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1.1 🔹 Nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x or -z
two churchs
two churches
Add -es to nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x or -z: ‘buses’, ‘dishes’, ‘sandwiches’, ‘boxes’, ‘quizzes’.
1.2 🔹 Nouns ending in -o
two potatos
two potatoes
Some nouns ending in -o add -es: ‘tomatoes’, ‘potatoes’, ‘heroes’.
Others simply add -s: ‘photos’, ‘pianos’, ‘radios’. Check the spelling when you are unsure.
1.3 🔹 Nouns ending in -f or -fe
two lifes
two lives
two wifes
two wives
Some nouns change -f or -fe to -ves: ‘knife → knives’, ‘life → lives’, ‘wife → wives’, ‘leaf → leaves’.
Other nouns simply add -s: ‘roof → roofs’, ‘safe → safes’, ‘cliff → cliffs’.
1.4 🔹 Nouns ending in -y
two partys
two parties
When a noun ends in a consonant + -y, change -y to -ies: ‘family → families’, ‘baby → babies’.
When it ends in a vowel + -y, simply add -s: ‘holiday → holidays’, ‘boy → boys’.
Check our grammar lesson on singular and plural forms.
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2.1 🔹 Present simple
He studys English.
He studies English.
She trys to help.
She tries to help.
In the present simple, verbs ending in a consonant + -y change -y to -ies with he, she and it: ‘study → studies’, ‘try → tries’.
After a vowel + -y, simply add -s: ‘play → plays’, ‘enjoy → enjoys’.
2.2 🔹 Past simple
He studyed all night.
He studied all night.
She tryed to call me.
She tried to call me.
In the past simple, regular verbs ending in a consonant + -y change -y to -ied: ‘study → studied’, ‘try → tried’.
After a vowel + -y, simply add -ed: ‘play → played’, ‘enjoy → enjoyed’.
2.3 🔹 Comparative adjectives
This exercise is easyer than the last one.
This exercise is easier than the last one.
Adjectives ending in -y normally change -y to -ier in the comparative form: ‘easy → easier’, ‘happy → happier’.
2.4 🔹 Adverbs
She smiled happyly.
She smiled happily.
To form many adverbs of manner, adjectives ending in -y change -y to -ily: ‘happy → happily’, ‘easy → easily’.
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3.1 🔹 Verbs ending in a silent -e
I’m makeing dinner.
I’m making dinner.
She’s writting an email.
She’s writing an email.
Most verbs ending in a silent -e drop it before adding -ing: ‘make → making’, ‘dance → dancing’, ‘write → writing’.
3.2 🔹 Doubling the final consonant
He’s runing in the park.
He’s running in the park.
She’s swiming in the sea.
She’s swimming in the sea.
With many one-syllable verbs ending in one vowel + one consonant, double the final consonant before adding -ing: ‘run → running’, ‘swim → swimming’, ‘sit → sitting’.
Do not double -w, -x or -y: ‘snow → snowing’, ‘fix → fixing’, ‘play → playing’.
3.3 🔹 Verbs ending in -ie
He’s lieing on the sofa.
He’s lying on the sofa.
The plant is dieing.
The plant is dying.
Change -ie to -y before adding -ing: ‘lie → lying’, ‘die → dying’, ‘tie → tying’.
3.4 🔹 Verbs ending in -y
She’s studing for an exam.
She’s studying for an exam.
Keep -y before adding -ing: ‘study → studying’, ‘play → playing’, ‘copy → copying’.
Check the spelling table in our lesson on verbs followed by the to-infinitive and the -ing form.