The Rules for Adding 'ing' to Words: Understanding the Present Continuous Tense, Gerunds, and Spelling Exceptions

Adding the suffix 'ing' to words is a fundamental aspect of English grammar, particularly when forming the present continuous tense and participles. This article will explore the rules and exceptions for adding 'ing' to verbs, along with examples and specific cases where 'er' is used.

Forming the Present Continuous Tense

Adding 'ing' to a verb's base form (also known as the simple form) is one of the key rules for constructing the present continuous tense. This tense is used to describe actions that are currently in progress.

Example: We were sitting in the back of the bus singing.

Was/were past participle (verb -ing)

Here, "were sitting" indicates an ongoing action, and "singing" is a present participle referring to the same action.

Understanding 'ING'

The suffix 'ing' represents the 'present continuous' or 'present continuing' tense. Here are some examples to illustrate its usage:

Example: I walked to work yesterday because I will walk to work tomorrow, but today I am walking to work. I am always walking to work, then walking home again.

These examples demonstrate that 'ing' is used to describe actions happening now, but also those that are habitual.

The Importance of the 'ING' Form

Words in the 'ing' form can be used as different parts of speech:

Present Participle: Used as an adjective describing a quality or action. Terry is always surprising us. Adjective: Describing a noun or noun phrase. It was a surprising conclusion to the game. Gerund: Used as the subject, object, or complement of a sentence, or as part of a compound verb. Surprising people is fun.

Spelling Rules for Adding 'ING'

There are specific spelling rules when adding 'ing' to verbs. Here are the key guidelines:

1. Removing a Final Silent 'e'

Generally, if a word ends in a silent 'e', the 'e' should be removed before adding 'ing'. This is because the 'ing' form alters the pronunciation.

Take → taking
Compute → computing
Phone → phoning
Scheme → scheming

However, there are exceptions where the 'e' is retained if it is the main vowel sound in the word:

Be → being
See → seeing
Agree → agreeing

2. Doubling the Final Consonant

For words ending in a short vowel followed by a single consonant, double the final consonant before adding 'ing'.

Stop → stopping
Run → running
Emit → emitting

Note that this only applies to the simple form of the verb and not to words that do not originally end in a short vowel sound or that are special cases.

Case Study: 'Er' Used in Euphemisms

While 'ing' is used to form the present continuous tense and participles, the letter 'er' has its own purpose in English. The suffix 'er' is often used to form nouns from verbs, typically representing a person who does a specific action:

Example: A runner is a person who runs, and a swimmer is a person who swims.

Common Misconceptions

One often encounters words that are misused when attempting to form the 'ing' form, such as an 'er' or an additional 'g' at the end. It's important to be aware of these common errors and understand the correct rules.

False Example: The word 'adulting' is a term created by writers of self-improvement books to mean acting like an adult. However, 'adult' is not a verb, so it is incorrect to add 'ing' to it.

The correct form would be 'adult' as the noun, and 'adulted' as the verb.

Conclusion

Adding 'ing' to verbs is a crucial aspect of English grammar, particularly when forming the present continuous tense and participles. Understanding the rules and exceptions for adding 'ing' can greatly enhance your writing and speaking skills.

If you need further clarification or have specific use cases, feel free to consult a dictionary or grammar guide. Remember, practice makes perfect when it comes to mastering these grammatical rules.