The final consonant in the word "hammering" is not doubled before adding the suffix because the base word does not end in consonant + vowel + consonant. The word "hammer" ends with a consonant followed by a vowel and then another consonant, but the stress itself plays a role in whether to double the final consonant. In this case, since the stress is on the first syllable "ham," and the base word ends with a vowel sound after the final consonant, there is no doubling of the final 'r'. Therefore, the correct explanation is that the base word does not meet the criteria for consonant doubling based on its structure and syllable stress.
In the word hammering, why is the final consonant not doubled before adding the suffix?
because the stress is on the first syllable of the base word hammer
because the suffix begins with a vowel
because the base word is x or w
because the base word does not end in consonant + vowel + consonant
1 answer