Doubling the CVC spelling rule a presentation by

Doubling (the C-V-C spelling rule) a presentation by Rick Shur La. Guardia 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 + • • run skip swim prod slug bar big ing er running runner skipping skipper swimming swimmer prodding prodder slugging slugger barring bigger ed est skipped prodded slugged barred 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 gin • prefer • repel • be beginning beginner preferring preferred repelling repelled

DON’T DOUBLE • listen • offer • travel listening offering traveling listened offered 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 forget ends in g e t and the stress is at the end… forget

SO YOU DOUBLE! try this one. . .

target + ing target ends in g e t and the stress is at the beginning… target

SO YOU DON’T DOUBLE! targeting targeted targeter try this one. . .

control + ed control l ed control ends in r o l and the stress is 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 shopped shopper hugging hugged hugger try this one. . . slimming slimmed slimmer

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 sleep ends in e e p and that’s NOT 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 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 write ends in o p e and that’s NOT C V C!!! (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. . . quitting quitter 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.