Past tense -ed regular verbs
You learn to form the regular past tense of verbs by adding the suffix -ed.
How to write it
- To show an action happened in the past, add -ed to the regular base verb.
- Even if it sounds like /t/ or /ɪd/, write -ed.
A worked example
We ___ through the park on Saturday. (walk + ed)
- Take the base verb walk.
- Add -ed for the past tense: w-a-l-k-e-d.
- You spell walked.
More examples
He ___ high into the cool swimming pool. (jump + ed)
- Take jump.
- Even though jumped sounds like it ends in /t/, the past tense ending is always -ed: j-u-m-p-e-d.
The chef ___ dinner for all the guests. (cook + ed)
- Take cook.
- Add -ed: c-o-o-k-e-d.
- You spell cooked.
Try it yourself
past tense -ed
Tom ___ his brother tidy the bedroom.
past tense -ed
The frog ___ high off the green lily .
Watch out
Writing -t instead of -ed because of the sound (jumpt or walkt).
Ask: did this happen yesterday? If it is a past action, the regular ending is always -ed.
Tips
- -ed has three sounds: /t/ (jumped), /d/ (played), /ɪd/ (painted) — but only one spelling: -ed.
Why it works
In English, regular verbs show that an action happened in the past by adding -ed. Even though -ed sounds like /t/ in jumped or /d/ in played or /ɪd/ in wanted, it is always written -ed.