How to Pronounce Past-Tense Verbs

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One of the mistakes I hear students make often is to mispronounce verbs in the past-tense. The construction of the past-tense is pretty simple; you just add -d or -ed to the end of a base verb. However, the pronunciation can be a little tricky because it changes depending on the base verb.

The three ways to pronounce -ed endings are as follows:


Pronunciation  #1 sounds like “t”

Asked.png

  • Rule: If the verb base ends in a voiceless sound, then the –ed ending sounds like “t”. (Voiceless sounds include: p, f, k, s, sh, ch, th)

  • Examples: asked, checked, liked, talked, touched

 


Pronunciation # 2 sounds like “d”

stayed.png

  • Rule: If the verb base ends in a voiced sound, then the –ed ending sounds like “d”. (Voiced sounds include: b, v, g, z, j, th, l, m, n, r)

  • Examples: stayed, entered, remembered, agreed, judged

 


Pronunciation # 3 sounds like “ed”

accepted.png

  • Rule: If the verb base ends in a “t” or “d” sound already, then the –ed ending sounds like “id”.

  • Examples: accepted, started, rested, rented, needed