Final answer:
In English, when suffixes like '-ess' are added to nouns ending in '-er' or '-or', the preceding vowel is often dropped. The Final Deletion Rule asserts that the final 'e' is removed only when the following suffix begins with 'e', 'i', or 'y'. Additionally, the spelling of the 's' sound at the end of a word depends on the presence of a final 'e' and the stress on the preceding vowel.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the rules for adding suffixes to English words is crucial for proper spelling and syntax. When adding the suffix -ess to a male noun ending in -er or -or, there is a deletion of the vowel e or o before the final r, as seen in the transformation of 'waiter' to 'waitress' and 'actor' to 'actress'. Similarly, the Final e Deletion Rule dictates that a final e, which marks a soft c or a soft g, is only deleted when adding a suffix starting with e, i, or y. Furthermore, when an s spelling of [s] comes at the end of a word without a final e, it can indicate a verb or a plural noun, as in 'obstructs' or 'contracts', or form part of a suffix like -ous, -us, or -ics, for example 'courageous', 'radius', and 'mathematics'.
Moreover, when dealing with words ending in a single consonant with a single vowel right in front of it and adding a suffix like -ing, as in 'hop' becoming 'hopping', one must double the final consonant to maintain the correct spelling. Lastly, in bases that end with an [s] sound spelled as or , the final [s] is spelled with ss if the short vowel right before it is stressed, or with s alongside an insulating final e if not.