The Spelling Rules for Adding Suffixes

Do we drop the e or not

	1. Drop the final e when you add a vowel suffix e.g. hope + ing = hoping 2. Keep the final e when you add a consonant suffix e.g. hope + less = hopeless close this window

Do we double the consonant or not

	1. If you add a vowel suffix to a word that ends with a short vowel and just one consonant, you must double the consonant to keep the vowel short e.g. shop + ing = shopping 2. Do NOT double if a) the suffix begins with a consonant e.g. shop + ful = shopful b) there are two vowels in the root word e.g. sweet + est = sweetest close this window

Do we change the y or not

	1. If a word ends in a consonant + y, change the y to i when adding any suffix except ing or ish e.g. carry + ed = carried 2. If the suffix is s, change the y to i and add es e.g. carry + s = carries 3. If there is a vowel just before the y, don't change it e.g. enjoy + ment = enjoyment close this window

Do we change the f or not

	1. Most words ending in f change the f to ve when adding s. 2. Words ending in -ff do not change. close this window

Test yourself on how well you know all the rules. If you are unsure of a rule, click on the question mark above for a reminder.

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