playing / not 'playying' [doubling the last letter of the verb play]

[eli7]

Greetings,

In family and friends book, it is written:
If a verb has all these 3 features: "one syllable, and ends in one consonant, and has one short vowel (like: clap/ tap)" we can double the last letter when it is written in the present continuous form. (clapping/ tapping)
My question is: what about the verb "play"?! It has all 3 characteristics mentioned above, but it is written "playing" and not playying.
What's the explanation?

 

[Chez]

There are two reasons:

the 'a' in 'played' is not a short vowel: the 'a' in 'cat' is a short 'a'.

'y' is not considered a consonant, but a vowel.

 

[joanvillafane]

Hi eli7 - first of all the vowel in "play" is not a short vowel. It's long a.
Also "y" functions as a semi-vowel in this word. It's not a true consonant.

 

[eli7]

Thanks a lot both

Vowels are (a/u/e/i/o). What are the long vowels?
Do you mean that the sound /æ/ is short and /eɪ/ is long?
what about the others?

 

[bennymix]

I don't think in English you will ever see a doubling of a final y*, in, for example,
moving to an 'ing' or 'ed' form. Hence: "ratted" but never "playyed" "buoyyed".

[*ADDED: either after a vowel, as in the present case, or after a consonant.]

Note this holds for 'w' as well. "towed", not "towwed."

As others stated, y and w are semivowels treated more like vowels in these cases.

Any vowel is called 'long', as we were taught, "if [in the example at hand] it says its name".
u long sounds like 'you'.

 

[joanvillafane]

eli - there are many resources online for finding out about vowels in English. Some of them are for children (we teach them here as a basic reading skill). You should try to find one with audio clips so you can hear them.

< Unapproved video link removed. Cagey, moderator. >

 

[Myridon]

Vowels are (a/u/e/i/o). What are the long vowels?

In the way that English is taught to American children, long vowel sounds are those that "say their name." There is a long and short version of a, e, i, o, and u.

 

[eli7]

Thanks a lot all
< Response to deleted comment removed. Cagey, moderator. >