Spelling -ing Words

We use verbs ending in -ing in continuous tenses and as gerunds. There are some spelling rules to follow when adding -ing to verbs.

Words Ending in ‘y’

Words ending in ‘y’ are easy. You just add -ing to the end of the word.

Words Ending in ‘y’

Words Ending in ’e’

When a word ends in ’e’, you remove the ’e’ and then add -ing.

Words Ending in ’e'

Words Ending in the /iː/ Sound

The exception is words that end in the letter ’e’ and the /iː/ sound.

For words that end with an /iː/ sound, you keep the ’e’ and add -ing.

Words Ending in /iː/

Words That Need a Double Letter

For some words you need to double the last letter before you add -ing. These words have a special pattern. The last three letters of the word have the pattern consonant-vowel-consonant (c-v-c).

The word swim follows this pattern.

Words With c-v-c Pattern

Other Words

For other words that don’t have the c-v-c pattern, you just add -ing to the end.

The word eat is one of these words

Other Words