English Grammar Drills - Mark Lester 2009

Past tense
8 Basic Verb Forms
Part 2 Verb Phrases

There are two different types of past-tense forms: regular and irregular. The regular verbs form their past tense by adding -ed (or -d if the word already ends in e) to the base form.

The -(e)d ending has three different, but completely predictable pronunciations. If the base ends in either t or d, the -ed is pronounced as a separate syllable /ad/ rhyming with bud. Here are some examples:

-ed pronounced as separate syllable

fainted

goaded

kidded

mended

parted

raided

If the base ends in a voiceless consonant except for t, the -ed is pronounced /t/. The final voiceless consonants are usually spelled -p, -(c)k, -s, -sh, - (t)ch, -x, -f. and -gh (when pronounced /f/). Here are some examples:

-ed pronounced /t/

boxed

capped

clutched

coughed

kissed

packed

If the base ends in a vowel or voiced consonant except for d, the -ed is pronounced /d/. Here are some examples:

-ed pronounced /d/

annoyed

bored

called

fanned

grabbed

played

Exercise 8.5

Write the past-tense form of the following verbs in the appropriate column depending on the pronunciation.

Base /t/     /d/    /əd/

part           parted

1. define

2. wash

3. shout

4. range

5. own

6. test

7. grant

8. save

9. compare

10. approve

11. pick

12. extend

13. rule

14. tax

15. permit

The spelling of the regular past tense follows the normal spelling rules. If the base ends in a stressed syllable with a short vowel, a single final consonant will usually double, according to the normal spelling rules, for example:

Base    Past tense

hop    hopped

rob    robbed

rot    rotted

sin    sinned

If the base form ends in a consonant + -y, the y will change to i before the -ed ending. For example:

Base    Past tense

try    tried

supply    supplied

rely    relied

marry    married

justify    justified

If the base form ends in y that is part of a vowel sound spelling, keep the y and add -ed. For example:

Base    Past tense

annoy    annoyed

enjoy     enjoyed

obey     obeyed

play    played

employ    employed

Exercise 8.6

Write the past-tense form of the following base-form verbs.

Base   Past tense

imply    implied

1. show   ...

2. deny

3. drop

4. vary

5. occur

6. hope

7. permit

8. stay

9. apply

10. flow

11. slip

12. delay

13. star

14. enjoy

15. dry

Irregular past tenses

The irregular verbs preserve older ways of forming the past tense. In earlier forms of English, the irregular verbs fell into well-defined patterns. By modern times, however, the historical patterns had collapsed together so that today it is not practical to learn irregular verbs according to their historical patterns.