---
title: Ascertain the correct procedure when the ending -ing is appended to… — Adding -ed and -ing: doubling and drop… · tree and pragmatics
description: Ascertain the correct procedure when the ending -ing is appended to a word terminating in a silent e. Exam question 1 of lesson 7 «Adding -ed and -ing: doubling and dropping e» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option;
---

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# Exam question 1 · Adding -ed and -ing: doubling and dropping e

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Ascertain the correct procedure when the ending -ing is appended to a word terminating in a silent e.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** you, word · **What happens:** ascertain, append, terminate · **To what, where:** correct procedure, ending ing, silent e.

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 1 of lesson 7 «Adding -ed and -ing: doubling and dropping e» of the English course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e/#e1).

## The question {#question}

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e:e1:1
# text = Ascertain the correct procedure when the ending -ing is appended to a word terminating in a silent e.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
3	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	amod	_	_
4	procedure	procedure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
5	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	11	advmod	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	ending	ending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
8	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	9	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	ing	ing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nsubj:pass	_	_
10	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux:pass	_	_
11	appended	append	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	1	advcl	_	_
12	to	to	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	_
15	terminating	terminate	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	14	acl	_	_
16	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
17	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
18	silent	silent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
19	e.	E.	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	15	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the correct procedure |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent procedure=Topic |
| 2 | **append** | present · passive |  | the ending ing |  |  |  | to a word | tree rules |
| 3 | **terminate** | gerund | a word *not said here* |  |  | a silent e. |  |  | vn stop-55.4-1 «NP.eventuality V»: agent=Eventuality |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The silent e is omitted before the ending is appended

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e:e1:o1:1
# text = The silent e is omitted before the ending is appended
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	silent	silent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	e	e	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	omitted	omit	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	ending	ending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	appended	append	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **omit** | present · passive |  | the silent e |  |  |  |  | vn exclude-107.3 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **append** | present · passive |  | the ending |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The silent e is doubled before the ending is appended

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e:e1:o2:1
# text = The silent e is doubled before the ending is appended
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	silent	silent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	e	e	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	doubled	double	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	before	before	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	ending	ending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
10	appended	append	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **double** | present · passive |  | the silent e |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP V NP.patient»: subject=Patient |
| 2 | **append** | present · passive |  | the ending |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The ending -ing is replaced by -eing

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e:e1:o3:1
# text = The ending -ing is replaced by -eing
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
2	ending	ending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	compound	_	_
3	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	ing	ing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj:pass	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	aux:pass	_	_
6	replaced	replace	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
7	by	by	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	eing	eing	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **replace** | present · passive | eing | the ending ing |  |  |  |  | vn substitute-13.6.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme subject=Co-Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The silent e is retained and the ending appended unaltered

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e:e1:o4:1
# text = The silent e is retained and the ending appended unaltered
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	silent	silent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	e	e	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj:pass	_	_
4	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	aux:pass	_	_
5	retained	retain	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
6	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	ending	ending	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
9	appended	append	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
10	unaltered	unaltered	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **retain** | present · passive |  | the silent e |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **append** | past | the ending |  |  |  |  | unaltered *property* | tree rules |

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**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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- ← previous: [Adding -ed and -ing: doubling and drop…, test 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e/t12/)
- next →: [Adding -ed and -ing: doubling and drop…, exam 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e/e2/)
- ↑ back to [Adding -ed and -ing: doubling and dropping e](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/7-adding-ed-and-ing-doubling-and-dropping-e/)