How to Write and Pronounce -ED Words in English: Rules for the Past Tense and Past Participle of Regular English Verbs
The -ED Suffix in English
A suffix is a bound morpheme—the smallest linguistic unit of a language with semantic meaning—that affixes to the end of a word to form
a new word or a new form of the same word. In English, the rule for adding -ed to words applies to the conjugation of regular verbs into both the simple past tense and the past participle. The following sections explain and exemplify the rules for how to pronounce -ed words in English as well as how to spell verbs with the -ed suffix in written English.
Pronouncing -ED Words in English
Teaching English language students to pronounce -ed words in English involves learning three simple pronunciation rules. First, if the last sound of the verb is [t]* (t, tt, te) or [d] (d, de), then the -ed suffix is pronounced as [әd] (ed). For example:
- Base – -ed Suffix – Pronunciation
- complete – completed – [kәmplitәd]
- impede – impeded – [Impidәd]
- need – needed – [nidәd]
- want – wanted – [wantәd]
Second, if the last sound of the verb is a voiceless consonant, then the -ed suffix is pronounced as a voiceless [t] (t). Voiceless consonants, which are also called unvoiced consonants, are produced by not vibrating the voice box in the throat. The eight voiceless consonants in English are [p] (p, pe), [k] (k, ck, ke), [s] (s, se, ce), [š] (sh), [f] (f, gh), [θ] (th), [h] (h), and [j] (y). For example:
- Base – -ed Suffix – Pronunciation
- ask – asked – [askt]
- envelop – enveloped – [ɛnvɛləpt]
- kiss – kissed – [kist]
- laugh – laughed – [laft]
- peep – peeped – [pipt]
- smash – smashed – [smašt]
Third, if the last sound of the verb is a voiced consonant or vowel, then the -ed suffix is pronounced as a voiced [d] (d). Voiced consonants are pronounced by vibrating the voice box in the throat. The thirteen voiced consonants in English are [m] (m, me), [n] (n, ne), [b] (b, be), [g] (g, ge), [v] (v, ve), [z] (z, ze), [č] (ch), [w] (w), [r] (r, re), [l] (l, ll, le), [ĵ] (j, dge), [ð] (th), and [ŋ] (ng). All English vowels are voiced. For example:
- Base – -ed Suffix – Pronunciation
- compare – compared – [[kəmperd]
- ding – dinged – [diŋd]
- name – named – [nemd]
- prescribe – prescribed – [priskraibd]
- seal – sealed – [siəld]
- watch – watched – [wačd]
*The letters in brackets are the sounds written in the International Phonetic Alphabet followed by some spellings of the sounds in written English.
Writing -ed Words in English
Teaching English language students the rule for adding -ed to words involves learning six spelling rules. First, if the verb ends with the letter e, then remove the final e and add the -ed suffix to the end of the verb. For example:
- Base – -ed Suffix
- agree – agreed
- deceive – deceived
- like – liked
- tie – tied
Second, if the verb ends with the letter y preceded by a consonant, then change the y to an i and add the -ed suffix to the end of the verb. For example:
- Base – -ed Suffix
- apply – applied
- deny – denied
- pry – pried
- study – studied
Third, if a verb with one syllable ends with a single consonant other than w or y preceded by a single vowel, then double the final consonant and add the -ed suffix to the end of the verb. For example:
- Base – -ed Suffix
- drop – dropped
- hug – hugged
- pat – patted
- rub – rubbed
Fourth, if a verb with two or more syllables in which the final syllable is stressed ends with a single consonant other than w or y preceded by a single vowel, then double the final consonant and add the -ed suffix to the end of the verb. For example:
- Base – -ed Suffix
- admit – admitted
- concur – concurred
- format – formatted
- prefer – preferred
Fifth, if the verb ends with the letter c, then add the letter k followed by the -ed suffix to the end of the verb. For example:
- Base – -ed Suffix
- frolic – frolicked
- mimic – mimicked
- panic – panicked
- picnic – picnicked
Sixth, for all other verbs, simply add the -ed suffix to the end of the verb. For example:
- Base – -ed Suffix
- cancel – canceled*
- need – needed
- play – played
- want – wanted
*Note that the final letter l is doubled in British English even if the stress is on the first syllable of the verb.
Learning how to spell and pronounce -ed words in English requires knowing the rules for adding the -ed suffix to English verbs, which is made easy with this guide about the rule for adding -ed to words. For more information about the English verb system, please read the article All about English Verb Conjugation at Bright Hub
References
- Kilby, David. 1984. Descriptive syntax and the English verb. Dover, New Hampshire: Croom Helm.
- International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA): http://www.omniglot.com/writing/ipa.htm
- Leech, Geoffrey N. 2004. Meaning and the English verb. Harlow, English: Pearson Longman.