Writing is a
representation of the spoken word. The spoken word is not a
representation of writing. Accents and pronunciation can change
easily and quite quickly, whereas what is written in books and
dictionaries remains "fixed" for years.
For
various historical reasons, there is often little correspondence
between spoken English (pronunciation) and written English
(spelling). English spelling therefore often appears to be
illogical.
The
following rules can help you to decode the mysteries of English
spelling. But remember, even the best rules have their
exceptions.
Adding -ing/-ed
Often we need to
add -ing or -ed to a verb to make other forms of the verb, for
example: I was talking when John Smith arrived.
Spelling
Rule
Just add -ing or -ed to the end
of the base verb:
• work > working > worked
• play > playing > played
• open
> opening > opened
Exceptions
| If the base verb ends in: | Do this: | And add: | For example: |
| consonant + vowel +
consonant and a stressed syllable |
double the final consonant | -ing -ed |
stop > stopping >
stopped begin > beginning tap > tapping > tapped But, for example: open > opening > opened (because no stress on last syllable of open) |
| consonant + -e | remove the -e | -ing -ed |
phone > phoning >
phoned dance > dancing > danced make > making rake > raking > raked dye > dying > dyed |
| -ie | change the -ie to -y | -ing | lie > lying die > dying |
| -ie | nothing | -d | lie > lied die > died |
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