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Regular verbs make their past tense by adding - d, - ed,
or (if the verb ends in a consonant + y), changing the y
to i and then adding - ed.
Examples:
| Add -d: |
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baked, cared, eased, filed, greased,
hated, liked, piled, raced, seized,
smiled, typed, wheezed, whined |
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Change y
to i and
add -ed: |
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apply / applied;
bury / buried;
cry / cried;
fry / fried;
hurry / hurried;
marry / married;
pry / pried;
spy / spied
try / tried
vary / varied
worry / worried |
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| Add -ed: |
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other regular verbs:
asked, belonged, clapped,
dialed, filled, guessed,
hopped, looked, marked,
needed, pulled, reached,
started, touched, viewed,
washed, yelled, zipped
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Special Notes:
| 1. |
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Add only - d if a regular verb ends in one or more
vowels, a single consonant (except x), and e. See
the examples above. |
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| 2. |
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If a regular verb ends in a single vowel and a single
consonant (except x), double the consonant before
you add -ed:
beg / begged; clap / clapped; fan / fanned;
hop / hopped; jog / jogged; mar / marred;
pin / pinned; rip / ripped; slam / slammed;
tan / tanned; whip / whipped; zip / zipped
Compare these verbs:
hop / hopped and hope / hoped;
pin / pinned and pine / pined
file / filed and fill / filled;
like / liked and lick / licked
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| 3. |
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If a regular verb has two or more syllables, if the
verb ends in l or r, and if the last syllable is stressed,
double the l or r before you add -ed:
compél / compelled;
confér / conferred;
contról / controlled;
defér / deferred;
fulfíl / fulfilled;
prefér / preferred;
propél / propelled
If a regular verb has two or more syllables, if the
verb ends in l or r, and if the last syllable is not
stressed, do not double the l or r, before you add -ed:
cáncel / canceled;
hónor / honored;
súffer / suffered;
trável / traveled
Note that British spelling does not use this rule.
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| 4. |
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If a regular verb ends in a consonant and y (or if
the final syllable of a regular verb ends in this way),
change the y to i and then add -ed:
apply / applied; bury / buried; cry / cried;
copy / copied; defy / defied; fry / fried;
falsify / falsified; hurry / hurried; modify / modified;
pity / pitied; qualify / qualified; reply / replied;
spy / spied; supply / supplied; try / tried
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| 5. |
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If a regular verb ends in a vowel and y (or if the
final syllable of a regular verb ends in this way),
do not change the y to i and then add -ed:
annoy / annoyed; dismay / dismayed; enjoy / enjoyed;
obey / obeyed; play / played; stay / stayed
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| 6. |
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If a regular verb ends in x, add only - ed. Do not
double the x:
box / boxed; fax / faxed; mix / mixed; tax / taxed
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| 7. |
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Regular verbs ending in other spelling patterns usually
add -ed. |
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