Page 310 - English Grammar in Use

Appendix 6

Spelling

6.1 Nouns, verbs and adjectives can have the following endings:

noun + -s/-es (plural) books ideas matches
verb + -s/-es (after he/she/it) works enjoys washes
verb + -ing working enjoying washing

verb + -ed worked enjoyed washed
adjective + -er (comparative) cheaper quicker brighter
adjective + -est (superlative) cheapest quickest brightest
adjective + -ly (adverb) cheaply quickly brightly

When we use these endings, there are sometimes changes in spelling. These changes are listed below.

6.2 Nouns and verbs + -s/-es
The ending is -es when the word ends in -s/-ss/-sh/-ch/-x:
bus/buses miss/misses wash/washes
match/matches search/searches box/boxes

Note also:
potato/potatoes tomato/tomatoes
do/does go/goes
6.3 Words ending in -y (baby, carry, easy etc.)

If a word ends in a consonant* + y (-by/-ry/-sy/-vy etc.)
y changes to ie before the ending -s:
baby/babies story/stories country/countries secretary/secretaries
hurry/hurries study/studies apply/applies try/tries
y changes to i before the ending -ed:
hurry/hurried study/studied apply/applied try/tried
y changes to i before the endings -er and -est:
easy/easier/easiest heavy/heavier/heaviest lucky/luckier/luckiest
y changes to i before the ending -ly:
easy/easily heavy/heavily temporary/temporarily
y does not change before -ing:
hurrying studying applying trying
y does not change if the word ends in a vowel* + y (-ay/-ey/-oy/-uy):
play/plays/played monkey/monkeys enjoy/enjoys/enjoyed buy/buys
An exception is: day/daily
Note also: pay/paid lay/laid say/said
6.4 Verbs ending in -ie (die, lie, tie)
If a verb ends in -ie, ie changes to y before the ending -ing:
die/dying lie/lying tie/tying
* a e i o u are vowel letters.
The other letters (b c d f g etc.) are consonant letters.

298