Useful Verbs for Dental Hygiene and the Pronunciation of Their Past Tense Form

1. Useful Verbs for Dental Hygiene and the Pronunciation of Their Past Tense Form

2. Past Tense Past Tense: In English, the most common way of making a verb past tense is to add the ‘ed’ ending. However, the ‘ed’ ending is not pronounced the same in all words. The ‘ed’ can have three different sounds. It can sound like a ‘d’ (which is the most common), it can sound like a ‘t’ or it can sound like ‘id.’ When you see the “speaker icon” you can click it for a short audio presentation, when you see a video image, click it to play the video.

3. Past Tense Download the list of verbs that goes with this exercise and make each of the words in the list past tense and then say it aloud. Write the correct ‘ed’ sound in the blank next to each word (better use a pencil in case you make a mistake). Now listen to the pronunciation of the words and check your answers (you may have to listen more than once).

4. Past Tense After you listen, check and see which ones you missed. Do you see any patterns? Is there anything that will help you predict which words have which sounds? Which sound was the most common (was it ‘d’)?

5. Past Tense – List 1 • Ask • Brush • Call • Change • Check • Clench • Close • Concern • Decay • Decide • Diagnose

6. Past Tense – List 1 • Ask [t] • Brush [t] • Call [d] • Change [d] • Check [t] • Clench [t] • Close [d] • Concern [d] • Decay [d] • Decide [id] • Diagnose [t]

7. Past Tense – List 2 • Enhance • Enjoy • Fix • Floss • Lift • Look • Observe • Open • Polish • Recede

8. Past Tense – List 2 • Enhance [t] • Enjoy [d] • Exam [d] • Fix [t] • Floss[t] • Lift[id] • Look[t] • Observe [d] • Open [d] • Polish[t] • Recede [id]

9. Past Tense – List 3 • Refer • Repair • Review • Rinse • Scare • Seat • Show • Skill • Smile

10. Past Tense – List 3 • Refer [d] • Repair [d] • Review [d] • Rinse [t] • Scare [d] • Seat[id] • Show [d] • Skill [d] • Smile [d]

11. Past Tense – List 4 • Soak • Sterilize • Swish • Treat • Turn • Use • Want • Wash • Work

12. Past Tense – List 4 • Soak[t] • Sterilize [d] • Swish[t] • Treat[id] • Turn [d] • Use [d] or [t] depending on usage • Want[id] • Wash[t] • Work[t]

13. Thanks I hope you found this little presentation helpful. I’m sure there will be more to come. If you have any comments or suggestions please contact me. Tom.secrest@yahoo.com