Spelling: Suffixes and 'y'
When a word ends in y, adding a suffix will sometimes require that we change the y to an i or to an ie. How do you know when to change the y?
Look through the examples below and the rules that follow.
- tried (change y → i)
- trying (no change)
- tries (change y → ie)
- memories (change y → ie)
- memorial (change y → i)
- appliance (change y → i)
Rules
- The final y of a root word usually changes:
- if the suffix is −s, y becomes ie (try + −s → tries),
- otherwise y → i (try + −ed → tried).
- However, the final y does not change:
- if the suffix begins with an i (try + −ing → trying), or
- if the base form has a vowel before the y, (pray + −ed → prayed).
There are a handful of words that don’t follow these rules, and such exceptions need to be practised individually.
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