➢ 1. Monosyllables ending in -l, with a single vowel before it, have -ll at the close : fill, well, tell, till, full.
➢ 2. Monosyllables ending in -I, with a double vowel before it, have only one -l at the close : tail, weal, feel.
➢ 3. Monosyllables ending in -ll drop the final -l only before suffixes beginning with a consonant (except -ness), but not before those beginning with vowels :
well--welcome; full--fulfil, fulsome;
but, ill--illness; still--stillness; will--willing ; fill--filling, hill--hillock.
➢ 4. Monosyllables ending in -ll drop the final -l when they are used as suffixes : roll--enrol; fill--fulfil.
Exceptions:
A few monosyllables retain the -ll :
Call : roll--call.
Fall : rainfall, downfall.
Well : farewell, unwell.
➢ 5. The final -e is dropped before a suffix beginning with a vowel : leave-leaving ; give-giving; cure-curable; move-movable.
But, move-movement, tire-tiresome.
Exceptions: But the final -e is retained.
(i) In words ending in -ce, -ge before suffixes beginning with a, o, u, if the soft sound is to be retained: service--serviceable ; marriage --marriageable ; courage-courageous.
But practice-practicable.
We, however, write singeing, swingeing to distinguish the words from singing, swinging.
(ii) In words ending in -ee, -oe, - ye :
agree-agreeable, agreeing ; hoe-hoeing ; dye-dyeing ; eye-eyeing. But, free-freer.
Monosyllables ending in -ie, change -ie into y before -ing : die-dying ; lie-lying.
(iii) In many words before -able to show that the root vowel has a long sound : sale--saleable ; debate-debateable.
➢ 6. The final -e is retained before suffixes beginning with a consonant: care-careful, dare-dareness, incite-incitement, free--freedom.
But the final -e is dropped in words ending in -dge, -le, -ue, -we: judge-judgement ; whole-wholly, true-truly, awe-awful.
➢ 7. Monosyllables ending in a consonant with a single vowel before it double the consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel: get--getting; sin -- sinner ; hit--hitting ; god-goddess.
But, good -- goodness ; sin-sinful ; god-godlike, troop-trooper ; sleep-sleepy. We, however, have wool-woollen.
➢ 8. Words of more than one syllable ending in a consonant with a single vowel before it double the final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel if the accent is on the last syllable : commit-committee ; refer-referring ; omit-omitting; repel-repelled.
Many words ending in -l, though not accented on the last syllable, double the final -l; travel-traveller; travelled ; jewel-jeweller. But, unparalleled, worshipper, worshipped, etc.
➢ 9. Words ending in -y change -y into -i before all suffixes except -ous, only when the -y is preceded by a consonant: dry-dried (but, dryness) ; deny - denial ; hoary-hoariness ; gloomy-gloomier; gloominess ; beauty-beautiful (but, beauteous).
But, boy-boyhood, boyish; valley-valleys.
