Final answer:
The statement about the combining vowel is incorrect; the use of a combining vowel does not apply in this context. Instead, we focus on the twinning or doubling of consonants when adding suffixes to words depending on the number of vowel sounds, whether the word ends in a CVC pattern, and the stress on the final vowel. Silent final 'e' is deleted when adding a suffix starting with a vowel.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the combining vowel is used when a suffix that starts with a consonant is added to a word root is actually false. The combining vowel is typically used in medical terminology when joining a word root to another word root or to a suffix that begins with a consonant. However, the rules provided in the question relate to the modification of the base word when adding suffixes in English orthography.
When dealing with the English language, specifically the orthography rules for adding suffixes to words:
- You twin or double the final consonant of a free stem that has one vowel sound and ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern, when you add a suffix that starts with a vowel.
- If the free stem has two vowel sounds, you still twin the final consonant when you add a suffix that starts with a vowel, but only if the stem ends CVC and the final vowel is stressed both before and after the suffix is added.
For example:
- The word hop becomes hopping when adding the suffix '-ing' because 'hop' has a single vowel sound and ends CVC.
- The word overrate changes to underrated with the addition of the suffix '-ed' because 'rate' ends CVC and the final vowel is stressed.
However, if a word ends with a silent e, showing that the preceding vowel sound is long, this final e is deleted when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel, as per the rule for deleting silent final e.