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10.3: Spelling Rules for Adding -ing and -ed (Past Tense Ending)

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    287509
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    Appendix 3 

    Spelling Rules for Adding -ing

    Change

    Rule

    Examples

    No Change

    Most verbs:

    Add -ing

    Read--reading

    Talk--talking

    Say--saying

    Want--wanting

    No Change

    Verbs that end in -y:

    Add -ing

    Study--studying

    Carry-carrying

    Play--playing

    Change

    Verbs that end in -e:

    Drop the -e and add -ing

    Wake--waking

    Make--making

    Tape--taping

    Change

    Verbs that end in -ie:

    Change the ie to y

    Die--dying

    Lie--lying

    Change

    Verbs that end in CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant), one-syllable:

    Double the last letter

    Stop-stopping

    Sit--sitting

    Ban-banning

    Change

    Verbs that end in CVC, two-syllable:

    If the stress is on the last syllable, double the last letter.

    Begin--beginning

    Refer--referring

    OR

    Listen-listening

    Cancel--canceling

    Table 4 -ing Spelling Rules

    From Intermediate Academic Grammar for ESL Students licensed by Rebecca Al Haider under CC BY 4.0

    Spelling Rules for Regular Past Tense Verbs

    Base Form Ending

    Rule

    Example

    -e

    Add -d

    dance → danced, like → liked

    Consonant + y

    Change -y to -i and add -ed

    carry → carried, study → studied

    Consonant

    Add -ed

    talk → talked, jump → jumped

    Vowel + consonant

    (except y)

    Add -ed

    play → played, boil → boiled

    Chart created in ChatGPT 


    10.3: Spelling Rules for Adding -ing and -ed (Past Tense Ending) is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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