oxford_guide_to_english_grammar

37 WORD ENDINGS PAGE 378
4 We keep e before a consonant.
hate hates nice nicely care careful
NOTE
Exceptions are words ending in ue: argue argument, true truly, due duly.
Also: whole wholly, judge judgment/judgement.
5 To form an adverb from an adjective ending in a consonant + le, we change e to y.
simple simply possible possibly
To form an adverb from an adjective in ic, we add ally.
dramatic dramatically idiotic idiotically
NOTE An exception is publicly.
293 The doubling of consonants
1 Doubling happens in a one-syllable word that ends with one written vowel and
one written consonant, such as win, put, sad, plan. We double the consonant
before a vowel.
win winner put putting sad saddest plan planned
NOTE
a Compare top tapping and tope taping.
b The consonant also doubles before y: fog foggy.
2 We do not double y, w or x.
stay staying slow slower fix fixed
We do not double when there are two consonants.
hold holding ask asking
And we do not double after two written vowels.
keep keeping broad broader
3 The rule about doubling is also true for words of more than one syllable, but only if
the last syllable is stressed.
for'get forgetting prefer preferred
We do not usually double a consonant in an unstressed syllable.
'open 'opening 'enter 'entered
NOTE
In British English there is some doubling in an unstressed syllable. We usually double l.
travel travelling tunnel tunnelled marvel marvellous
jewel jeweller
We also double p in some verbs.
handicap handicapped worship worshipping
But in the USA there is usually a single l or p in an unstressed syllable, e.g. traveling,
worshiping.
4 When a word ends in ll and we add ly, we do not write a third l.
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