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Rules for –ed / –ied / –d / –t Endings in English

Learning English often presents challenges with endings that are not always clear how to use. One such challenge is the proper use of the –ed, –ied, –d, and –t endings in English, which play an important role in forming the past tense of verbs and adjectives. Mastering the correct usage of the -ed, -ied, -d, and -t endings in English can be a hurdle for many students. However, with an understanding of the basic rules and proper practice, you will be able to navigate these endings with ease and improve your English proficiency. Let’s examine each of them in detail. This article aims to provide a clear explanation and practical tips regarding the –ed, –ied, –d, and –t endings.

Basic rules of endings –ed / –ied / –d / –t in English

Let’s look at the general rules for adding the –ed, –ied, –d, and –t endings in English to understand when and how to use them.

The ending –ed is characteristic of regular verbs used in the Past Simple tense. The simple past tense is used to state a fact or describe a sequence of actions that occurred one after another in the past. The -ed ending is also found in past participles (Participle II), which are used to form the Present Perfect and Past Perfect tenses.
Examples of -ed ending:
- To walk – walked
- To play – played
- To talk – talked

Other endings used to form the Past Simple and Participle II include:

The -ied ending, which is used for verbs ending in -y after a consonant. For example, “to study” in the Past Simple and Participle II forms is “studied.”
Examples of -ied ending:
- To study – studied
- To enjoy – enjoyed
- To carry – carried
The -d ending, which is used for verbs ending in -e. For example, “to love” in the Past Simple and Participle II forms is “loved.”
Examples of -d ending:
- To love – loved
- To live – lived
- To believe – believed

These endings help form the past tense and past participle forms of different types of verbs, aiding in the expressive use of language and creating proper tenses.

The -t ending is also found in some irregular verbs in the Past Simple and Participle II forms. This ending is characteristic of some irregular verbs that do not follow the general rules for forming the past tense and past participle. For example, “to cut” in the Past Simple and Participle II forms is “cut.”
Examples of -t ending:
- To deal – dealt
- To sleep – slept
- To spend – spent

We also provide a table with general rules for adding the –ed, –ied, –d, and –t endings in English.

Ending	Rule	Examples
*-ed*	Forms verbs in the past tense and Participle forms.	to walk – walked, to be excited – was excited
*-ied*	Forms past tense verbs and Participle forms for verbs ending in -y after a consonant.	to study – studied, to carry – carried
-d	Forms past tense verbs and Participle forms for verbs ending in -e.	to love – loved, to live – lived
-t	Some irregular verbs form the past tense with the ending –t	to build – built, to feel – felt

The -ed Ending in English

The -ed ending in English is used to form the past tense of regular verbs and to create adjectives. Let’s examine it in more detail:

Simple Past Tense:
- Regular verbs in the past tense receive the -ed ending.
- For example: work → worked, clean → cleaned.
Rules for Adding -ed:
- If the verb ends in -e, we add only -d: love → loved.
- Double the final consonant before adding -ed if it is preceded by a short vowel: stop → stopped.
- If the verb ends in a consonant + -y, change -y to -i before adding -ed: study → studied.
Adjectives with the -ed Ending:
- Adjectives with -ed describe a person’s feelings or the effect on them: tired, bored, interested.
- They are often used after the verbs to be, feel, seem: She was interested in the book.
Example Sentences:
- I watched a movie last night. (Simple Past Tense)
- She is bored with the lecture. (Adjective)

The -ied Ending in English

The -ied ending in English is used to form the past tense and adjectives from verbs ending in -y with a preceding consonant. Let’s look at the main rules:

Simple Past Tense:
- If the verb ends in a consonant + -y, we change -y to -i before adding -ed: study → studied, cry → cried.
Adjectives with the -ied Ending:
- This is less common, but adjectives can be formed from some verbs by changing -y to -ied: satisfied, terrified.
Example Sentences:
- He studied hard for the exams. (Simple Past Tense)
- She was terrified by the noise. (Adjective)

The -d Ending in English

The -d ending in English is used in several cases, including:

Forming the Past Tense of Verbs Ending in -e:
- For regular verbs that already end in the letter -e, we add only -d to form the past tense.
- For example: love → loved, live → lived.
Contraction of ‘d for had and would:
- In English, ‘d can be a contraction of had (past perfect tense) or would (conditional mood).
- For example: They’d (they had) finished or She’d (she would) like to go.
Adjectives Derived from Verbs with the -ed Ending:
- Sometimes, when an adjective is derived from a verb ending in -e, we add only -d.
- For example: amused from amuse, excited from excite.

The -t Ending in English

The -t ending in English is often used in two main cases:

Forming the Past Tense for Some Irregular Verbs:
- Irregular verbs may have a past tense form ending in -t.
- For example: build → built, feel → felt, keep → kept.
Suffix for Forming Adjectives and Participles:
- Some words use -t to form adjectives or participles.
- For example: bent, spent, lost.

These are the most typical cases for using the -t ending in English.

Exceptions to the –ed / –ied / –d / –t Endings in English

There are some exceptions that may occur for the -ed, -ied, -d, and -t endings, which are important to know when learning grammar:

-ed:

Verbs ending in -c get -ked in the past tense to maintain the voiced pronunciation: panic → panicked.
Some verbs form the past tense without the -ed ending (irregular verbs). For example, go → went, have → had.
The -ed ending can be pronounced differently depending on the last consonant in the root word: as /t/ after voiceless consonants (kissed), as /d/ after voiced consonants and vowels (played), and as /ɪd/ after the consonants t and d (wanted).
Sometimes verbs with -ed can be used in combinations that have a specific meaning: hooked on, fired up.

-ied:

If the verb ends in -y after a vowel, we simply add -ed: play → played.
Some verbs may have a different ending depending on the meaning: lie → lied (regular verb), but lie → lay (irregular, meaning “to lie down”).

-d:

In some words, -ed is pronounced as a separate syllable -id: decide → decided.

-t:

Some irregular verbs use -t instead of -ed in the past tense: dream → dreamt (although dreamed is also correct).
In British English, some words may have the -t or -ed ending: burnt / burned, learnt / learned.

Exercise to Test Knowledge of Using the (-ed / -ied / -d / -t) Endings

Put the correct ending in the parentheses: (-ed / -ied / -d / -t)

They (stop) at the red light.
She (study) for her exams all night.
I (hope) you would come to the party.
We (paint) the walls blue last week.
He (admit) that he was wrong.
The cat (sit) on the mat quietly.
She (cry) when she heard the sad news.
They (fit) the new door yesterday.
I (hear) a strange noise last night.
She (play) basketball yesterday.

Answers:

They stopped at the red light.
She studied for her exams all night.
I hoped you would come to the party.
We painted the walls blue last week.
He admitted that he was wrong.
The cat sat on the mat quietly.
She cried when she heard the sad news.
They fitted the new door yesterday.
I heard a strange noise last night.
She played basketball yesterday.

Transform the words into the Simple Past tense (for some words, use the table of irregular verbs)

answer
carry
study
agree
act
meet
decide
visit
stop
plan
build
commit