Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice podcast

March 22, 2025 Past tense of regular verbs AGAIN!

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In writing, regular English verbs add “ed” to the infinitive to show past tense. So hope becomes hoped, grab becomes grabbed, and wait becomes waited. Now close your eyes and listen to the ending sound of these three verbs.

Hoped, hoped, hoped.

Grabbed, grabbed, grabbed.

Waited, waited, waited.

The past tense of hope ends with a T sound.

The past tense of grab ends with a D sound.

The past tense of waited ends with an ‘ed’ sound.

There are rules which determine which verbs end with each sound. Basically it has to do with the final sounds of the infinitives. Let’s look at the first case. If a regular verb ends in a voiceless sound, then pronounce -ed as /t/.

Listen to the following sentences and concentrate on the final sound of the verbs. I’ll read each one five times.

1) I hoped she would come.

2) He locked the door.

3) I missed you!

4) He touched the baby’s nose.

5) She brushed her hair and left the house.

6) Our boss briefed us on the day’s schedule.

7) My sister mashed the potatoes.

8) We watched a movie.

9) I introduced my father to my new boss.

10) The balloon popped.

Many many common verbs end in voiceless sounds and so add /t/ for the past tense: look, cook, walk, talk, peek, fetch, hop, etc.

Now the second rule:

If a regular verb ends in a voiced sound, then pronounce -ed as /d/.

(All vowel sounds—including diphthongs--are voiced, plus b, g, l, m, n, r, w, and v).

11) We agreed that the movie was too long.

12) They carried the boxes to the truck.

13) He grabbed the rope and started pulling.

14) The bridge sagged under the weight of the train.

15) She hummed the melody of the song.

16) We listened to the orchestra.

17) He called me on the phone.

18) They remembered my name.

19) We sawed down the tree with a big chainsaw.

20) They lived in London for many years.

21) Mary played piano very well.

22) She showed us her apartment.

23) He raged at his captors.

24) The train slowed as it entered the station.

Finally, the third possible pronunciation.If the verb ends with “D” or “T” sounds, -ed is pronounced /uhd/.

25) I accepted his job offer.

26) We needed some help.

27) He waited for a long time.

28) The doctor wanted to test her blood.

29) We decided not to go on vacation.

30) I reported the fire to the fire department.

To conclude this podcast, I’m going to read a random list of regular verbs in the past tense. You can use it for ear training—see if you can hear the ending of each verb. Is it a T sound, a D sound, or UHD? You can try to repeat the words. You can try writing them down. The most important thing is to know that “ed” can be pronounced three different ways and to practice them so that they become automatic.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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