Improve Your Grammar

Learn the rules of spelling of –ING and –ED forms

Verbs that end in a consonant and -e 

– ING FORM:  If the word ends in –e, that is not pronounced, drop the -e and add –ing:

hope – hoping

date – dating

injure – injuring

A very few verbs keep the final -e when adding -ing to distinguish them from similar words.

For example, singe ( підсмалити) becomes singeing rather than singing (which is the present participle of sing).

If a verb ends in –ee, –ye, and –oe do not drop the final –e when adding -ing:

see – seeing, agree – agreeing, free – freeing, dye – dyeing, tiptoe – tiptoeing

– ED FORM: If the word ends in a consonant and –e, just add –d:

hope – hoped

date – dated

injure – injured

Verbs that end in a vowel and a consonant

One-syllable Verbs

1 vowel → two consonants:

stop – stopping – stopped

rob – robbing – robbed

beg – begging – begged

Exception:  -w, -z and –x are not doubled: plow → plowed, fix → fixed, whiz → whized

2 vowels → 1 consonant:   

rain – raining – rained

fool – fooling – fooled

dream – dreaming – dreamed

Two-syllable Verbs

1st syllable stressed → 1 consonant:

listen – listening – listened

offer – offering –  offered

open – opening – opened

2nd syllable stressed → 2 consonants:

begin – beginning – (began)

prefer – preferring – preferred

control – controlling – controlled

If the verb ends with a vowel plus -l , then you need to double the l before adding -ed and –ing in British English:

travel – travelled – travelling

equal – equalled – equalling

distil – distilled – distilling

Verbs ending in -c

If the verb ends in -c, you need to add a -k before adding -ed and -ing:

picnic – picnicked – picnicking

panic – panicked – panicking

mimic – mimicked – mimicking

traffic – traficked – trafficking

Verbs that end in two consonants

If the word ends in two consonants, just add the ending:

start – starting – started

fold – folding – folded

demand – demanding – demanded

Verbs that end in –y

If –y is preceded by a vowel, keep the –y:

enjoy – enjoying – enjoyed

pray – praying – prayed

buy – buying – (bought)

If –y is preceded by a consonant:

– ing form: keep the – y, add –ing
– ed form: change –y to – i, add -ed:

study – studying – studied

try – trying – tried

reply – replying – replied

Verbs that end in – ie

– ING FORM: Change – ie to –y, add –ing

– ED FORM: Add – d:

die – dying – died

lie – lying – lied

tie – tying – tied

Based on: www.lexico.com

Have practice in spelling of –ING and –ED forms

Exercise 1. Write the correct –ing form for the following:

hold – ________________________

hide – ________________________

run –  ________________________

ruin – ________________________

come – ________________________

write – ________________________

eat –    ________________________

sit –    ________________________

raid – ________________________

ride – ________________________

bid – ________________________

bury – ________________________

decay – ________________________

tie –    ________________________

 act – ________________________

pat – ________________________

open – ________________________

begin – ________________________

earn – ________________________

fry – ________________________

die – ________________________

employ – ________________________

tame – ________________________

teem – ________________________

trim – ________________________

harm – ________________________

ripen – ________________________

regret – ________________________

Exercise 2. Write the correct  – ing and – ed forms for the following.

boil – ___________________________________________________

try _____________________________________________________

stay ____________________________________________________

tape ____________________________________________________

tap _____________________________________________________

offer ____________________________________________________

prefer ___________________________________________________

gain ____________________________________________________

plan ____________________________________________________

tie _____________________________________________________

help ____________________________________________________

study ___________________________________________________

admit ___________________________________________________

visit ____________________________________________________

hug ____________________________________________________

rage ____________________________________________________

tiptoe ___________________________________________________

dye _____________________________________________________

panic ____________________________________________________

Exercise 3. Write the correct –ed form.

dare _________________________

jar __________________________

jeer _________________________

dot _________________________

loot _________________________

point ________________________

exit _________________________

permit _______________________

intensify ______________________

destroy _______________________

suffer ________________________

occur ________________________

picnic ________________________

traffic ________________________

control _______________________