How to add ing ending after verb

1. In cases where you need to add the ending ing to the verb

In English, in the following cases, verbs need to add the suffix -ing To be grammatically correct:

With continuous tenses such as present continuous, present perfect continuous, past continuous, past perfect continuous, future continuous, future perfect continuous.

For example:

• I am watching films.

=> Present continuous tense, structure S+ is/am/are+ V-ing.

• She was cooking at 6pm yesterday. 

=> Past continuous tense, structure S+ was/were +V-ing

• She will be coming here at 2pm this afternoon.

=> Future continuous tense, structure S+ will+ be+ Ving

With gerunds, add ing  after the verb to keep its function as a noun in the sentence.

For example:

• Listening to music is my favorite things.

=> Verb Listen suffix added ing become Listening, acts as the subject in the sentence.

• Reading books helps us broaden our knowledge.

=> Verb Read suffix added ing to become Reading, becomes a gerund.

2. Rules for adding the ending ing to verbs

Below are some rules for adding ing to verbs that you need to master

- Rule 1: With verbs ending in is e => Remove “e" more "ing” 

For example:

• Use => Using

• Pose => Posing

• Improve => Improving

• Change => changing

• Take => Taking

• Drive => Driving

In some cases, we still keep "e” and add the suffix “ing”

For example:

• See => Seeing

• Agree => Agreeing

• Age => Ageing

- Rule 2: With verbs ending in “yes” => Keep “yes" more "ing”

For example:

• Knee => kneeling

- Rule 3: With one - syllable verbs ending in a consonant (Except for consonants h, w, x,y), preceded by a vowel => Double the final consonant before adding the ending -ing

For example: 

• run => running

• Stop => Stopping

• Win => Winning

• Put => Putting

With verbs ending in consonants h, w, x, y, we only add “ing” without doubling the consonant.

For example:

• Fix => fix

• Play => Playing

- Rule 4: Verbs with two syllables, ending with a consonant, preceded by a vowel, the stress falls on the second syllable => Double the consonant before adding the ending -ing

For example:

• Begin => beginning

• Permit => Permitting

• Preferred => Preferring

- Rule 5: Verbs with two syllables, ending with a consonant, preceded by a vowel, the stress falls on the first syllable => Do not double the consonant, add -ing

For example:

• Listen => Listening

• Happen => Happening

• Enter => Entering

• Open => Opening

- Rule 6: The verb has 2 syllables, the last consonant is “l", preceded by a vowel => In British English, double "l” before adding -ing

In Anglo-American, there is no need for double "l” which just needs to add the ending -ing

For example:

• Travel => Traveling

• Travel => Traveling

- Rule 7: With verbs ending in “ie” we change to “y” before adding the suffix “ing”

For example:

• Lie => lying

• Die => Dying

Verbs ending in “y” we just need to add “ing”:

For example: 

• hurry => hurrying

- Rule 8: Verbs like “Traffic, Mimic, Panic” we must add “k” at the end then add “ing”

For example:

• Traffic => trafficking

• Micmic => Mimicking

• Panic => Panicking

• Picnic => Picnicking

If the verb does not fall under the above rules, you just need to add an ending -ing at the end is fine.

For example:

• Learn -> Learning,  Speak -> Speaking