BAST ENGLISH Free language learning resources.
© Samuel Haldane 2005-2006
BAST Home English Common Errors Grammar Summary Pronunciation Problem Areas Reference Verbmaster
Suffixation: Forms of Roots and Suffixes: -ed

This website uses symbols to transcribe phonemes (sounds). For an explanation of what these symbols represent, click here: vowels, consonants. The following special symbols are used:
ə Λ ā ē ī ō ū ű œ θ δ š ž č ĵ ŋ
If your browser cannot display any of these characters, you are advised to move to a browser which can, such as Internet Explorer 6.0.
Note: an apostrophe ' is placed before the accented vowel.

Standard weak verbs

Standard weak verbs add -ed to their root to form the simple past and the perfect/passive participle. The pronunciation of the root stays the same, though its spelling may change. If a silent e is already present, replace this with -ed. Final -y + -ed > -ied.

Simple non-past I walk I float I mince I pass I mine I try I worry
Simple past I walked I floated I minced I passed I mined I tried I worried
Perfect I have walked I have floated I have minced I have passed I have mined I have tried I have worried

The pronunciation of this -ed depends on the sound which precedes it. -ed has a syllabic in which the e is pronounced as a vowel, and a non-syllabic in which the e is silent.

Syllabic -ed is pronounced /id/ or /əd/ (see vowel reduction). Syllabic -ed occurs after a /d/ or a /t/. In practise, this means that it occurs after a root ending in the letters d or t (after removal of any silent e):
cheat /č'īt/ + -ed > cheated /č'ītid/ (No spelling change.)
net /n'et/ + -ed > netted /n'etid/ (Spelling change: final t is doubled.)
note /n'ōt/ + -ed > noted /n'ōtid/ (Spelling change: final silent e is replaced by that of -ed.)
raid /r'ēd/ + -ed > raided /r'ēdid/ (No spelling change.)
prod /pr'od/ + -ed > prodded /pr'odid/ (Spelling change: final d is doubled.)
fade /f'ēd/ + -ed > faded /f'ēdid/ (Spelling change: final silent e is replaced by that of -ed.)

Non-syllabic -ed occurs after any other sound. It is pronounced /d/ after voiced phonemes and /t/ after voiceless phonemes:

Roots ending with vowels (voiced): -ed is /d/

/ē/ /ī/ /ō/ /ū/ /ű/ /ai/ /ar/ /or/ /ēr/ /īr/
Simple non-past play
/pl'ē/		 free
/fr'ī/		 flow
/fl'ō/		 moo
/m'ū/		 spew
/sp'ű/		 try
/tr'ai/		 mar
/m'ar/		 bore
/b'or/		 care
/k'ēr/		 cheer
/čīr/
Simple past played
/pl'ēd/		 freed
/fr'īd/		 flowed
/fl'ōd/		 mooed
/m'ūd/		 spewed
/sp'űd/		 tried
/tr'aid/		 marred
/m'ard/		 bored
/b'ord/		 cared
/k'ērd/		 cheered
/čīrd/
Perfect/passive participle played
/pl'ēd/		 freed
/fr'īd/		 flowed
/fl'ōd/		 mooed
/m'ūd/		 spewed
/sp'űd/		 tried
/tr'aid/		 marred
/m'ard/		 bored
/b'ord/		 cared
/k'ērd/		 cheered
/čīrd/

Most speakers reduce the pronunciation of unstressed -ied from /īd/ to /id/ or /əd/, so that it sounds identical to syllabic -ed.

Roots ending with voiced consonants: -ed is /d/

/m/ /n/ /ŋ/ /b/ /g/ /v/ /δ/ /z/ /ž/ /ĵ/
Simple non-past skim
/sk'im/		 plan
/pl'an/		 bang
/b'aŋ/		 rob
/r'ob/		 beg
/b'eg/		 live
/l'iv/		 bathe
/b'ēδ/		 pose
/p'ōz/		 massage
/mas'āž/		 edge
/'eĵ/
Simple past skimmed
/sk'imd/		 planned
/pl'and/		 banged
/b'aŋd/		 robbed
/r'obd/		 begged
/b'egd/		 lived
/l'ivd/		 bathed
/b'ēδd/		 posed
/p'ōzd/		 massaged
/mas'āžd/		 edged
/'eĵd/
Perfect/passive participle skimmed
/sk'imd/		 planned
/pl'and/		 banged
/b'aŋd/		 robbed
/r'obd/		 begged
/b'egd/		 lived
/l'ivd/		 bathed
/b'ēδd/		 posed
/p'ōzd/		 massaged
/mas'āžd/		 edged
/'eĵd/

Roots ending with voiceless consonants: -ed is /t/

/p/ /k/ /f/ /θ/ /s/ /š/ /č/
Simple non-past trip
/tr'ip/		 smack
/sm'ak/		 sniff
/sn'if/		 Goth
/g'oθ/		 guess
/g'es/		 wash
/w'oš/		 itch
/'ič/
Simple past tripped
/tr'ipt/		 smacked
/sm'akt/		 sniffed
/sn'ift/		 Gothed
/g'oθt/		 guessed
/g'est/		 washed
/w'ošt/		 itched
/'ičt/
Perfect/passive participle tripped
/tr'ipt/		 smacked
/sm'akt/		 sniffed
/sn'ift/		 Gothed
/g'oθt/		 guessed
/g'est/		 washed
/w'ošt/		 itched
/'ičt/

A few very common verbs ending in ay /ē/ often have a shorter spelling in aid instead of ayed: lay /l'ē/ + -ed > laid /l'ēd/, pay /p'ē/ + -ed > paid /p'ēd/. But others have normal spelling: play:played, fray:frayed, stray:strayed. Note one irregular pronunciation: say /s'ē/ + -ed > said /s'ed/ (but in some dialects /s'ēd/ as expected).

Nouns

-ed can also be added to nouns (substantives and adjectives) to create adjectives meaning 'having a thing':
horn + -ed > horned 'having a horn or horns'
armour + -ed > armoured 'having armour'
edge + -ed > edged 'having an edge or edges'
green skin + -ed > green-skinned 'having green skin'

There is a small group of adjectives in -gged which break the usual rule by pronouncing -ed in its syllabic form though it follows /g/, which would usually require the non-syllabic form. This group includes ragged /r'agid/ 'dressed in rags' or 'made of rags', dogged 'tenacious' and -legged /l'egid/. The element -legged occurs compounded with numbers and similar meanings, as four-legged /f'orlegid/ 'having four legs', many-legged /m'enīl'egid/ 'having many legs'. The compounds long-legged /l'oŋlegd/ 'having long legs' and short-legged /š'ortlegd/ 'having short legs' are usually pronounced /legd/ according to the usual rule, as are verb forms such as sagged /ragd/ and flogged /flogd/.

Other types of verbs

Many verbs are not standard weak verbs. They do not take the standards suffix -ed: instead they form their simple past and their participle by other means. This is not an exhautive list of verb paradigms: I just mention a few here to help the student recognise them.

There are many verbs which take a weak past suffix like -d or -t, usually with a change in the root vowel:
Simple non-past leap
/l'īp/		 keep
/k'īp/		 weep
/w'īp/		 sleep
/sl'īp/		 feel
/f'īl/		 dream
/dr'īm/		 sell
/s'el/		 buy
/b'ai/		 bring
/br'iŋ/		 teach
/t'īč/		 can
/k'an/		 will
/w'il/
Simple past leaped
/l'ept/		 kept
/k'ept/		 wept
/w'ept/		 slept
/sl'ept/		 felt
/f'elt/		 dreamt
/dr'emt/		 sold
/s'ōld/		 bought
/b'oat/		 brought
/br'oat/		 taught
/t'oat/		 could
/k'ud/		 would
/w'ud/
Perfect/passive participle leaped
/l'ept/		 kept
/k'ept/		 wept
/w'ept/		 slept
/sl'ept/		 felt
/f'elt/		 dreamt
/dr'emt/		 sold
/s'ōld/		 bought
/b'oat/		 brought
/br'oat/		 taught
/t'oat/		 could
/k'ud/		 would
/w'ud/

In verbs with roots ending with d and t, this ending has often merged with the root and disappeared:
Simple non-past bleed
/bl'īd/		 speed
/sp'īd/		 feed
/f'īd/		 read
/r'īd/		 eat
/'īt/		 beat
/b'īt/		 cut
/k'Λt/		 let
/l'et/		 set
/s'et/		 hit
/h'it/		 hurt
/h'œrt/		 cost
/k'ost/		 fight
/f'ait/
Simple past bled
/bl'ed/		 sped
/sp'ed/		 fed
/f'ed/		 read
/r'ed/		 eat
/'ēt/		 beat
/b'īt/		 cut
/k'Λt/		 let
/l'et/		 set
/s'et/		 hit
/h'it/		 hurt
/h'œrt/		 cost
/k'ost/		 fought
/f'oat/
Perfect/passive participle bled
/bl'ed/		 sped
/sp'ed/		 fed
/f'ed/		 read
/r'ed/		 eat
/'ēt/		 beat
/b'īt/		 cut
/k'Λt/		 let
/l'et/		 set
/s'et/		 hit
/h'it/		 hurt
/h'œrt/		 cost
/k'ost/		 fought
/f'oat/

Strong verbs generally have no suffix in the simple past and add -en (after vowels -n) in the participle. The root vowel usually changes in both forms:
Simple non-past ride
/r'aid/		 write
/r'ait/		 fly
/fl'ai/		 break
/br'ēk/		 fall
/f'oal/
Simple past rode
/r'ōd/		 wrote
/r'ōt/		 flew
/fl'ū/		 broke
/br'ōk/		 fell
/f'el/
Perfect/passive participle ridden
/r'idən/		 written
/r'itən/		 flown
/fl'ōn/		 broken
/br'ōkən/		 fell
/f'el/

A few verbs have a weak simple past in -ed but a strong participle:
Simple non-past swell
/sw'el/
Simple past swelled
/sw'eld/
Perfect/passive participle swollen
/sw'ōlən/


1
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws