One of the most common spelling mistakes concerns the letter ‘e’. When a word ends with an ‘e’, we sometimes drop this letter upon adding a suffix e.g. ‘-ing’. This article will explain when it is necessary to drop the letter ‘e’ and when the letter should remain.
When to drop the final ‘e’:
When a suffix that begins with a vowel (e.g. -ous, -able, -ing) is added to a word that ends with the letter ‘e’, we usually drop that letter. For example:
fame – famous
quote – quotable
shave – shaving
However, when a word ends with -oe, -ye or -ee the final ‘e’ is not left out. For example:
agree – agreeing
canoe – canoeist
There are also some words where the ‘e’ is optional when it comes before the suffixes ‘-age’ or ‘-able’. For example:
move – mov(e)able
like – lik(e)able
When to keep the final ‘e’:
The letter ‘e’ is not usually dropped when it comes before a suffix that begins with a consonant. For example:
definite – definitely
tune – tuneful
close – closeness
There is an exception to this rule, which is when a word ends with ‘ue’. For example:
argue – argument
We also do not drop the ‘e’ when putting a suffix that begins with an ‘o’ or an ‘a’ in words that end in ‘ce’ or ‘ge’. For example:
courage – courageous
manage – manageable
We hope that you have found this article useful. However, instead of trying to remember all these complicated rules, you could simply get your essay or dissertation proofread by the experts. This way you can focus all your time and energy on making the content perfect. If you have enjoyed this article, you may like to look at more of our essay tips.
When to drop the final ‘e’:
When a suffix that begins with a vowel (e.g. -ous, -able, -ing) is added to a word that ends with the letter ‘e’, we usually drop that letter. For example:
fame – famous
quote – quotable
shave – shaving
However, when a word ends with -oe, -ye or -ee the final ‘e’ is not left out. For example:
agree – agreeing
canoe – canoeist
There are also some words where the ‘e’ is optional when it comes before the suffixes ‘-age’ or ‘-able’. For example:
move – mov(e)able
like – lik(e)able
When to keep the final ‘e’:
The letter ‘e’ is not usually dropped when it comes before a suffix that begins with a consonant. For example:
definite – definitely
tune – tuneful
close – closeness
There is an exception to this rule, which is when a word ends with ‘ue’. For example:
argue – argument
We also do not drop the ‘e’ when putting a suffix that begins with an ‘o’ or an ‘a’ in words that end in ‘ce’ or ‘ge’. For example:
courage – courageous
manage – manageable
We hope that you have found this article useful. However, instead of trying to remember all these complicated rules, you could simply get your essay or dissertation proofread by the experts. This way you can focus all your time and energy on making the content perfect. If you have enjoyed this article, you may like to look at more of our essay tips.