Basic English Grammar (Part 5) - English Language Proficiency & Communication Skills

Spelling -ED Ending Rules

Remember: Not all words that end in -ED are verbs in the past tense. Sometimes they are Past Participles or they could even be Adjectives ending in -ED. For now we will mostly use verbs in the Past Tense as examples though the same rules apply to all words ending in -ED

The general rule when changing a word (or verb) into its -ED form is just to add -ED to the end of it.

Infinitive	ED form
to play	played
to wait	waited
to work	worked
to rain	rained

• He played with his dog in the backyard.
• I waited for them to invite me.
• She worked until late last night.
• It rained all day.

Spelling Exceptions

The following exceptions exist when spelling words ending in ED:

a). If a word ends in an E we just add the D to the end.

Infinitive	ED form
to live	lived
to love	loved
to smile	smiled
to dance	danced

• I lived in Japan for two years and then moved to Thailand.
• I loved the surprise you had for me.
• He smiled when he saw his wife come through the door.
• They danced until their feet hurt.

b). If the word ends in a Consonant + Vowel + Consonant, we double the final consonant and add ED.

Infinitive	ED form
to stop	stopped
to admit	admitted
to plan	planned
to refer	referred
to commit	committed

• The policeman stopped the thief from escaping.
• He admitted that he was wrong.
• We planned a surprise birthday party for our friend.
• I referred the students to the website where they could practice some more.
• They committed a serious crime and will end up in jail.

c). If a two-syllable verb ends in a Consonant + Vowel + Consonant, we DO NOT double the final consonant when the stress is on the FIRST syllable.

Infinitive	ED form
to happen	happened
to enter	entered
to offer	offered
to suffer	suffered

• What happened?
• I entered through the back door.
• She was offered a new position with a higher salary.
• Many people are suffered from a lack of food and water.

d). BUT, we DO NOT double the final consonant when the word ends in W, X or Y or when the final syllable is not stressed.

Infinitive	ED form
to fix	fixed
to enjoy	enjoyed
to snow	snowed

• He fixed his bike.
• We enjoyed our time in the North of Chile.
• It snowed yesterday.

8. Spelling Rules -ING

The following is a guide to the correct spelling of –ing forms of verbs and gerunds.

The general rule when changing a verb into its -ING form is just to add -ING to the end of the verb.

Infinitive	ING form
to feel	feeling
to go	going
to work	working
to sleep	sleeping

• She wasn't feeling very well.
• He is working on a new project.
• The children are sleeping so be quiet.

Spelling exceptions

The following exceptions exist when spelling words ending in ING:

a). If the verb ends in an E we remove the E and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
to live	living
to have	having
to make	making
to take	taking

• People are living longer now than they were 100 years ago.
• We are making a chocolate cake.
• He was taking his time to get ready.

b). If the verb ends in a consonant + vowel + consonant, we double the final consonant and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
to stop	stopping
to sit	sitting
to plan	planning
to get	getting
to swim	swimming

• The policeman is stopping the traffic.
• We are planning a surprise party for our teacher.
• I think I am getting a cold.

c). If a two-syllable verb ends in a consonant + vowel + consonant, we do not double the final consonant when the stress is on the first syllable.

Infinitive	ING form
to happen	happening
to enter	entering
to offer	offering
to suffer	suffering

• What is happening?
• They are offering a discount.
• Many people are suffering from a lack of food and water.

d). But, we do not double the final consonant when the verb ends in W, X or Y or when the final syllable is not emphasized.

Infinitive	ING form
to fix	fixing
to enjoy	enjoying
to snow	snowing

• He fixing his bike.
• We are enjoying this great weather.
• It's snowing outside.

e). If the verb ends in IE we change it to YING.

Infinitive	ING form
to lie	lying
to die	dying
to tie	tying

• I know you are lying to me!
• You should water your plant more because I think it is dying.
• The little boy is tying his shoelaces.

f). If the verb ends in consonant + vowel + L, we normally double the final L and add ING.

Note: In the United States (US) they do not double the L when the accent is on the first syllable.

Infinitive	ING form (UK)	ING form (US)
to travel	travelling	traveling
to marvel	marvelling	marveling

• I have been travelling around South America for 6 months.
• He was marvelling at her beauty.

g). If the verb ends in a stressed vowel + R, we double the final R and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
refer	referring
defer	deferring

• Are you referring to this one or that one?
• They are thinking of deferring payment of their mortgage.

h). If the verb ends in an unstressed vowel + R, we do not double the final R and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
to offer	offering
to suffer	suffering
to whisper	whispering

• I am offering you a special deal.
• He is now suffering the consequences of his actions.
• I wonder what he is whispering in her ear.

There is - There are

There vs Their vs They're

A common mistake not only for students learning English but also for native speakers is the difference between There, Their and They're in written English.

This happens because both words sound the same when they are spoken.

Words that sound the same but have different meanings (and sometimes spelling) are called homophones. Therefore they're, their and there are Homophones.