Word Endings: Word Endings –ed & -d Updated July 2012 by Sarah Bowers

How is the Past Tense Formed? Past Tense of Regular Verbs – If a verb ends in a vowel, add “-d” Bake = bakedSmile = SmiledSkate = skated Blame = BlamedDecide = decidedParticipate = Participated – If a verb ends in a consonant, add “-ed” Look = Looked Guess = GuessedWatch = Watched Walk = WalkedDream = DreamedPlay = Played – If a regular verb ends in a single vowel and a single consonant (except x), double the consonant before you add -ed: beg = beggedclap = clapped fan = fanned hop = hopped jog = jogged pin = pinned

How is the Past Tense Formed? If the verb ends in a “y”, change y to i and add -ed: – apply = appliedcry = criedfry = fried hurry = hurriedmarry = marriedtry = tried Unfortunately, many verbs have irregular past tense forms, and will need to be memorized  – Do not add –d or –ed Become = BecameRun = Ran Do = DidSpeak = Spoke Keep = KeptBuy = Bought Give = GaveTeach = Taught

How are –ed or -d pronounced? Sounds like /t/ when verb ends in voiceless sound Slap = slapped, Fuss = fussed, Match = matched Sounds like /d/ when verbs ends in voiced sound Bag = bagged, Faze = fazed, Play = played Adds a syllable and sounds like / ə d/ or /id/ when verb ends in /d/ or /t/ Add = added, Wait = waited

Voiced consonants Voiceless consonant Sounds Sounds b p d t g k v f z s th th sz sh j ch l h m n ng r w y

Final Reminders Final –ed & -d has important grammatical meaning for listeners. Final –ed & -d must be pronounced. Final –ed & -d has three distinct pronunciations that are determined by the final sound of the neutral verb form.