Spelling of verbs in the Present Continuous
Adding -ing in the Present Continuous
Be careful with some words when adding –ing to the infinitive.
1. consonant after a short, stressed vowel at the end of the word
Double the consonant.
hit – she is hitting
cut – he is cutting
If the vowel is not stressed, we do not double the consonant:
benefit – benefiting (Here we stress the first -e, not the -i.)
In British English we double one -l at the end of the word:
travel – travelling
2. one -e at the end of the word
Drop the -e.
hope – she is hoping
make – he is making
BUT:
double-e: Add -ing:
agree – he is agreeing
3. verbs ending in -ie
Change -ie to -y.
die – she is dying
4. verbs ending in -c
Change -c to -ck.
panic – she is panicking
Explanations
- Present Continuous – Overview
- Diagram of the Present Continuous
- Form of the Present Continuous
- Do & Have as Main Verbs in the Present Continuous
- Questions in the Present Continuous
- Signal Words for the Present Continuous
- Short Forms and Long Forms in the Present Continuous
- Spelling of Verbs in the Present Continuous