Spelling Changes with the Four Principal Parts
When adding an ending to a verb, you sometimes have to change the spelling.
Do change the spelling in the following situations:
| Base Verb Spelling | Spelling Change |
|---|---|
|
Single syllable1 verb ending in a consonant2 |
Double the consonant when adding an -ing or -ed ending. shop + -ing = shopping |
|
Ends in a single vowel plus a consonant and carries the stress3 on the last syllable |
Double the consonant when adding an -ing or -ed ending. refer + -ing = referring |
|
Ends in a consonant + y |
Change y to ie when adding -s. clarify + -s = clarifies Change y to i when adding -ed. clarify + -ed = clarified |
|
Ends in a silent -e |
Drop the silent -e before adding -ing. amaze + -ing = amazing Just add a -d instead of -ed. amaze + -ed = amazed |
|
Ends in a -c |
Add a k before an -ing or -ed ending. frolic + -ing = frolicking |
Don't change the spelling in these situations:
| Base Verb Spelling | Spelling |
|---|---|
|
Most base forms, except those ending in consonant + y |
Most of the time, spelling changes are not necessary when adding the -s ending to the base form of the verb (i.e. in the third person singular form of the present tense). This is true even for verbs that do require a spelling change for the -ing or -ed ending. shop + -s = shops (vs. shopping and shopped) Verbs ending in a consonant + y, which you already learned about in the above table, are the only exception. |
|
Ends in a consonant + y |
Don't make any spelling changes when adding the -ing ending. clarify + -ing = clarifying (vs. clarifies and clarified) |
|
Ends with a single vowel before a consonant, but the stress is not on the last syllable |
Don't double the consonant. An example is the verb wander, which has the stress on the a, not the e. (Contrast wander with the verb refer in the previous table.) wander + -s = wanders |
|
Ends with a double vowel before a consonant |
Do not double the consonant. (Contrast the verbs cheat and retreat with shop and refer in the previous table.)
|
|
Ends in a vowel + y |
Don't change y to ie. (Contrast enjoy with the verb clarify in the previous table.) enjoy + -s = enjoys |
|
Ends in a vowel + l |
In American English, do not double the l even though l is a consonant. travel + -s = travels Note: In British English, you do double the l before the -ing and -ed endings (travelling, travelled). |
- When we pronounce words aloud, we break them up into smaller sound units called syllables. For example, the word syl*la*ble itself can be broken up into three syllables. There are also many single syllable words, such as shop and book.
- Any letter of the alphabet that is not a, e, i, o, or u is considered a consonant.
- When we say words aloud, we pronounce certain syllables more loudly than others. The syllable that is pronounced the loudest is the stressed syllable. (Emphasis is another word that is commonly used for stress.)