What am I

1. I start with the letter E
I end with the letter E
I usually contain only one letter
Yet I am not the letter E!
What am I?


2. I am a common English word that is nine letters long.
Each time you remove a letter from me, I still remain an
English letter - from nine letters down to a single
letter. What am I to start with and what do I become each
time?



ANSWERS:
1. EnvelopE!
2. Startling->Starting->Staring->String->Sting->Sing->Sin->In->I