The following is a guide to the
correct spelling of words ending -ED.
Remember: Not all words that end in
-ED are verbs in the past tense. Sometimes they are Past
Participles or they could even be Adjectives ending in -ED. For now
we will mostly use verbs in the Past Tense as examples though
the same rules apply to all words ending in –ED
The general rule when changing a word (or verb) into its -ED
form is just to add -ED to the end of it.
|
Infinitive
|
ED form
|
|
to play
|
played
|
|
to wait
|
waited
|
|
to work
|
worked
|
|
to rain
|
rained
|
He played with his dog in the backyard.
I waited for them to invite me.
She worked until late last night.
It rained all day.
Spelling Exceptions
The following exceptions exist when spelling words ending in
ED:
1). If a word ends in an E we just add the D to the end.
|
Infinitive
|
ED form
|
|
to live
|
lived
|
|
to love
|
loved
|
|
to smile
|
smiled
|
|
to dance
|
danced
|
I lived in Japan for two years and
then moved to Thailand.
I loved the surprise you had for me.
He smiled when he saw his wife come through
the door.
They danced until their feet hurt.
2). If the word ends in a Consonant + Vowel + Consonant, we
double the final consonant and add ED.
|
Infinitive
|
ED form
|
|
to stop
|
stopped
|
|
to admit
|
admitted
|
|
to plan
|
planned
|
|
to refer
|
referred
|
|
to commit
|
committed
|
The policeman stopped the thief from escaping.
He admitted that he was wrong.
We planned a surprise birthday party for our
friend.
I referred the students to the website where
they could practice some more.
They committed a serious crime and will end
up in jail.
3). If a two-syllable verb ends in a Consonant + Vowel +
Consonant, we DO NOT double the final consonant when the stress is on
the FIRST syllable.
|
Infinitive
|
ED form
|
|
to happen
|
happened
|
|
to enter
|
entered
|
|
to offer
|
offered
|
|
to suffer
|
suffered
|
What happened?
I entered through the back door.
She was offered a new position with a higher
salary.
Many people are suffered from a lack of food
and water.
4). BUT, we DO NOT double the final consonant when the word
ends in W, X or Y or when the final syllable is not stressed.
|
Infinitive
|
ED form
|
|
to fix
|
fixed
|
|
to enjoy
|
enjoyed
|
|
to snow
|
snowed
|
He fixed his bike.
We enjoyed our time in the North of Chile.
It snowed yesterday.
5). If the verb ends in consonant + vowel + L, we normally
double the final L and add ED.
Note: In the United States (US) they DO NOT double the L when
the accent is on the first syllable.
|
Infinitive
|
ED form
(UK) |
ED form
(US) |
|
to travel
|
travelled
|
traveled
|
|
to marvel
|
marveled
|
marveled
|
I traveled around South America in 2012.
Her beauty marveled us.
0 Comments