Spelling Rule -3 : Word ends with "y" Change the "y" to an "i" before adding "es"


Spelling Rule -3 āĻŦāĻžāύāĻžāύ āύāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻŽ ā§Š


Rule (āύāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻŽ)


When an action word ends with a consonant + y, change y → i and add -es to form


 the present tense (3rd person singular). āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āϕ⧋āύ⧋ verb consonant + yāϤ āĻļ⧇āώ āĻšāϝāĻŧ,


āϤ⧇āĻ¨ā§āϤ⧇ y → i āϕ⧰āĻŋ -es āϝ⧋āĻ— āϕ⧰āĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧ (present tenseāϤ)āĨ¤


Examples (āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ) : tidy → tidies, copy → copies, fry → fries, empty → empties, try → tries, carry → carries


Try Yourself – Answers


1. hurry → ? Ans: hurries
Explanation: consonant “r” + y → y → i + es . āĻŦā§āϝāĻžāĻ–ā§āϝāĻž: “r + y” → y → i āϕ⧰āĻŋ hurries


2. fly → ? Ans: flies
Explanation: consonant “l” + y → y → i + es . āĻŦā§āϝāĻžāĻ–ā§āϝāĻž: “l + y” → flies


3. worry → ? Ans: worries
Explanation: consonant “r” + y → y → i + es . āĻŦā§āϝāĻžāĻ–ā§āϝāĻž: “y → i” āϕ⧰āĻŋ worries


4. dry → ? Ans: dries
Explanation: consonant “r” + y → y → i + es . āĻŦā§āϝāĻžāĻ–ā§āϝāĻž: “dry → dries”


5. dirty → ? Ans: dirties


Note: This is an adjective, not a verb.
But if used as a verb:


Explanation: consonant + y → y → i + es . āĻŦā§āϝāĻžāĻ–ā§āϝāĻž: verb āĻšāĻŋāϚāĻžāĻĒ⧇ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āϕ⧰āĻŋāϞ⧇ dirties


6. apply → ? Ans: applies


Explanation: consonant “l” + y → y → i + es . āĻŦā§āϝāĻžāĻ–ā§āϝāĻž: “apply → applies”


Quick Tip (āĻĻā§ā§°ā§āϤ āϟāĻŋāĻĒāĻ›) : consonant + y → change y to i + es. (consonant + y → y → i āϕ⧰āĻŋ + es āϝ⧋āĻ— āϕ⧰āĻ•)