Doubling

(the C-V-C spelling rule)

a presentation by Rick Shur

LaGuardia Community College
Credit ESL Dept.
 The following end in C-V-C
• run
• skip
• swim
• prod
• slug
• bar
• big
 There are two kinds of letters...
• Vowels • Consonants
5 Vowels

a
e
i
o
u
 21 Consonants

bcdfghjklmnpqrstvwxyz
 C-V-C endings

• r (consonant)
• u (vowel)
• n (consonant)
• s
• k (consonant)
• i (vowel)
• p (consonant)
• s
• w (consonant)
• i (vowel)
• m (consonant)
• p
• r (consonant)
• o (vowel)
• d (consonant)
• s
• l (consonant)
• u (vowel)
• g (consonant)
• b (consonant)
• a (vowel)
• r (consonant)
• b (consonant)
• i (vowel)
• g (consonant)
 If you add...
• ing
• er
• est
• ed
to a ONE-syllable word ending in
consonant - vowel - consonant
double the last letter
• base form + ing er ed est

• run running runner

• skip skipping skipper skipped
• swim swimming swimmer
• prod prodding prodder prodded
• slug slugging slugger slugged
• bar barring barred
• big bigger biggest
if you are adding these endings
to a TWO-syllable word ending
in
consonant - vowel - consonant
double the last letter

only if

the LAST syllable

has the STRESS

(the stressed syllable

is the loud, accented
one)
 The following end in C-V-C

with the stress at the end

(on the LAST syllable)

• begin
• prefer
• repel
 The following end in C-V-C

They DO NOT have the stress

on the LAST syllable!

• listen
• offer
• travel
 DOUBLE

• begin beginning beginner

• prefer preferring preferred
• repel repelling repelled
 DON’T
DOUBLE

• listen listening listened

• offer offering offered
• travel traveling traveled
(Okay, you will see travelled and
travelling in the dictionary, too.
This is an exception to the doubling rule.

You can double final l

if you want to

even if the stress is not at the END!)

Now, you decide...
DOUBLE
or
DON’T DOUBLE?
 forget + ing

forgetting
and the stress is
forget ends in g e t at the end…
forget
SO YOU DOUBLE!

try this one...

 target + ing

targeting
and the stress is
target ends in g e t at the beginning…
target
SO YOU DON’T DOUBLE!
targeting
targeted
targeter

try this one...

 control + ed

control l ed
and the stress is
control ends in r o l at the end…
control
SO YOU DOUBLE!
controlling
controlled
controller

try this one...

 shop + er

shopper

shop ends in h o p and it’s

only ONE syllable!
SO YOU DOUBLE!

try this one...

 shop + ed

shopped

shop ends in h o p and it’s

only ONE syllable!
 remember…
You double before ing,
but also before ed, er, est!

SO YOU DOUBLE!

shopping hugging slimming

shopped hugged slimmed
shopper hugger slimmer

try this one...

and it’s
only ONE syllable!
bum + er

bummer
bum ends in b u m
(that’s the
whole word!)
 SO YOU DOUBLE!
(If you got that one wrong,
I hope you’re not bummed out,
I don’t enjoy bumming people out!)

try this one...

 and it’s
only ONE syllable!

step + ing
stepping

step ends in t e p
 step + ed

step p ed

step ends in t e p and it’s

only ONE syllable!
SO YOU DOUBLE!
(Did you remember?
You double for ing
and also for
ed
er
est)

stepping
stepped

try this one...

 step + er

stepper
(a “high stepper” is a dancer)

step ends in t e p and it’s

only ONE syllable!
You’re getting the idea now!

(I hope.)
 sleep + ing

sleeping
and that’s NOT
sleep ends in e e p C V C!!!
(it’s V V C)
SO YOU DON’T DOUBLE!

try this one...

 work ends in o r k
work + er

worker

and that’s NOT

C V C!!! it’s V C C
SO YOU DON’T DOUBLE!

try this one...

 sleep + ed

slept
It’s irregular!
(I just wanted to make sure
you weren’t sleeping!)
 write + ing

writeing

write ends in i t e and that’s NOT

C V C!!!
 For write

You just drop

the final e
and add the ending,
and DON’T DOUBLE!
 drop the final e
• write
• writ (drop the final e)
• writing (ading the ing and DON’T double)
• double
• doubl (drop the final e)
• doubling (add the ing and DON’T double)
try this one...
 hope + ing

hopeing
and that’s NOT
C V C!!!
write ends in o p e (Just drop the
final e!)
• hope
• hop (drop the final e)
• hoping (add the ing and DON’T double)

I’m hoping you got that one

right!
Did you?

Try this...
 hop + ing

(Hop means to jump

like a bunny rabbit.
I hope you understand the word hop.)

p
hop ing
hop ends in h o p and that IS
C V C!!!
SO YOU DOUBLE!
hopping
hopped
hopper

I’m hoping that you’re hopping

up and down with joy!
Are you?

Try this...
 show + ed

showed
New rule!
NEVER DOUBLE a w!
 mix + ing

mixing
Another exception!
NEVER DOUBLE an x!
 pay + ing

paying
One more exception!
Never double a y!
Three exceptions!
Never double a w!
Never double an x!
Never double a y!
(Did you know that they call
the W
the “double-u”
because in the original Latin
writing system
the u and the v were the same
letter?
Some languages call it
the “double-v”!
Am I boring you?)
One more strange exception!

The qu combination
acts together like one Consonant
 SO...

quit quitting quitter

equip equipping equipped

 That’s enough to chew on
for the moment.
Your teacher will be givving you
some handouts for practiccing all of this.
You should start writting immediately.
While you’re answerring the questions,
I hope you’ll be thinkking hard
as you’re workking. You’ll be showwing
that you were payying attention,
and you won’t be makking mistakes
like the ones appearring here.