Basically, each vowel (a,e,i,o,u) has two sounds,
in general terms:
(a) short vowel sound
mat (æ); let (e); sit (i); hot (o); cut (ʌ);
(b) long vowel sound (diphthong)
mate (ei) "a" + "e" sounds as the letter sound of "a"
site (ai) "i" + "e" sounds as the letter sound of "i"
Let's look at a simple example:
mate =====> mating
We have to drop the last "e" before we add "ing" to the verb "mate",
mat ======> matting
We have to add another "t" before we add "ing" to the verb "mat", so as to make it different from "mating".
The rule:
For any verb with a short vowel sound, the last consonant, if preceded by a single vowel, has to be doubled before adding the "ing" at the end of the verb.