Final answer:
Combining stems and suffixes in English requires understanding spelling changes, especially when forming plurals or past tense verbs. The suffixes -ies, -ied, and -es often modify root word endings, involving changes to final consonants or vowels.
Step-by-step explanation:
When combining stems with suffixes in English, particular attention is given to the changes in spelling that occur, especially when dealing with the formation of plurals or turning verbs into the past tense. The additions of suffixes such as -ies, -ied, and -es can change the way a word is spelled or pronounced, as they often modify the root word's final consonants or vowels.
For example, to form the plural of 'gallery' we drop the y and add -ies, resulting in 'galleries' where the [ē] sound is spelled with ie. Similarly, adding -es to 'sky' after dropping the y gives us 'skies', where the long [ī] is spelled ie. Other verbs that end in -y undergo a similar transformation when turned into the past tense: 'satisfy' becomes 'satisfied', again with the y changing to ied.
It's also noteworthy to mention that spelling can represent different sounds depending on the position of the letters in the word, as seen in the explanation of the short [o] in 'ball' compared to the short [a] in 'ballot'. These nuances highlight the importance of understanding English spelling conventions when applying different suffixes.