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When to Double the Final Consonant? Essential rules to double the Final Consonants!

Consonants play an important role in both spoken and written English. However, many people still have questions such as "What are Consonants?", "What are Final Consonants?", "When should we double the Final Consonant?", and "How many rules are there to double the Final Consonants in English?". In the following article, let's explore and answer all of these questions together!

I. Understanding Consonant and Final Consonant

Before delving into the rules to double the Final Consonants in English, let's first understand the definition of Consonant and Final Consonant.

1. What is a Consonant?

A consonant is a sound in English that is produced by obstructing or stopping the airflow from the vocal cords to the lips, without creating a sound on its own. Consonants need to be combined with vowels to form words.

There are 24 consonants in English, including: /b/, /p/, /m/, /g/, /f/, /η/, /v/, /s/, /l/, /z/,/ʃ/, /j/, /d/, /k/, /n/, /dʒ/, /t/, /h/, /ð/, /θ/, /r/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /w/.

2. What is a Final Consonant?

A Final Consonant is a consonant that appears at the end of a word in English. Here are some Final Consonant examples:

Cat /kæt/ ⏩ The Final Consonant is /t/.
Bid /bɪd/ ⏩ The Final Consonant is /d/.
Grab /ɡræb/ ⏩ The Final Consonant is /b/.

II. Why is it necessary to learn the rules to double the Final Consonants?

Why is it necessary to learn the rules to double the Final Consonants? Let's explore some prominent reasons with PREP!

Grammar Accuracy: the rules to double the Final Consonants are often applied when adding a consonant to the end of a word or when transforming a word to change its form. Using double consonants helps maintain the grammatical structure of a word accurately.
Word Differentiation: The difference in using double consonants can create new words with distinct meanings. For example, the words "hop" and "hope" have different meanings, and the doubled consonant /p/ in "hope" helps clearly differentiate between the two words (hop ➡ hopping, hope ➡ hoping).
Correct Pronunciation: Using double consonants can assist learners in pronouncing words correctly. For instance, when pronouncing the word "slip," the /p/ sound is emphasized more compared to pronouncing the word "slit". Without the double consonant, the pronunciation would be inaccurate.

III. When to double the Final Consonant? Cases and the rules to double the Final Consonants

Let's answer the question "When to double the Final Consonant?" and explore the cases and the rules to double the Final Consonants below with PREP!

Rules to double the Final Consonants	Examples
For verbs in the simple past or past participle tense, when a verb has one syllable and the last letters are "vowel + consonant," the consonant should be doubled before adding "-ed" at the end. Note: Except for cases where the Final Consonant is h, w, x, or y.	Stop ➡ Stopped Hop ➡ Hopped Plan ➡ Planned
To form comparative and superlative forms of adjectives with the suffixes "-er" or "-est," apply the rule to adjectives with one syllable and the last letters being "vowel + consonant." Double the consonant before adding the suffix.	Big ➡ Bigger Hot ➡ Hottest Thin ➡ Thinner
To form nouns or present participles, when a verb has one syllable and the last letters are "vowel + consonant," double the consonant before adding "-ing" at the end. Note: Except for cases where the Final Consonant is h, w, x, or y.	Hop ➡ Hopping Stop ➡ Stopping Shop ➡ Shopping
When a verb has two syllables, the stress falls on the last syllable, and the last letters are "vowel + consonant," double the consonant before adding the "-ing" ending to the verb.	Occur /əˈkɜːr/ ➡ Occurring Commit /kəˈmɪt/ ➡ Committing Begin /bɪˈɡɪn/ ➡ Beginning Prefer /prɪˈfɜːr/ → Preferring

IV. Exercise to practice double the Final Consonants with answer

To gain a better understanding of Final Consonants and answer the question "When to double the Final Consonant in English?", let's complete the following exercises with PREP below!

1. Exercise

Exercise 1: Conjugate the verb in brackets

Anna loves _______________ (swim) in the river.
The cat _______________ (stop) suddenly.
Jack is _______________ (hop) on one leg.
They are _______________ (chat) happily.
I _______________ (nod) in agreement.

Exercise 2: Double the Final Consonant and add "V-ing" to the given words

Cut
Run
Dig
Win
Step

2. Answer

Exercise 1	Exercise 2
swimming stopped hopping chatting nodded	Cutting Running Digging Winning Stepping

PREP has provided you with a basic insight into why it is necessary to double the Final Consonants and when to double the Final Consonants in English. Let’s follow PREP for more valuable knowledge updates!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.