Final answer:
In English, the final consonant of a word is often doubled when adding a suffix that starts with a vowel, especially when the word has the CVC pattern and a short vowel sound or stress on the final vowel. The silent final is usually deleted before adding such a suffix unless it marks a soft , in which case, it is only deleted if the suffix begins with , , or .
Step-by-step explanation:
When applying rules for adding suffixes to words in English, there are specific guidelines to follow related to doubling the final consonant of a word. These rules are particularly important when dealing with words that end in a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern.
Rule for Doubling Final Consonants
You double the final consonant of a word with one vowel sound or where the last vowel has strong stress, and it ends in a CVC pattern when adding a suffix that starts with a vowel. This helps to maintain the short vowel sound. For example, 'hop' becomes 'hopping'. On the other hand, when a word ends with a silent , indicating a long vowel sound, you typically delete the silent before adding a suffix that starts with a vowel, as in 'hope' becoming 'hoping'.
Stem-Related Twining
For a free stem with two vowel sounds that ends in a CVC and has strong stress on the final vowel, you also double the final consonant when adding a suffix starting with a vowel. This can be seen in words like 'begin' transforming into 'beginning'.