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English · Language and grammar
KS2 SATs 2022 — English GPS Paper 2: Spelling
A free preview from the Athena Learning Library — the same lesson registered students learn from.
In this lesson: Form plurals correctly and apply the doubling and drop-the-e rules when adding endings.
The idea
Most plurals are made by adding -s, but some endings need more care. If a word ends in s, x, ch or sh, add -es: box becomes boxes and watch becomes watches. If a word ends in a consonant followed by y, change the y to i and add -es: baby becomes babies and city becomes cities. If the letter before y is a vowel, just add -s: day becomes days and toy becomes toys.
Doubling matters when you add endings such as -ed, -ing or -er to short words. If a one-syllable word ends with one short vowel followed by one consonant, double the consonant: hop becomes hopped and hopping, and run becomes running. This keeps the vowel short.
Words ending in e work differently. Drop the e before -ing: make becomes making and hope becomes hoping. Compare hoping, from hope, with hopping, from hop. The extra p protects the short o sound, so the two spellings are not interchangeable.
Worked example
Write the plural of 'baby'.
- Baby ends in a consonant, b, followed by y.
- Change the y to i.
- Add -es: baby becomes babies.
Answer: babies
Watch out
- Writing babys instead of babies after a consonant and y.
- Mixing up hopping, with a double p, and hoping, from hope.
- Doubling a consonant after a long vowel sound, where it is not needed.
Quick check
Try these on your own first — then reveal each answer.
1. Write the plural of 'toy'.
2. Write the past tense of 'shop', adding -ed.
Practise this concept
Reading is the first step — the concept sticks when your child answers questions on it. Registered students practise graded questions for this lesson, with instant marking and worked explanations, and the lesson is marked complete in their progress.