If you need a detailed description for American English, here's something I came across in some old notes of mine. It's got some exercises at the end too! The phonetic transcriptions aren't really anything standard, but I think you can figure them out.
Past tense of Regular Verbs
Phonetic Considerations
/xxxxx/ shows how the word is pronounced.
"xxxxx" shows how the word is written.
These guidelines do not apply to irregular verbs.
1. Verbs that end in /d/.
Add /id/.
/pad/ /padid/ ("pad","padded")
/land/ /landid/ ("land","landed")
/bOrd/ /bOrdid/ ("board","boarded")
/trAd/ /trAdid/ ("trade","traded")
2. Verbs that end in a consonant and /t/.
The final /t/ remains the same. Add /id/.
/akt/ /aktid/ ("act","acted")
/irupt/ /iruptid/ ("erupt","erupted")
/lift/ /liftid/ ("lift","lifted")
/twist/ /twistid/ ("twist","twisted")
The verb form "wanted" drops the /t/ in most everyday conversations.
"wanted" = /waunid/. Use /waunt'id/ only in careful speech.
3. Verbs that end in a vowel* and /.t/.
*This includes R-colored vowels.
Change the /.t/ to /d/ and add /id/.
/pa.t/ /padid/ ("pat","patted") Intervocallic "t" and "d"
/stAR.t/ /stARdid/ ("start","started") are neutralized!
/sE.t/ /sEdid/ ("seat","seated") That means "t between vowels"
/nO.t/ /nOdid/ ("note","noted") and "d between vowels"
/wA.t/ /wAdid/ ("wait","waited") are pronounced the same.
/.t/ represents an unreleased /t/.
Final "t" after "r" or after a vowel graph is normally unreleased.
If you need to be very precise, keep the /t/, for example, if you didn't understand a word, ask:
Did you say "seated" or "seeded"? ... "waded" or "waited"?
/sE-t'ed/ or /sE-ded/ /wA-ded/ or /wA-t'ed/
It would obviously do no good to ask "Did you say '/wAdid/' or '/wAdid/'?" !!!
But in normal conversation in the U.S. and in Canada, these /t/'s are pronounced as /d/'s. /sEdid/ = "seated" or "seeded"; /wAdid/ = "waded" or "waited".
4. Verbs that end in an unvoiced consonant other than /t/.
(That is, those that end in /p/,/k/,/f/,/s/,/Sh/, or /tSh/.)
Add /t/.
/hO.p/ /hOpt/ ("hope","hoped")
/bA.k/ /bAkt/ ("bake","baked")
/laf/ /laft/ ("laugh","laughed")
/lAs/ /lAst/ ("lace","laced")
/wauSh/ /wauSht/ ("wash","washed")
/latSh/ /latSht/ ("latch","latched")
Since /tSh/ = /Ch/, the last example could have been written phonetically as:
/laCh/ /laCht/
5. Verbs that have any other ending (voiced consonants other than 'd', or vowels).
Add /d/.
/nAm/ /nAmd/ ("name","named")
/nab/ /nabd/ ("nab","nabbed")
/shO/ /shOd/ ("show","showed")
/beg/ /begd/ ("beg","begged")
/rAn/ /rAnd/ ("rain","rained")
/dodZh/ /dodZhd/ ("dodge","dodged")
Since /dZh/ = /j/, the last example could have been written phonetically as:
/doj/ /dojd/
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Practice saying the base form (shown) and the past tense of these verbs.
Write out the phonetic form of at least 5 of each type.
Type 1. afford, add, fade, pad, kid, side, confide, card, board, weed, wend, blend, befriend, sand, attend, heed, aid, bread, hood
Type 2. act, twist, conduct, select, perfect, construct, elect, dust, toast, fast, evict, dent, vent, opt, adopt, rust, salt, bolt, tilt, predict, lift
Type 3. start, bait, state, sight, depart, court, assert, avert, create, plate, bleat, tote, coat, boot, loot, bat, fret, edit, inhibit
Type 4. rope, soap, cope, nap, trap, trip, skip, bake, rake, fake, poke, soak, lock, nick, ache, laugh, quaff, rough, cough, doff, roof, miss, place, trace, wish, fish, finish, polish, abolish, itch, reach, leach, cinch, enrich
Type 5. bathe, fan, yell, empty, try, cry, snow, flow, pardon, consider, pray, saw, prove, love, live, smile, mine, team, steam, scream, ding, file, fool, fill
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