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:

1). 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.

2). 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.

3). 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.

4). 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.

5). 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.

6). 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.

ING form ING form

Infinitive
(UK) (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.

7). 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.

8). 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.
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 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
(note: C=consonant; V=vowel)

and
If the base verb ends in do this add Examples

C + V + C and a stressed double the final ing stop, stopping,

syllable consonant stopped
ed begin, beginning

C+e remove e phone, phoning,

phoned
dance, dancing,
danced
make, making

ie change ie to y ing lie, lying

die, dying
 and
If the base verb ends in do this add Examples

nothing d lie, lied

die, died
 Verbs ending with
"consonant-vowel-consonant"
When a verb ends with a consonant-vowel-consonant and we put STRESS on this sound in speech, we double the
last consonant. Then we add ing.

In the following examples the consonant is in blue, the vowel is in green, and ing is in red. The STRESS is underlined.

run => runn + ing => running

stop => stopp + ing => stopping
plan => plann + ing => planning
begin => beginn + ing => beginning

But if we don't put STRESS on this sound in speech, then we simply add ing.

open => open + ing => opening

visit => visit + ing => visiting
listen => listen + ing => listening
happen => happen + ing => happening

Verbs ending with "e"

When a verb ends with the letter e, we first remove it, and then add ing.

In the following examples the letter e is in purple and ing is in red.

take => tak + ing => taking

make => mak + ing => making
dance => danc + ing => dancing
write => writ + ing => writing

Verbs ending with "ie"

When a verb ends with the letters ie, we change them into y and add ing.

In the following examples the letters ie are in brown, the letter y is in brown too, and ing is in red.

lie => ly + ing => lying

die => dy + ing => dying

Definition

Continuous verbs and gerunds end in "-ing" and have special spelling rules.

Example
 Laura is talking right
now.

talk + ing

Explanation

The -ing spelling rules are --

add "-ing" to the verb.

when a verb ends in "e", drop the "e" and add "-ing". For example: "take + ing = taking".
when a one-syllable verb ends in vowel + consonant, double the final consonant and add "-ing". For
example: "hit + ing = hitting".
When a verb ends in vowel + consonant with stress on the final syllable, double the consonant and
add "-ing". For example: "begin + ing = beginning".
Do not double the consonant of words with more than one syllable if the stress is not on the final
syllable. For example: "remember" has three syllables -- re:mm:ber -- and the stress is on
the second syllable. Therefore do not add another consonant -- "remembering".

Verb Forms and Verb Tenses (#6): Spelling -ing

Forms, by Dennis Oliver

Verb Forms and Verb Tenses (#6):

Spelling - ing Forms
English verbs have five basic forms: the base form, the - S form,
the - ing form, the past form, and the past participle form.

There are several ways to spell -ing forms:

1. If a verb ends in a stressed vowel + one or more

consonants + e or ue, "drop" the e and add - ing.

Examples:

abte / abating; ache / aching; bathe / bathing;

belive / believing; bite / biting; care / caring;
delte / deleting; dive / diving; enslve / enslaving;
excte / exciting; file / filing; gripe / griping;
hope / hoping; joke / joking; live / living;
make / making; parde / parading; paste / pasting;
raise / raising; revle / reviling; save / saving;
smoothe / smoothing; taste / tasting;
glue / gluing; rue / ruing; sue / suing
2. If a verb ends in - ie, change the - ie to - yand
add - ing.

Examples:

die / dying; lie / lying; tie / tying; vie / vying

3. If a verb ends in y, add - ing. It doesn't matter if

there is a vowel or a consonant before y.

Examples:

pry / prying pray / praying

spy / spying spay / spaying

4. If a verb ends in a vowel + one consonant,

double the consonant and add - ing.

Examples:

beg / begging; chat / chatting; dig / digging;

fit / fitting; grin / grinning; grip / gripping;
hop / hopping; mix / mixing; nip / nipping;
pin / pinning; quit / quitting; rip / ripping;
sit / sitting; tip / tipping; win / winning

5. If a verb ends in a stressed vowel + r,

double the r and add - ing, but if a verb ends
in an unstressed vowel + r, do not double,
the r: just add - ing:

confr / conferring nswer / answering

defr / deferring ffer / offering
refr / referring sffer / suffering

6. If a verb ends in a vowel, add - ing.

Examples:

do / doing; echo / echoing; go / going; ski / skiing

7. Add - ing to all other verbs.

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Special Notes:

1. Note that sometimes two consonant letters are

needed to spell a single consonant sound:

ache loathe
bathe smoothe
breathe wreathe
cache writhe
clothe

(In ache, the letters ch are pronounced k and in

cache, they're pronounced sh. The letters th are
pronounced like th in them.)

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Notice also that sometimes two vowel letters are

needed to spell a single vowel sound:

achieve raise
believe receive
loathe soothe
peeve smoothe

2. The two words die and dye have the same sound (di)
but different spellings: die ('become dead') and
dye ('to color'). For die, the -ing form has i changing
to y before -ing is added. For dye, the -ing is added
after the e (which is not the normal pattern):

die ---> dying dye ---> dyeing

3. The spellings vowel + consonants + e and
vowel + consonants show two different vowel
sounds. Notice that when - ing is added, the first
spelling drops the e and adds -ing, but the second
spelling doubles the consonant and adds -ing.

Examples:

file / filing fill / filling

hope / hoping hop / hopping
mope / moping mop / mopping
tape / taping tap / tapping