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Study Resource: English spelling rules for adding endings

By: Isabel McKay

In English, the spelling of a word sometimes changes slightly when you add endings that start with a vowel: -ing, -ed, -er, and -est. The rules given below will describe how and when these changes happen.

Key: C = consonant, V = vowel, so CVC = consonant + vowel + consonant (e.g. -cat, -bam, -ter...)

Description of base
Rule(s)
Example (base)
Ending
-ing
-ed
-er
-est

ends in:

-C+e

-C+ue

e → ∅

fake (v. / adj.)

faking

faked

faker (n. / adj.)

fakest

argue (v.)

arguing

argued

arguer

--

ends in:

-ee

-oe

before e:

e

before -ing:

e → e

agree (v.)

agreeing

agreed

agreer

--

tiptoe (v.)

tiptoeing

tiptoed

tiptoer

--

ends in:

-ie

before -ing:

e → y

before -e:

e → ∅

tie (v.)

tying

tied

tier

--

ends in:

-C+y

before e:

y → i

before -ing:

y → y

study(v.)

studying

studied

studier(n.)

--

happy(adj.)

--

--

happier

happiest

one syllable

and

ends -CVC

C → CC

*does not apply to y

rip(v.)

ripping

ripped

ripper(n.)

--

big(adj.)

--

--

bigger(adj.)

biggest

stress on last syllable2

and

ends in -CVC

C → CC

begín(v.)

begínning

(irregular)

begínner

--

refér(v.)

reférring

reférred

reférrer

--

Notes:

1 An “agent noun” is a noun that typically does or causes an action. For example: cleaner = someone or something that cleans things

2 There are very few words that fit this pattern. Most verbs and adjectives that end in CVC will not have stress on the first syllable, and so they will follow regular spelling conventions:

Important

While these rules work for most words, there are exceptions which will need to be learned individually. For example:lielying, lied, liar

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