Here's how it works:
* Short Vowel: When a word ends in a short vowel followed by a single consonant, adding "-ing" often causes the vowel sound to become long.
Examples:
* sit (short i) --> sitting (long i)
* run (short u) --> running (long u)
* hop (short o) --> hopping (long o)
Why does this happen?
The "-ing" ending adds an extra syllable to the word, changing the stress pattern. This often makes the vowel sound longer.
However, there are some exceptions. Sometimes the vowel sound remains short, especially when the word is a verb with a regular past tense ending like "-ed."
Let me know if you have any other questions about English language rules!