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Year 4 · English · Literacy

Adding suffixes: -ing and -ed

Applying three common spelling rules when adding -ing and -ed: just add, drop the final e, or double the final consonant.

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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to UK year groups by age (Year 1 is the year a child turns 6 in England). They are not mapped to the National Curriculum in England or the curricula of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, so check them against your own plans.

Learning goals

Learners will

  • Add -ing and -ed to base words using the correct spelling rule.
  • Recognise when to drop a final e and when to double a final consonant.
  • Check spelling by looking at the base word.

Success looks like

  • I can add -ing and -ed to words that just need the ending added.
  • I can drop the e before adding -ing (make → making).
  • I can double the last letter when the rule says so (hop → hopping).

The big idea

A suffix is added to the end of a base word. Adding -ing or -ed to a verb changes when the action happens: walk, walking, walked. Sometimes the base word's spelling has to change first. Three rules cover most words.

Rule 1: Just add. If the word ends in two consonants or has a vowel team, simply add the suffix: jump → jumping, jumped; rain → raining, rained.

Rule 2: Drop the e. If the word ends in a silent e, drop the e before adding -ing: make → making, smile → smiling. For -ed, the e is already there, so just add d: smile → smiled.

Rule 3: Double the last consonant. If the word has one syllable, one short vowel and ends in one consonant, double that consonant: hop → hopping, hopped; run → running; clap → clapped. (Words ending in w, x or y are an exception and never double: snow → snowing, box → boxing.)

Doubling protects the short vowel sound. Compare 'hoping' (from hope, long o) with 'hopping' (from hop, short o). One letter changes the meaning.

When unsure, say the base word, decide which rule fits, then write the new word and read it aloud to check.

Worked examples

Just add

Add -ing to 'jump'.

  1. Look at the ending: 'mp' is two consonants.
  2. This is a 'just add' word.
  3. jump + ing = jumping.

Answer: jumping

Drop the e

Add -ing to 'bake'.

  1. 'Bake' ends in a silent e.
  2. Drop the e: bak.
  3. Add -ing: baking.

Answer: baking

Double the consonant

Add -ed to 'stop'.

  1. Check: one syllable? Yes. One short vowel? Yes (o). Ends in one consonant? Yes (p).
  2. Double the p: stopp.
  3. Add -ed: stopped.

Answer: stopped

Practice check

Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.

  1. 1.Which is the correct spelling of 'swim' + ing?
  2. 2.Which is the correct spelling of 'ride' + ing?
  3. 3.Which word follows the 'just add' rule?
  4. 4.Which is the correct spelling of 'clap' + ed?
  5. 5.'She was hoping for a sunny day.' What is the base word of 'hoping'?
  6. 6.Add -ing to 'run'. Type the word.
  7. 7.Add -ed to 'smile'. Type the word.
  8. 8.Add -ing to 'rain'. Type the word.
Answer guide for parents

  1. Which is the correct spelling of 'swim' + ing?

    swimming — 'Swim' has one syllable, one short vowel and ends in one consonant, so double the m.

  2. Which is the correct spelling of 'ride' + ing?

    riding — Drop the silent e, then add -ing: riding.

  3. Which word follows the 'just add' rule?

    help — 'Help' ends in two consonants (lp), so we just add: helping, helped.

  4. Which is the correct spelling of 'clap' + ed?

    clapped — Double the p because 'clap' has one short vowel and one final consonant.

  5. 'She was hoping for a sunny day.' What is the base word of 'hoping'?

    hope — 'Hoping' has one p, so it comes from 'hope'. 'Hopping' comes from 'hop'.

  6. Add -ing to 'run'. Type the word.

    running — Double the n: running.

  7. Add -ed to 'smile'. Type the word.

    smiled — 'Smile' already ends in e, so just add d: smiled.

  8. Add -ing to 'rain'. Type the word.

    raining — 'Rain' has a vowel team, so just add -ing.

Watch out for

  • Doubling every final consonant (writing 'jumpping'). Only double after a single short vowel and a single final consonant.
  • Keeping the e (writing 'makeing'). A silent e is dropped before a suffix that starts with a vowel.
  • Doubling w, x or y ('snowwing', 'boxxing'). These letters are never doubled.

Tips for parents

  • Teach one rule at a time over several days before mixing them.
  • Keep a three-column chart on the fridge and add new words as they come up in reading.
  • Encourage your child to say the rule aloud as they spell: 'one, one, one, so double'.

Go further

  • Hunt for -ing and -ed words in a chapter book and sort them by rule.
  • Write a diary entry about yesterday using at least six -ed words, then check each one.
  • Make 'minimal pair' cards (hoping/hopping, taped/tapped) and draw a picture for each meaning.

About 30 minutes

Make a lesson planAssign to my child

You'll need

  • Paper with three columns: 'Just add', 'Drop the e', 'Double'
  • Pencils and a highlighter
  • A reading book for a word hunt

Key words

base word
A word with nothing added to it, such as 'jump' or 'hope'.
suffix
A letter or group of letters added to the end of a word, such as -ing or -ed.
short vowel
The vowel sound in words like 'hop', 'sit' and 'run'.
consonant
Any letter that is not a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).
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