2nd Grade The Drop-E Rule Worksheets

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Every print draws a fresh mix of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different sheet.

What's on each sheet

• Fix it. Put the pieces together and write the whole word on the line. 7 sentences to fix per page.
• Choose the word. Circle the letter of the correct spelling. 8 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Frame the e as polite: it does its job (making the vowel long), then steps aside when -ing or -ed arrives with a vowel of its own. Writing the base word, crossing out the e, and adding the ending makes the rule physical. Bakeing looks wrong quickly once a child has crossed out a few e's by hand.

Watch for: The e isn't deleted forever; it returns when the ending starts with a consonant: hopeful, careless. Bakeing and rideing are never correct; in words like these, the e yields to -ing.

Common questions about the drop-e rule

Why does the e disappear before -ing?

English avoids stacking two vowels awkwardly (bakeing), so the silent e bows out and lets the ending attach cleanly: baking. The word keeps its long vowel sound because the single consonant before -ing signals it. Kids accept the rule fastest by seeing how odd the kept-e spelling looks.

Does the e ever stay?

Yes, before endings that start with a consonant: hope keeps its e in hopeful, care keeps it in careless. The e only steps aside for vowel endings like -ing, -ed, and -er. That contrast comes up naturally once the basic rule is solid.

Related worksheets

• 3rd Grade The Drop-E Rule A step harder, same skill
• The Drop-E Rule, all grades The full progression
• All 2nd Grade worksheets Everything at this level