs that end in a consonant – 1 vowel – consonant combination, and that are only one syllable double the last consonant and add –ing.
swim - swimming
get - getting
dig - digging
cut - cutting

Verbs that end in a consonant – 1 vowel – consonant combination, and that are two syllables, double the last consonant and add –ing when the stress is on the second syllable.
upset - upsetting
begin - beginning
prefer - preferring
control - controlling


• is your average, everyday verb
(most verbs)
• just add –ed
Examples: play  played; call called

• ends with e Drop the e and add –ed (essentially just add –d)
Examples: rope  ropedIf the verb… Do this…

• ends with a consonant + y
Consonant: NOT a, e, i, o, u
• Change the y to i and add –ed
Examples: carry  carried; hurry  hurrie


"q" is always written as "qu". It never stands by itself.

e.g. quick, queen, quarrel.



We double "l, f, and s" after a single short vowel at the end of a word.

e.g. call, tall, toss, miss, stiff, stuff.

Exceptions: us, bus, gas, if, of, this, yes, plus, nil, pal.



Regular plurals are made by adding "s".

e.g. animals, horses, monkeys, and cliffs.



The sound of "ee" on the end of a word is nearly always "y".

Exceptions: committee and coffee.



"y" and not "i" is used at the end of an English word and is usually pronounced as a short "i".

Exceptions: macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli (Italian), and taxi (short for taxicab).



A silent "e" on the end of a word makes the vowel in front say its own alphabetic name.

e.g. hate, ride, cube, bake, shire, mare, lobe.

Exceptions: done, come, some, give and have.



"ck" may only be used after a single vowel that does not say its name at the end of a syllable or root word.

e.g. track, pick, rocket, wreckage.



To form plurals of words with a hissing ending, add "es".

i.e.after "s, x, z, sh, and ch".

e.g. buses, foxes, buzzes, wishes and churches.



Words ending in an "o" preceded by a consonant usually add "es" to form the plural.

e.g. potatoes, volcanoes.

Exceptions: pianos, solos, Eskimos



Nouns ending in a single "f" change the "f" to a "v" before adding "es" to form the plural.

e.g. leaf – leaves; wolf – wolves.

Exceptions: dwarfs, roofs, chiefs.



If a word ends in a consonant plus "y", change the "y" to and "i", before adding any ending. Except: "ing".

e.g.

party – parties;

heavy – heaviness

marry – married;

funny – funnily

carry – carriage;

pretty – prettier

but;

cry – crying;

hurry – hurrying




When "w" comes before "or" it often says "wer" as "worm".

e.g. worship, worst, worth, work.

Exceptions: worry, worried, wore.



Words ending in both a single vowel and a single consonant always double the last consonant before adding an ending.

e.g. stop, stopped, stopping.

flat, flatter, flattest.

swim, swimmer, swimming.

Exceptions: fix, box, fox, mix.

"x" is the same as "ck"; that is it counts as a double consonant ending.




When "c" is followed by "e", "i" or "y", it says "s". Otherwise it says "k".

e.g. centre, ceiling, circle, cycle.

cottage, cave, cream, curious, clever.



When "g" is followed by "i", "e" or "y", it says "j". Otherwise it says "g" as in gold.

e.g. gentle, giant, gymnastic.

gallon, gold, guide, glass, grow.

Exceptions: get, got, begin, girl, give, gear, geese, gift, girth, geyser, giddy.



Drop the final "e" from a root word before adding an ending beginning with a vowel, but keep it before a consonant.

e.g. love, loving, lovely.

drive, driving, driver.

settle, settled, settling.

grace, graceful.

"ti", "ci" and "si" are three spellings most frequently used to say "sh" at the beginning of all syllables except the first.

e.g. national, patient, palatial, infectious.

gracious, ancient, musician, fiancial.
session, admission, mansion, division.

Exceptions: "ship" as a suffix, e.g. "worship".



"i" comes before "e" when it is pronounced "ee", except when it follows "c" – or when sounding like "a" as in "neighbour, or weigh".

e.g. brief, field, priest.

receive, deceive, ceiling.

Exceptions: neither, foreign, sovereign, seized, counterfeit, forfeited, leisure.



"all" and "well" followed by another syllable only have one "l".

e.g. also, already, although, welcome, welfare.



"full" and "till" joined to another root syllable, drop one "l".

e.g. useful, cheerful, until.



Almost no English words end in "v" and none in "j".

Since publishing this page on the Web, Alistair Ewan of the University of East Anglia has reminded us of the word "spiv".



For words ending in a single "l" after a single vowel, double the "l" before adding a suffix, regardless of accent.

e.g. cancelled, traveller, signalling, metallic.



If a word of more than one syllable ends in a "t", preceded by a single vowel, and has the accent on the last syllable, then double the final consonant.

e.g. permit; permitted.

admit; admitted.

regret; regretted.

But, if the accent is on the first syllable, don’t double the "t".

e.g. visit; visited.

benefit; benefited




"ous" at the end of a word often means "full of".

e.g. famous: full of fame.

glorious; full of glory.

gracious, ridiculous, furious, dangerous.



"al" at the end of a word often means "to do with".

e.g. musical:to do with music.

criminal:to do with crime.

historical:to do with history.

"er" or "or" endings. The most common everyday words end in "er".

e.g. baker, painter, teacher.

If in doubt, use "or", when the meaning of the word is "one who" or "that which".

e.g. author, director, instructor, indicator, conveyor, escalator.

"ery" or "ary" endings. Words ending in "ery" are often obvious.

e.g. very, brewery, flattery, bakery, nursery.

If in doubt, use "ary".

e.g. dictionary, secretary, commentary, stationary.


Seven words ending in "ery" that might cause trouble.

e.g. distillery, confectionery, millinery, cemetery, dysentery, monastery, stationery (paper).


"ise", "ize" or "yse" endings. Most of these words end in "ise".

e.g. sunrise, surprise, supervise, exercise, disguise, unwise, surmise, advertise.

Only two common words end in "yse".

i.e. analyse and paralyse.


Only two common words end in "ize".

i.e. prize and capsize.




"ceed", "sede" and "cede".

Three "ceed" words; succeed, exceed, proceed.

One "sede" word; supersede.

All others "cede"

e.g.intercede, antecede, precede.

"able" or "ible" endings.

Use "able":

After root words.

e.g. available, dependable.


After root words ending in "e".

e.g. desirable, believable, usable (drop the "e").


After "i".

e.g. reliable, sociable.


When other forms of the root word have a dominant "a" vowel.

e.g. irritable, durable, abominable.


After a hard "c" or "g".

e.g. educable, practicable, navigable.


Exceptions: formidable, inevitable, memorable, probable, portable, indomitable, insuperable.



Use "ible"

After non-root words.

e.g. audible, horrible, possible.


When the root has an immediate "ion"form.

e.g. digestible, suggestible, convertible.


After a root ending in "ns" or "miss".

e.g. responsible, comprehensible, permissible.


After a soft "c" or "g".

e.g. legible, negligible, forcible, invincible.


Exceptions: contemptible, resistible, collapsible, flexible.