Ending -ing
Mastering the ‑ing form of verbs is essential for English language learners. This form, known as the present participle or gerund, is used in various grammatical structures, such as continuous tenses, and as a noun. While simply adding ‑ing to a verb is the general rule, there are specific spelling changes that depend on the verb's ending. Let's break down the rules for adding ‑ing to verbs, with clear examples for each case.
How to form
For most verbs, you simply add ‑ing to the end of the base form. This is the most common and straightforward rule.
- walk → walking
- talk → talking
- play → playing
If a verb ends in a single, silent ‑e, you must drop the ‑e before adding ‑ing. This rule helps maintain the correct pronunciation and spelling.
- make → making
- take → taking
- write → writing
- see → seeing
- dye → dyeing
- hoe → hoeing
If a verb ends with ‑ie, change the ‑ie to ‑y and add ‑ing.
- lie → lying
- die → dying
- tie → tying
If a verb ends in ‑ic, change it to ‑ick before adding ‑ing.
- panic → panicking
- traffic → trafficking
- mimic → mimicking
If a verb ends in consonant + vowel + consonant (CVC), and the last syllable is stressed, double the final consonant before adding ‑ing.
- prefer → preferring
- regret → regretting
- run → running
- visit → visiting
- happen → happening
- develop → developing
- fix → fixing
- play → playing
- snow → snowing
