2.2 The past (participle) endings
The English past tense morpheme has three shapes (or ‘allomorphs’): /ɪd/, /t/ and /d/. They are used as follows:
Shape 1
/ɪd/ after /t,d/, as in fitted, loaded;
Shape 2
/t/ after the fortis obstruents /p, k, f, θ, s, ʃ/, as in helped, knocked, stuffed, pronounced, leashed;
Shape 3
/d/ in other situations, i.e. after /b, g, v, ð, z, ʒ, m, n, ŋ, l, r/ and after all vowels, as in stabbed, bagged and in showed, tied, etc.
In irregular verbs these rules of course do not apply.
Note: –edly is always pronounced /ədli/ when the accent falls on the last syllable of adverbs:
| marked |
/mɑrkt/ |
markedly |
/ˈmɑrkədli/ |
| assured |
/əˈʃʊrd/ |
assuredly |
/əˈʃʊrədli/ |
But: good-humouredly /ˈgʊd ˈhjuːmərdli/.
