Unveiling the most accurate rules for adding ING suffix in English

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Adding ING suffix represents a cornerstone of English grammar that appears in countless daily conversations and written communications. Whether you're crafting progressive tenses, forming gerunds, or following specific verb patterns, mastering these rules eliminates common grammatical errors and enhances your English fluency. This comprehensive guide dissects every aspect of ING suffix addition, providing clear explanations, practical examples, and targeted exercises that transform confusion into confidence.

3 accurate rules for adding ING suffix in English

I. Cases for adding ING suffix to verbs
II. Rules for adding ING suffix in English
III. Exercise on the rules for adding ING suffix with Answers

I. Cases for adding ING suffix to verbs

The ING suffix serves multiple grammatical functions in English, each with distinct applications and contexts. Understanding these primary use cases creates the foundation for accurate implementation across various communication scenarios.

1. Usage in progressive tenses

Progressive tenses, including present continuous, past continuous, present perfect continuous, past perfect continuous, future continuous, and future perfect continuous, all follow the formula of V-ing (verb + ING suffix). Therefore, it is essential to grasp the rules for adding ING suffix when using progressive tenses.

For example:

Present continuous: Hanna is reading a book.
Past continuous: The children were playing hide-and-seek when I got home.
Present perfect continuous: I have been working on this project for two hours.

2. Formation of Gerunds

Gerunds bridge the gap between verbs and nouns, creating versatile grammatical tools that enrich sentence structure. These verb forms adopt the ING suffix while functioning as nouns within sentences, serving as subjects, objects, or complements. Proper gerund formation requires precise application of ING suffix rules, ensuring grammatical accuracy while maintaining natural language flow.

For example:

Walk → Walking becomes her favorite morning activity that energizes the entire day
Eat → Eating nutritious foods improves overall wellness and cognitive function
Read → Reading extensively expands vocabulary and cultural knowledge
Jump → Jumping rope requires coordination and cardiovascular endurance
Play → Playing musical instruments develops cognitive abilities in children

3. Following certain verbs with V-ing

Specific English verbs demand the ING suffix when followed by another verb, creating predictable patterns that streamline communication. These verbs encompass emotional responses, preferences, suggestions, and various mental processes.

acknowledge	admit	advise
allow	anticipate	appreciate
can’t help	consider	delay
detest	discontinue	discuss
like/dislike	dispute	endure
enjoy	explain	fear
feel like	finish	give up
keep	mention	mind
miss	omit	permit
picture	postpone	practice
prevent	propose	put off
recall	recommend	resent
resist	resume	risk
suggest	support	tolerate understand

For example:

He likes eating junk food.
Jenny admitted making a mistake.
I anticipate going out on a date.

II. Rules for adding ING suffix in English

English grammar contains three fundamental rule categories for adding ING suffix, each addressing specific letter patterns and phonetic considerations. These rules eliminate guesswork and provide systematic approaches to correct suffix addition.

1. Regular rules

The most common rules for adding ING suffix to English verbs is simply adding ING to the end of the verb.

For example:

Listen → Listening to classical music enhances concentration and reduces stress levels
Kick → Kicking soccer balls requires proper foot positioning and follow-through technique
Eat → Eating slowly promotes better digestion and increased meal satisfaction
Finish → Finishing marathon races demands months of dedicated training and mental preparation
Drink → Drinking adequate water maintains optimal hydration and supports bodily functions
Enjoy → Enjoying simple pleasures creates lasting happiness and emotional well-being
Help → Helping community members builds stronger social connections and personal fulfillment
Want → Wanting meaningful achievements motivates consistent daily improvement efforts

2. Last letter rules

In addition to the regular rules for adding ING suffix, you need to pay special attention to the last letter(s) of the verb to properly apply the ING suffix.

Last letter rules for adding ING suffix
Last letter	Rule	Example
e	When the last letter of the verb is "e", you simply remove the "e" and add the ING suffix.	Dance ➡ Dancing Smile ➡ Smiling Choose ➡ Choosing Believe ➡ Believing Receive ➡ Receiving Take ➡ Taking Freeze ➡ Freezing
ee	When the last two letters of the verb are "e", you just add the ING suffix at the end, following the regular rule.	See ➡ Seeing Guarantee ➡ Guaranteeing Agree ➡ Agreeing Decree ➡ Decreeing Flee ➡ Fleeing
c	When the last letter of the verb is "c", the rule for adding ING suffix is to add a "k" before adding ING to the end of the verb.	Picnic ➡ Picnicking Frolic ➡ Frolicking Traffic ➡ Trafficking Panic ➡ Panicking Mimic ➡ Mimicking
ie	When the last two letters of the verb are "ie", you only need to change "ie" to "y" and then add the ING suffix.	Tie ➡ Tying Untie ➡ Untying Die ➡ Dying Lie ➡ Lying Vie ➡ Vying Exceptional cases: Pie ➡ Pieing

3. Vowel and final consonant rules

Furthermore, you need to pay attention to the vowel and final consonant of the verb to accurately apply the rules for adding ING suffix:

Vowel and final consonant rules for adding ING suffix	Example
When the verb has one syllable and the last letters are "vowel + consonant", you need to double the final consonant before adding ING to the end. Note: Except for cases where the final consonants are h, w, x, y.	Jog ➡ Jogging Hop ➡ Hopping Run ➡ Running Cut ➡ Cutting Swim ➡ Swimming Plan ➡ Planning Sit ➡ Sitting Get ➡ Getting Exceptional cases: Push ➡ Pushing Chew ➡ Chewing Mix ➡ Mixing Enjoy ➡ Enjoying
When the verb has one syllable and the last letters are "2 vowels + 1 consonant" or "consonant + consonant", you simply add the ING suffix at the end following the regular rule.	Read ➡ Reading Sweep ➡ Sweeping Jump ➡ Jumping Help ➡ Helping Walk ➡ Walking Look ➡ Looking Cook ➡ Cooking Talk ➡ Talking
When the verb has two syllables and the stress falls on the first syllable and the last letters are "vowel + consonant", you simply add the ING suffix at the end following the regular rule.	Visit /ˈvɪzɪt/ ➡ Visiting Open /ˈoʊpən/ ➡ Opening Follow /ˈfɑːloʊ/ ➡ Following Happen /ˈhæpən/ ➡ Happening Enter /ˈɛntər/ ➡ Entering Offer /ˈɔːfər/ ➡ Offering
When the verb has two syllables and the stress falls on the last syllable and the last letters are "vowel + consonant", you need to double the final consonant before adding ING suffix at the end of the verb. Note: In cases where the verb ends with "l," Americans usually do not double the "l" at the end, but the British still double the "l" before adding ING suffix.	Occur /əˈkɜːr/ ➡ Occurring Commit /kəˈmɪt/ ➡ Committing Begin /bɪˈɡɪn/ ➡ Beginning Prefer /prɪˈfɜːr/ → Preferring Travel /ˈtrævəl/ ➡ Traveling/Travelling Cancel /ˈkænsəl/ ➡ Canceling/Cancelling

III. Exercise on the rules for adding ING suffix with Answers

Practical application solidifies theoretical knowledge and builds automatic response patterns for correct ING suffix usage. These exercises target common verbs across different rule categories, providing comprehensive practice opportunities.

Exercise: Adding ING suffix to the verbs

1. Dance	2. Sing	3. Write	4. Swim
5. Run	6. Play	7. Read	8. Study
9. Shop	10. Sleep	11. Jump	12. Talk
13. Paint	14. Drive	15. Listen	16. Cook

Answer:

1. Dancing	2. Singing	3. Writing	4. Swimming
5. Running	6. Playing	7. Reading	8. Studying
9. Shopping	10. Sleeping	11. Jumping	12. Talking
13. Painting	14. Driving	15. Listening	16. Cooking

Mastering the rules for adding ING suffix in English creates the foundation for confident grammar usage across multiple communication contexts. This comprehensive exploration provides complete coverage of essential patterns and detailed explanations for each rule category. Through consistent practice and systematic application of these principles, English learners develop natural fluency and eliminate common grammatical errors that impede effective communication.

Chloe

Product Content Admin

Hi I'm Chloe, and I am currently serving as an Product Content Administrator at Prep Education. With over five years of experience in independent online IELTS study and exam preparation, I am confident in my ability to support learners in achieving their highest possible scores.