Present Continuous: Spelling Rules Exercises

Adding -ing to a verb is not always as simple as writing the letters at the end. There are three important spelling rules you must learn. First, if a verb ends in silent -e, drop the "e" before adding -ing: make → making, write → writing, dance → dancing. Second, if a short verb ends in one consonant after one vowel (the CVC pattern), double the final consonant: run → running, sit → sitting, swim → swimming. Third, if a verb ends in -ie, change the "ie" to "y" before adding -ing: lie → lying, die → dying, tie → tying.

Most verbs follow the basic rule — just add -ing: eat → eating, play → playing, read → reading. The doubling rule only applies when the final syllable is stressed and ends in a single consonant after a single vowel: "begin" becomes "beginning" (stress on the last syllable), but "open" stays "opening" (stress on the first syllable). Learners often forget these rules and write "runing" or "makeing" — both are wrong. Practise the three special patterns until they feel automatic, and remember that most verbs need no special changes at all.