- slide 1 of 4
Learn how to spell the progressive (or continuous) form of verbs. As we have seen in the first article (ING-lish: Spelling the -ing Form of Verbs Correctly, Rule 1), forming continuous verbs is, unfortunately, not a simple matter of attaching -ing to the basic verb. These rules will help you to pick up on the "awkward" verbs and learn to spell these forms correctly. - slide 2 of 4
Rule 4: Double Consonants after Short Vowels
In verbs ending with consonant + vowel + consonant, you should double the final consonant before adding -ing.
Examples:
- run - Hurry up! We're running out of time.
- hop - She's hopping on one leg.
- beg - I'm begging you to come home.
- swim - Let's go swimming tomorrow.
- ship - The marines are shipping out next week.
Note also the doubling in the verb put, even though the vowel is not short:
- put - Isn't that sweet? He's putting his arm around his mother.
- slide 3 of 4
QU as a Consonant
Verbs ending with qu + vowel + consonant follow the same rule. This is because the u is acting for the consonant sound /w/ in the verb.
Examples:
- quit - He says he's quitting his job next month.
- equip - The coach is equipping the team with a new strip.
- squat - We found them squatting behind the bushes.
- slide 4 of 4
Exceptions
1. Verbs of more than one syllable do not double the consonant if the stress is not on the final syllable.
- admit: The stress is on the final syllable, so we double the consonant. After admitting to the crime, the man was taken into custody.
- visit: The stress is on the first syllable, so the consonant is not doubled. She's visiting her aunt on Sunday.
2. The letters h,w, x and y are never doubled.
- fix - She's fixing her broken stereo.
- paw - The mad dog was pawing the ground.
- watch - I'm watching you!
- say - What are you saying?
ING-lish: Rule 4 For Adding -ING to Verbs in English
This series explains the spelling rules for adding -ing to verbs to create the continuous forms. It is split into three articles and four rules.
