B. Foundations of Language · Printing, Spelling and SentencesAdding Endings: -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -er and -est
B2.3 B2.2About 35 minutes
Learning goals- I can find the base word and the ending in a word.
- I can choose -s or -es to make a plural, and I know some plurals that change (like mice).
- I can spell -ed words, even when -ed sounds like /t/ or /d/.
- I can use the three spelling changes: double, drop the e, and change y to i.
Words to know
base word
The main part of a word, before anything is added. In jumping, the base is jump.
suffix
A word part added to the end of a base word, like -s, -ed, -ing, -er or -est.
plural
More than one. cats is the plural of cat.
morpheme
The smallest part of a word that has meaning. jump and -ed are both morphemes in jumped.
Words are like building blocks
Look at these words: jump, jumps, jumped, jumping, jumper.
They all have the same base word: jump. Different endings (suffixes) change the meaning a little.
- -s can mean more than one (cats) or it tells what someone does now (she jumps).
- -ed means it already happened (jumped).
- -ing means it is happening (jumping).
In Grade 1 you added endings to words like jump, and you met two spelling changes: doubling (hopping) and dropping the e (baking). Now you'll use those changes with more endings and learn a third one: change y to i.
Plurals: -s or -es?
Most words just add -s: cat → cats, mitten → mittens.
Words ending in s, x, z, ch or sh add -es. Say them: you can hear an extra syllable!
- bus → buses
- box → boxes
- bench → benches
- dish → dishes
| One | More than one |
|---|
| mouse | mice |
| child | children |
| foot | feet |
| tooth | teeth |
| man | men |
| goose | geese |
| sheep | sheep |
-ed always looks the same
Say these words: jumped, played, melted.
The ending sounds like /t/ in jumped, /d/ in played, and /id/ in melted. But it is always spelled -ed! So never write jumpt or playd.
Three spelling changes
1. Double it. If a short word has one short vowel and ends with one consonant, double the last letter before -ing, -ed, -er or -est.
- hop → hopping, big → bigger, stop → stopped
(This keeps the vowel short. hoping without the double p would be a different word!)
2. Drop the e. If a word ends with a silent e, drop it before -ing, -ed, -er or -est.
- bake → baking, smile → smiled, nice → nicer
3. Change y to i. If a word ends with a consonant + y, change the y to i before adding -es, -ed, -er or -est.
- cry → cried, baby → babies, happy → happier
- But keep the y before -ing: cry → crying. (Two i's in a row would look strange!)
- If a vowel comes before the y, just add the ending: play → played.
| Base word | Change | New word |
|---|
| run | double the n | running |
| skate | drop the e | skating |
| fly | y to i | flies |
| sad | double the d | sadder |
| hike | drop the e | hiked |
| funny | y to i | funniest |
| jump | no change | jumping |
Worked exampleLet's add -ing to "swim"
- Look at the end of swim: one short vowel (i) and one consonant (m).
- That means double the last letter: mm.
- Add -ing: swimming.
- Read it: swim-ming.
Worked exampleLet's add -ed to "try"
- try ends with y. What's before the y? r, a consonant.
- Consonant + y, so change y to i: tri.
- Add -ed: tried.
- Check: we are adding -ed, not -ing, so the change is right.
Just for funFunny but true: sheep is spelled the same for one or for many. One sheep, two sheep, one hundred sheep… 🐑 Counting sheep never needs an -s!
Hands-on activityEnding machine
You need: paper, scissors, a pencil.
- Make 4 small ending cards: -s/-es, -ed, -ing, -er.
- Write these base words on bigger cards: jump, hop, bake, cry, play, box, fish, swim, smile, big.
- Pick a base word and an ending card. Say the new word. Decide: does it need a spelling change? (double, drop e, y to i, or none)
- Write the new word.
- Use your new word in a sentence out loud.
Example: bake + ing → baking. "I am baking cookies with Grandpa."
Your turn
1What is the base word in playing?
foxes. Words ending in x add -es.
3What is the plural of mouse?
jumped. It sounds like /t/ but is spelled -ed.
hopping. One short vowel + one consonant, so double the p.
riding. Drop the silent e.
babies. Consonant + y, so change y to i.
More practice: warm-up
singing. No change: sing ends with two consonants (ng).
5What is the plural of foot?
More practice: on your own
bigger. One short vowel (i) + one consonant (g), so double the g.
smiled. It already ends with e, so just add -d (drop the e, then add -ed).
crying. Keep the y before -ing.
cried. Consonant + y, so change y to i before -ed.
5Make bench plural. How do you know?
benches. Words ending in ch add -es. You can hear the extra syllable: bench-es.
Challenge
1Fix this sentence: I was runing and skiped to the parck.
I was running and skipped to the park. run doubles the n (running). skip doubles the p (skipped). park uses k because r comes before the /k/ sound.
2Why are hoping and hopping different words?
hoping comes from hope (drop the e). hopping comes from hop (double the p). The double p keeps the o short.
3Add -est to happy, big and nice.
happiest (y to i), biggest (double g), nicest (drop e).
Quiz
1. What is the plural of box?
2. Which is spelled correctly?
6. What is the plural of child?
7. What is the base word in smiling?
Big idea: Grade 2 students use their knowledge of common morphemes (bases and suffixes) to read and spell words (B2.3), and the spelling patterns for adding suffixes: doubling, dropping silent e and changing y to i (B2.2).
How to help at home:
- When your child adds an ending, ask "What's the base word? How does it end?" before they write.
- Point out -ed words in books and sort them by sound (/t/, /d/, /id/). The spelling never changes.
- Practise irregular plurals in conversation: "One mouse, two...?"
Common difficulties:
- Spelling -ed the way it sounds (jumpt, playd). Remind them: "-ed is always -ed."
- Forgetting to double (hoping for hopping). Ask: "Is the vowel short? Is there just one consonant at the end?"
- Keeping the silent e (bakeing). "The e jumps off when -ing comes."
- Changing y to i before -ing (criing). Keep the y before -ing.
- These rules take time. Grade 2 is about building awareness; accuracy grows through Grade 3.