Published on Sunday, April 24, 2011
in
Lexical Studies
Adding a prefix to a word doesn't usually change the spelling of the stem of the word.
For example:-
| anti + septic | antiseptic |
| auto + biography | autobiography |
| de - sensitize | desensitize |
| dis - approve | disapprove |
| im - possible | impossible |
| inter - mediate | intermediate |
| mega - byte | megabyte |
| mis - take | mistake |
| micro - chip | microchip |
| re - used | reused |
| un - available | unavailable |
|
Adding a suffix to a word often changes the spelling of the stem of the word. The following may help you work out the changes. Again there are exceptions, so if you're not sure - look it up in your dictionary.
| Words ending in a consonant |
|---|
| When the suffix begins with a consonant, just add the ending without any changes. |
For example:-
|
| Doubling the consonant |
|---|
| For most words with a short vowel sound, ending with a single consonant, double the consonant when adding a suffix that starts with a vowel, such as er, ed or ing. |
For example:-
| mop + ing | mopping |
| big + est | biggest |
| hot + er | hotter |
|
| For words endling in l after a vowel, double the l before adding er, ed or ing. |
For example:-
| carol + ing | carolling |
| travel + er | travelling |
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Exceptions:
Some words ending in r, x, w or y are exceptions to the doubling rule
| tear + ing | tearing |
| blow + ing | blowing |
| box + er | boxer |
| know + ing | knowing |
And if your main word has two consonants at the end, or more than one vowel, don't double the consonant.
| rain + ing (two vowels a + i) | raining |
| keep + er (two vowels e + e) | keeper |
| break + ing (two vowels e + a) | breaking |
| hang + er (two consonants n + g) | hanger |
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