This article teaches past tense in English with a focus on adding "-ed" to the end of words in the English language.

1. Past Tense in English (And The Ending –ed)
While adjectives ending in '-ing' in English signify present tense, adjectives ending in '-ed' in
English signify past tense. This is known as past tense pronunciation and is incredibly common -
- you'll use -ed endings very frequently when speaking or writing English.
The ending -ed can be used as both past simple tense and past participle of all regular verbs.
When an emotion or action happened in the past, vs. an emotion or action that is happening
now, the ending -ed comes into play.
• Lament vs. lamented
-Ed endings can be pronounced in three ways:
• /ɪd/
• /t/
• /d/
Your English instructor can go over these pronunciations with you. They may seem confusing at
first, but can be memorized quite quickly.

2. Past tense pronunciation is often used to describe either an emotion or something that has already
happened. You will commonly find or use the preposition word 'was' in these scenarios,
preceding the adjective.
• I was very tired during school today.
• I was happy when my friend Susan arrived. She is fun to hang out with.
• After enjoying the party at Susan's house, I decided to head home.
-ing adjectives
On the contrary, adjectives ending in ‘-ing’ refer to the emotion or action that is happening.
• The horror movie that we're watching now is frightening.
• I have been listening to this band for hours. Their music is diverse and eclectic, and I
love it!
Many adjectives can have both an ‘-ed’ and an ‘-ing’ form, depending on the context and tense
they are being used in. Here are some examples:
• bored (past tense pronunciation, or used to describe an emotion) vs. boring (this class is
so boring!)

3. • traveled (past tense pronunciation, or used to describe a person - i.e. he is well-traveled)
vs. traveling (I am currently traveling)
• confused (I was confused before I read this article) vs. confusing (learning English is
very confusing!)
Thanks for reading! There are a number other style and pronunciation guides on our blog. Live
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