Present Simple Spelling Rules

The present simple is formed by either using the root of a verb on its own, or
by adding -s (or -es) to the root. The –s or –es is used for third person singular
subjects (he, she, it, John, an object), so it is sometimes called the third person
singular s. Plurals and first person subjects do not require the extra s.

 The cat walks (+s because it is third person singular)

 Cats walk silently. (no s because it is a plural)
 I like reading. (no s because it is first person)

Irregular present simple forms

Irregular verbs often have unique forms, but sometimes still have hints towards
a third person singular s in their third person singular form.

 He has a guitar. but I have a banjo.

 She is a nurse. but They are

These irregular forms cannot be formed by adding s to the root of a verb, but it is
useful to know that the third person singular form is usually one with an s, if you
have a choice between two forms.

Past Tense Spelling Rules

To form the past tense, and regular past participles, regular verbs usually use the
root of the verb +ed. For example:

 to walk – walked
 to play – played
 to book – booked

Double consonants

Many verbs ending with a vowel followed by a single consonant (e.g. prefer, con,
tan) add a second consonant before +ed. These are still considered regular verbs.

 They preferred to eat cake. (to prefer)

 We manned the office. (to man)
 He plotted to overthrow the king. (to plot)

Verbs ending with “y”

For regular verbs ending in a consonant +y, we replace the y with +ied. Verbs
ending +ied are usually considered regular verbs.

 She studied (to study)

 They married (to marry)
 With short verbs ending in a vowel +y, we often replace y with +id.Verbs ending
with the +id form are considered irregular.

 I paid my taxes. (to pay)

 He laid the table. (to lay)

Verbs ending with “e”

Regular verbs that end with e only add d. These are considered regular.

 I moved (to move)

 We settled the bill. (to settle)

Using “+t” instead of “+ed”

You may see a number of regular verbs that use +t instead of +ed. Many of these
verbs have two past forms. Both forms are correct, and have the same meaning.

Common examples include:

 burned – burnt
 dreamed – dreamt
 earned – earnt
 leaped – leapt
 leaned – leant
 learned – learnt
 smelled – smelt
 spelled – spelt
 spoiled – spoilt

There are many rules that try to explain the differences, such as:

 American English uses the +ed form and British English uses +t.
 The +ed form is for the simple past and +t for the past participle(perfect past).
 The +ed form is used for ongoing actions and +t for complete actions.

These are not strict rules, though. You will find exceptions to all of them.

The truth is that +t forms are an old fashioned spelling, and in fact both
the +ed and +t forms are correct. Using (or not using) each is a matter of style, and
not grammar.

Beware though: the pronunciation of many past verbs may sound like +t, but only a
select few verbs still have +t as an accepted spelling.

Rare regular verb rules

 Additional spelling patterns may apply to other regular English verb groups, but are
not always true. For example, many verbs ending consonant
+c add +ked (panic becomes panicked). Some verbs follow this pattern, but some
do not (arc becomes arced).

In many cases, it is necessary to learn individual regular verb spellings, as well as

irregular verb spellings. This chaotic system of spelling comes from English’s long
history of mixing different languages and lettering systems. It presents an ongoing
challenge in learning English, even for native speakers.

Irregular past forms

There are over 200 irregular verbs in common use in the English language, and
many hundreds more to learn as you continue to improve your vocabulary.
Many lists of irregular verbs are available on the internet.

As with the rare regular verb rules, there are some rules for certain irregular verb
types (for example, buy becomes bought and seek becomes sought). Also as with
the rare regular verb rules, these rules cannot be applied consistently, and it is
easier to learn the verbs individually.

When you know the verb forms, irregular verbs behave the same way as regular
verbs. It is only the spellings that are different.

Irregular Past Participles

There is a huge number of irregular verbs in the English language, with no one rule
to form the past participle. As with the Irregular forms, irregular past participles
must be learnt individually.

 I had given my pen away.

We had broken the rules.

Spelling patterns for the present participle

The present participle is formed using the stem of the verb +ing. For instance read
becomes reading.

The present participle remains the same for all subjects.

 I was reading.
 She was reading in the rain.
 They were reading too loud.
 It is sometimes formed using two consonants before +ing, for instance
plan becomes planning. This usually happens when a single consonant follows a
short vowel sound.

 Our team was winn but The children were whining. (whine has a long vowel)
 We were running fast. but She was sending a letter. (send has two consonants)

Verbs ending –e often lose the –e before +ing:

 to excite – exciting
 to bake – baking
 to trade – trading

1. Spelling rules for the Present Simple

Spelling rules for adding s in the third person singular

When adding the s ending to a verb in the third person singular in English, there may
be some spelling changes:

• Add es to a verb which ends in a whistling sound ( s,sh,ch,x,z,o)

I wash – Suzy washes her car once a week.

I do – Suzy does the dishes every Wednesday.

• In verbs that end with y preceded by a consonant, drop the y, replace it with i and
add es. However, If the y is preceded by a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) just add s.
You study – Dan studies English twice a week.
but:
We play –Sharon plays football 3 times a week.

2. Spelling rules for the Past Simple

Spelling rules for adding ed to regular past verbs

When adding the ed ending to a regular verb in the Past Simple in English, there
may be some spelling changes:

• Add only d to a verb which ends in e.

change – Suzy changed her hairstyle last week.
create – Bach created an abundance of musical pieces.

• In verbs that end with y preceded by a consonant, drop the y, replace it with i and
add ed. However, If the y is preceded by a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) just add ed.
study – Dan studied a lot for this test.
but:
play –Sharon played football for 3 hours on the weekend.
• The doubling rule: When a verb ends with a letter sequence of consonant-
vowel-consonant, double the final consonant.
-If the verb is longer than one syllable, double only if the stress falls on the last
syllable.
-The letters h,w,x,y are never doubled ( fix-fixed).
stop (t=consonant, o=vowel, p=consonant):
We sto pped at the store to get some gasoline.

prefer (f=consonant, e=vowel, r=consonant, stress falls on last syllable /fer/ --

double!) :
My friends prefe rr ed that we stay at home and not go out.

but:
visit (s=consonant, i=vowel, t=consonant, stress does not fall on last syllable /sit/ --
don't double!) :
Donna visited her grandparents in New Jersey two weeks ago.

3. Spelling rules for the Progressive tenses

Forming the Present Participle

All the progressive verb tense forms are created with the auxiliary verb to be and
the present participle form of the verb. Make sure you spell this form correctly
according to the following rules:

Spelling rules for adding ing to a verb

When adding the ing ending to a verb in order to form the present participle in
English, there may be some spelling changes:

• When a verb ends with e, drop the e before adding ing.

make – Susan is making a special dinner this evening.
[ is making is in the Present Progressive tense]

write – The professor was writing his new book when he was asked to start working
on a different project.
[ was writing is in the Past Progressive tense]

• In verbs that end with y add ing with no change !

study – Dan will be studying for the test tomorrow afternoon.
[ will be studying is in the future progressive tense]
• When a verbs ends in ie, drop the ie, replace it with y, and add ing.
die – dying, lie – lying, tie – tying, vie – vying

Susan was tying her shoe laces while she was lying on her bed.
[ was tying, was lying are in the Past Progressive tense]

The reality show contestants will be vying for the first prize.
[ will be vying is in the future progressive tense]

• The doubling rule: When a verb ends with a letter sequence of consonant-
vowel-consonant, double the final consonant.
-If the verb is longer than one syllable, double only if the stress falls on the last
syllable.
-The letters h,w,x,y are never doubled ( fix-fixing).
beg (b=consonant, e=vowel, g=consonant, stress falls on the last and only syllable
/beg/ -- double!) :
Please believe me, I am be gging you !
[ am begging is in the Present Progressive tense]

but:
visit (s=consonant, i=vowel, t=consonant, stress does not fall on last syllable /sit/ --
don't double!) :
Donna is visiting her grandparents this evening.

4. Special Cases:
The following special cases are relevant when adding either ed or ing, as explained
below. We present here the more common irregularities, as others are very rare in
usage. Whenever unsure about the spelling of a specific verb form in question, you
can rely on the WhiteSmoke dictionary for a professional spelling check.

• The letter l is doubled in British English even if the final syllable is not stressed.
Rodney was traveling in the Swiss Alps, when he got news of his newborn son.
[American English]

Rodney was trave lling in the Swiss Alps, when he got news of his newborn son.
[British English]

• Double the p in the verb equip, as the u represents a consonant sound /w/.
My company is equi pping us with new computers.

• Double the z in the verb quiz.

My teacher qui zzed us on the irregular verbs in English.
• Add a k after the final c in verbs such as to panic, to traffic, to frolic, and to
picnic in order to retain the original /k/ sound of the letter c.
After he heard about the traffic king of drugs, he completely panic ked.

• Keep the final e in certain verbs ending with ge, in order to retain the /j/ sound of
the verb. For example, to singe, to binge, to impinge.
Ron was bin geing all night long, sin geing his mustache by mistake after trying to
roast some marshmallows on the stove.