The other day, one of my students said that she was still confused when it came to the pronunciation of the verb endings in their past form. We know that when we convert a regular verb from its present form to a past form, we add the suffix ed. The question though is, why we sometimes pronounce it as /әd/, while other times this ending sounds more like /d/ or even /t/. For example, the past form of the verb wait /weɪt/ is waited /ˈweɪ.təd/; by adding the suffix ed at the end, from a one-syllable word, we end up with a two-syllable one. But if we take the verb check, although its past form is still built by adding the same suffix ed, the suffix produces phoneme /t/ and checked is pronounced as /tʃekt/.
There are three ways to pronounce ending ed when it comes to verbs in the past tense: /әd/, /d/ and /t/. And while at first it might feel confusing and random, there are actually simple rules that will tell you which pronunciation of the ending is correct.
What is the verb’s present tense last phoneme?
Is it /t/ or /d/?
The first question you need to ask when you see a verb in the past tense is: Is the verb’s present tense last phoneme /t/ or/ d/? For example, the verb wait /weɪt/ ends on a /t/. The verb add /æd/ ends on a /d/, etc. If the answer is “yes” (like in the case of wait and add), we add a whole syllable in the past tense. That is, we pronounce the ed as /əd/.
It is important to note that this question is about the pronunciation of a regular verb in its present form, and not about spelling. For instance, the verbs rate /reɪt/ and decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ also end with phonemes /t/ and /d/, respectively, even though they are spelled with the letter e at the end. The past tense of rate /reɪt/ is rated /ˈreɪ.təd/, and the past tense of decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ is decided /dɪˈsaɪ.dəd/; both verbs end with /əd/ in their past forms.
If not /t/ or /d/, is it voiced or voiceless?
If, however, the verb in its present form does not end with phoneme /t/ or /d/, the next question we need to ask is: Does it end with a voiced or voiceless consonant? For example, the verb work ends with phoneme /k/, which is a voiceless consonant. On the other hand, the verb close ends with the voiced consonant /z/. Make sure to always refer to the sound (pronunciation), not the letter (spelling). Although verbs like close, manage, etc. are spelled with an e at the end, the e is not pronounced.
So, if the verb ends with a voiceless consonant (other than /t/), we pronounce the final ed as /t/. For example, work /wɝːk/ – worked /wɝːkt/. Make sure to not add a vowel between the /k/ and the /t/. Other examples are: dance /dæns/ – danced /dænst/ (the present form of dance ends with phoneme /s/; letter e is not pronounced), thank /θæŋk/ – thanked /θæŋkt/, fix /fɪks/ – fixed /fɪkst/, laugh /læf/ – laughed /læft/, etc.
If the verb ends on a voiced sound (other than /d/), we pronounce the final ed as /d/. For example, close /kloʊz/ – closed /kloʊzd/. Make sure not to add a vowel between the /z/ and the /d/. Other examples are: manage /ˈmæ.nɪdʒ/ – managed / ˈmæ.nɪdʒd/, change /tʃeɪndʒ/ – changed / tʃeɪndʒd/, improve /ɪmˈpruːv/ – improved / ɪmˈpruːvd/, assume /əˈsuːm/ – assumed /əˈsuːmd/, etc.
Summary
Does the present tense of the verb end with phonemes /t/ or /d/?
- Yes: the suffix ed in the past tense is pronounced as /əd/
- No: Is the final phoneme of the present tense of the verb voiceless or voiced?
- Voiceless: the suffix ed is pronounced as /t/
- Voiced: the suffix ed is pronounced as /d/
Examples
/əd/
| present tense | past tense | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| start | /ˈstɑːɹt/ | started | /ˈstɑːɹ.təd/ |
| add | /æd/ | added | /ˈæ.dəd/ |
| count | /kaʊnt/ | counted | /ˈkaʊn.təd/ |
| decode | /ˌdiːˈkoʊd/ | decoded | /ˌdiːˈkoʊ.dəd/ |
| expect | /ɪkˈspɛkt/ | expected | /ɪkˈspɛk.təd/ |
/t/
| present tense | past tense | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| watch | /wɑːtʃ/ | watched | /wɑːtʃt/ |
| guess | /ɡɛs/ | guessed | /ɡɛst/ |
| check | /tʃɛk/ | checked | /tʃɛkt/ |
| laugh | /læf/ | laughed | /læft/ |
| finish | /ˈfɪ.nɪʃ/ | finished | /ˈfɪ.nɪʃt/ |
/d/
| present tense | past tense | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| cause | /kɒːz/ | caused | /kɒːzd/ |
| save | /seɪv/ | saved | /seɪvd/ |
| explain | /ɪkˈspleɪn/ | explained | /ɪkˈspleɪnd/ |
| assume | /əˈsuːm/ | assumed | /əˈsuːmd/ |
| realize | /ˈrɪəlaɪz/ | realized | /ˈrɪəlaɪzd/ |
Practice sentences
Now is your turn. Underline each regular verb in the past tense in the sentences below and identify how to pronounce its ending.
I’ve backed up all of the data.
I started dancing when I was six years old.
He was enraged by the news.
Carlos majored in economics.
He expected her to know more.
I walked into the wrong room.
The questions on the quiz challenged me a lot.
She waited for him for an hour, but he didn’t show up.
They’re concerned about rising prices.
It’s my birthday, so Sara picked up the check.
I’ve already filled out the form and turned it in.
The teacher added the new lesson to the quiz.
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