Basics of spelling rules. 45 questions on consonant doubling before -ing/-ed/-er, dropping -e before vowel suffixes, y-to-i changes, and regular/irregular plurals.
What this test covers
- Consonant Doubling Before -ing/-ed/-er
- Dropping -e and y-to-i Spelling Changes
- Plurals: Regular -s/-es and Common Irregular Forms
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1The athlete is ___ fast to win the race.
Answer: D. running
We use 'running' with two 'n's. In short words like 'run', when you have one vowel followed by one consonant, you double the last letter before adding -ing.
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Q2She loves ___ in the ocean every summer.
Answer: B. swimming
The word 'swimming' needs two 'm's. Because 'swim' is a short word ending in one vowel and one consonant, we double the last letter.
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Q3The bus ___ at the station late last night.
Answer: D. stopped
The correct spelling is 'stopped'. For short words like 'stop', we double the last letter before adding -ed. 'Stoped' is a common mistake.
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Q4I am ___ a new job next month.
Answer: A. getting
We use 'getting' with two 't's. 'Get' is a short word ending in one vowel and one consonant, so we double the 't' before adding -ing.
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Q5My house is ___ than yours.
Answer: A. bigger
The correct spelling is 'bigger'. For short words ending in one vowel and one consonant, like 'big', we double the last letter before adding -er.
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Q6The cat is ___ on the mat.
Answer: B. sitting
We write 'sitting' with two 't's. In short words like 'sit', we double the final letter before adding -ing.
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Q7He is ___ his teacher to give the class more time.
Answer: A. begging
The correct spelling is 'begging'. Since 'beg' is a short word with one vowel and one consonant at the end, we double the 'g' before adding -ing.
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Q8She is ___ the floor today.
Answer: C. mopping
We use 'mopping' with two 'p's. We double the last letter for short words that end in one vowel and one consonant.
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Q9I need to ___ the package by tomorrow.
Answer: C. receive
In English, we usually put 'i' before 'e', but after the letter 'c', we put 'e' before 'i'. This is why 'receive' is correct.
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Q10Do you ___ in ghosts?
Answer: B. believe
The rule is 'i' before 'e', except after the letter 'c'. Since there is an 'l' here instead of a 'c', we write 'believe' with 'ie'.
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Q11Look up at the ___ in the room.
Answer: C. ceiling
The correct spelling is 'ceiling'. Remember the rule: 'e' comes before 'i' when the letter before them is 'c'.
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Q12Which sentence is correctly spelled?
Answer: A. He is eating lunch.
We use 'eating' with only one 't'. We do not double the consonant if there are two vowels (ea) before it.
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Q13The new shop is ___ at 9:00 AM today.
Answer: D. opening
The correct spelling is 'opening' with one 'n'. We only double the last letter if the end of the word is strong. In 'open', the first part is strong, so we don't double the 'n'.
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Q14He tried to ___ the tall tree.
Answer: B. climb
The word is 'climb'. The 'b' at the end is silent, meaning we write it but we do not say it.
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Q15He hurt his ___ while hammering.
Answer: B. thumb
The correct spelling is 'thumb'. It has a silent 'b' at the end, just like the word 'climb'.
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Q16I am ___ a photo of the beautiful sunset.
Answer: B. taking
The correct spelling is 'taking'. When a word ends in a silent 'e' (like 'take'), we remove the 'e' before adding -ing.
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Q17She ___ her dog very much.
Answer: C. loved
We use 'loved'. Since 'love' ends in a silent 'e', we just remove it and add -ed.
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Q18He is ___ a cake for dinner tonight.
Answer: D. making
The correct spelling is 'making'. We drop the silent 'e' at the end of 'make' before adding -ing.
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Q19I am ___ for a sunny day tomorrow.
Answer: C. hoping
We use 'hoping' (from the word 'hope'). We drop the silent 'e' before adding -ing. Note: 'hopping' with two 'p's is a different word from 'hop'.
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Q20She is ___ a story for the class.
Answer: D. writing
The correct spelling is 'writing'. We drop the silent 'e' from 'write' before adding -ing. 'Writeing' is a common mistake.
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Q21That is a ___ dress you are wearing.
Answer: C. lovely
The word is 'lovely'. When we add -ly to a word ending in 'e', we usually keep the 'e'.
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Q22It is ___ to rain later this afternoon.
Answer: C. likely
The correct spelling is 'likely'. We keep the 'e' from the word 'like' and then add -ly.
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Q23She sang the song ___.
Answer: B. happily
The correct spelling is 'happily'. When a word ends in a consonant + 'y' (like the 'p' in 'happy'), we change the 'y' to 'i' before adding -ly.
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Q24He finished the task ___.
Answer: B. easily
We use 'easily'. We change the 'y' at the end of 'easy' to an 'i' before adding -ly.
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Q25He ___ to fix the computer himself.
Answer: A. tries
The correct spelling is 'tries'. For words ending in a consonant + 'y' (like 'try'), we change 'y' to 'i' and add -es.
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Q26She ___ her heavy bag to school.
Answer: A. carried
We use 'carried'. When a word ends in a consonant + 'y' (like 'carry'), we change 'y' to 'i' before adding -ed.
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Q27Between the two sisters, Sarah is the ___ one.
Answer: D. happier
The correct word is 'happier'. To compare two people, we change the 'y' in 'happy' to an 'i' and add -er.
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Q28He arrived ___ than me.
Answer: A. earlier
The correct spelling is 'earlier'. We change the 'y' at the end of 'early' to an 'i' and add -er.
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Q29The child ___ with toys every day.
Answer: D. plays
The word is 'plays'. If there is a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) before the 'y', we just add 's' and do not change the 'y' to 'i'.
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Q30We ___ at a hotel during our trip.
Answer: D. stayed
The correct spelling is 'stayed'. Because 'stay' has a vowel (a) before the 'y', we keep the 'y' and just add -ed.
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Q31The chef used sharp ___ to cut the meat.
Answer: C. knives
The plural is 'knives'. Many words ending in -fe, like 'knife', change the 'f' to a 'v' and add -es.
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Q32The autumn ___ fell from the trees.
Answer: B. leaves
The plural of 'leaf' is 'leaves'. We change the 'f' to a 'v' and add -es.
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Q33We bought three ___ for the dining room.
Answer: B. tables
The correct plural is 'tables'. For most regular English words, we just add 's' to make them plural.
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Q34There are many ___ on the street.
Answer: B. buses
The plural is 'buses'. When a word ends in 's', we add -es to make it plural.
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Q35Wash the dirty ___ after dinner.
Answer: C. dishes
The plural is 'dishes'. For words ending in 'sh', we add -es to make them plural.
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Q36There are two ___ in this town.
Answer: D. churches
The correct plural is 'churches'. For words ending in 'ch', we add -es.
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Q37I have four ___ of clothes to move.
Answer: C. boxes
The plural is 'boxes'. For words ending in 'x', we add -es.
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Q38The ___ of the bees are very loud.
Answer: D. buzzes
The correct plural is 'buzzes'. For words ending in 'z', we add -es.
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Q39All the ___ are playing outside.
Answer: B. children
The plural of 'child' is 'children'. This is an irregular plural, so we don't use 's' or 'es'.
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Q40The ___ are working in the office.
Answer: A. men
The plural of 'man' is 'men'. It is an irregular plural where the vowel changes.
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Q41Which of the following is the correct version of the sentence: 'The womans are having a meeting'?
Answer: D. The women are having a meeting.
The plural of 'woman' is 'women'. Words like 'womans' or 'womanss' are never correct.
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Q42My ___ hurt after walking all day.
Answer: A. feet
The plural of 'foot' is 'feet'. This is an irregular plural word.
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Q43Brush your ___ every single morning.
Answer: A. teeth
The plural of 'tooth' is 'teeth'. We change the 'oo' to 'ee' for the plural form.
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Q44The cats chased the ___ away.
Answer: C. mice
The plural of 'mouse' is 'mice'. This is a special word that changes completely in the plural.
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Q45The ___ in the room were silent.
Answer: C. people
The plural of 'person' is 'people'. Instead of saying 'persons', we almost always use 'people'.
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