Spelling Rule- DROPPING THE FINAL E BEFORE ADDING A SUFFIX

Help for You in Spelling – page 3

Let’s review Rule #1:

If a root word ends with a silent “e,” drop the “e” before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel.

The following words end with a silent “e” – come, take, bake, and hope.

Remember, before you add an “ing” to each of these words, you must ________________________.

The following words also end in a silent “e”: state, use, nine, like

If you wanted to add a suffix that did not begin with a vowel, would you have to drop the “e”? No, you would not.

state + ment = statement use + ful = useful

ninety + ty = ninety like + ly = likely

Please explain on the lines below, when a silent “e’ is dropped and when a silent “e” is not dropped.

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