Drop the 'e' or not

Subject: Drop the 'e' or not Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:00 pm

Drop the 'e' or not

Drop the 'e' rule is a very useful rule but like all rules there are exceptions.

We usually drop the 'e' at the end of words when adding an ending that begins with a vowel suffix (e.g. -ing, -ed, -er, -able, -ous, ).

write + ing = writing
hope + ed = hoped
excite + able = excitable

"Drop the 'e' with -ing" - make - making, have - having, write - writing, love - loving, come - coming, use - using...

(BUT not with - be - being, see - seeing)

Word+	-ing	-ed	-er	-able
write	writing	---	writer	writable
come	coming	---	comer	---
make	making	---	maker	makeable
use	using	used	user	useable/usable
love	loving	loved	lover	loveable/lovable
change	changing	changed	changer	changeable/
manage	managing	managed	manager	manageable
shake	shaking	---	shaker	shakeable/shakable

Some words have two possible forms before -able:
like - likeable/likable move - moveable/movable
love - loveable/lovable

But with words ending in 'ge' keep the 'e' before 'able' to keep the soft 'ge' sound-
manageable, changeable, knowledgeable...

We also keep the 'e' in words ending in 'ce' before 'able' to keep the soft 'c' ( "s") sound-
noticeable, replaceable, serviceable...

Another exception to the rule is the final -e is not dropped from words ending in: -ee, -oe, -ye.
see - seeing, agree - agreeing, canoe - canoeist, dye - dyeing

Common misspelled words:
Drop the 'e' in truly - true + ly = truly
due + ly = duly
whole + ly = wholly
Drop the 'e' in argument - argue + ment = argument

Other vowel suffixes
'ible' sense + ible = sensible
'ion' opposite + ion = opposition
'ation' imagine + ation = imagination
'ive' relative + ive = relative
'est' white + est = whitest
'iour' behave + iour = behaviour
'ist' race + ist = racist