Adding -s, -ed and -ing
A1 · BeginnerSpelling RulesPlay → playing, stop → stopped, study → studied — small spelling adjustments that keep pronunciation predictable.
What you'll learn
- Most words just add -s, -ed, or -ing directly: play → plays, played, playing
- Words ending in a single vowel + single consonant often double the final consonant before -ed/-ing: stop → stopped, stopping
- Words ending in a silent -e usually drop it before -ing (and often before -ed): make → making, hope → hoped
- Words ending in a consonant + y usually change y to i before -ed (but not before -ing): study → studied, but studying
Why spelling changes at all
These spelling adjustments aren't random — they exist to keep a word's pronunciation clear and predictable once a suffix is added. Doubling a consonant, dropping a silent -e, or changing y to i each protect how the base word is meant to sound.
Three common adjustments, one purpose
Doubling a final consonant, dropping a final -e, and changing y to i are the three most common spelling adjustments when adding -s, -ed, or -ing — each one is covered in full detail in its own lesson.
Real English
Watch out
'sit' doubles its final consonant before -ing (sitting) to keep the short vowel sound — without doubling, 'siting' would look like it comes from 'site'.
The silent -e in 'make' is dropped before -ing — keeping it (makeing) is a common spelling slip.
Real life — Talking about a busy day
"What have you been doing all day?"
"I've been studying, then I stopped for lunch, and now I'm planning tomorrow's schedule."
"Sounds productive! Are you still hoping to finish by Friday?"
"Yes, I'm trying my best — I've already carried most of the work forward."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct spelling
Choose the correct -ing form: play → ___
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct spelling
Choose the correct -ed form: play → ___
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct spelling
Choose the correct -ing form: make → ___
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct spelling
Choose the correct -ed form: stop → ___
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct spelling
Choose the correct -ed form: study → ___
Exercise 6 · Choose the correct spelling
Choose the correct -s form (plural): box → ___
Exercise 7 · Choose the correct answer
Which spelling change happens because a word like 'hop' has a short vowel sound to protect?
Exercise 8 · Choose the correct spelling
Choose the correct -s form (3rd person singular): watch → she ___
Exercise 9 · Add the correct ending
Add -ing correctly: run → ___
Exercise 10 · Add the correct ending
Add -ed correctly: carry → ___
Exercise 11 · Sort the words into groups
0 / 8 sorted
Quick challenge
Five quick questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
Choose the correct -ing form: write → ___
You learned
- Spelling adjustments when adding -s, -ed, or -ing exist to keep pronunciation predictable, not to make spelling harder.
- Doubling a final consonant, dropping a silent -e, and changing y to i are the three main adjustments — each covered in its own lesson.
- Most words simply add the ending directly, with no adjustment needed.
Related grammar lessons
Doubling Consonants
Learn the rule for doubling a word's final consonant before adding -ed, -ing, -er, or -est — the 'one vowel, one consonant' pattern for short words, and the stress-based version of the same rule for longer words.
Words Ending in -e
Learn when to drop a word's silent final -e before adding a suffix, and when to keep it — drop before a vowel suffix like -ing, keep before a consonant suffix like -ly — plus the small set of exceptions that keep the -e to avoid confusion or preserve pronunciation.
Words Ending in -y and -ie
Learn when a final y changes to i before a suffix (and when it doesn't), plus the special rule for words ending in -ie before -ing — study → studied, but studying; play → played; die → dying.
British vs American Spelling
Learn the systematic spelling differences between British and American English — -our/-or, -re/-er, -ise/-ize, -ogue/-og, and doubling before a suffix — and why picking one system and staying consistent matters more than which one you choose.