Reference > Usage > American Heritage® Book of English Usage > 7. Pronunciation Challenges > § 71. -ed
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The American Heritage® Book of English Usage.
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English.  1996.

7. Pronunciation Challenges: Confusions and Controversy

§ 71. -ed


The suffix -ed, which is used to form the past tense and past participle of regular verbs, may be pronounced (t), (d), or (d) depending on the phonological environment. That is, -ed is always pronounced (t) after the consonant sounds p, f, s, ch, k; (d) after vowels and the consonant sounds b, m, n, v, l, z, j, r, g; and (d) after t and d. In a small group of adjectives including aged, alleged, beloved, blessed, cursed, dogged, and learned, -ed may also be pronounced (d) following consonants other than t and d. This distinction between the pronunciation of the adjective form and the pronunciation of the past tense or past participle form is not always strictly preserved, though. We say a learned (lûr´nd) professor but a beloved (b-ld or b-lvd´) spouse. There is some justification for retaining the pronunciation (d) since it does signal a subtle shift in meaning.    1


The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
 
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