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5 Minute English

 

 

Spelling when adding "-ing"

 

Is the word runing or running?  Is it coming or comming?  Do you know how to spell them?  Is there an easy way to know?  Yes, there is.  I will tell you some rules.

First of all, do you know what a vowel is?  They are the letters A, E, I, O, and U.

Do you know what a consonant is?  They are all of the letters except vowels.  B, C, D, F, etc.

Rule 1-  If a word ends with a vowel and a consonant, you should double the consonant (make another one) before adding -ing. 

Here is an example...  run.  U is a vowel, N is a consonant.  There is only one syllable.  So the spelling is running.  Also look at the word stop.  O is a vowel and P is a consonant.  So the spelling is stopping.

Rule 2-  If a word ends with an -e, like the word come, take off the -e and add -ing.  The word becomes coming.

Rule 3- If the word ends with two vowels and a consonant, like clean, do not double the last letter.  Just add -ing.  The new word is cleaning.

Rule 4-  How about a word that ends with two consonants like help?  Just add -ing.  The word becomes helping.

Rule 5-  If a word ends with a -y, like play, just add -ing.  The word becomes playing.

Rule 6-  If a word ends with -ie, like die, change the ie to y and add -ing.  The new word becomes dying.

So the only words that have special changes are words that match rule # 1 and # 6.  For everything else, just add -ing.

Questions

Test your new knowledge.  Add -ing to the word.  Check your answers by clicking the arrows.

1.  love       

2.  fly       

3.  walk       

4.  plan       

5. work       

6.  cook       

7.  rain       

8.  drum       

9.  smile       

10. stay       

 

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