Final -ed: Avoiding Incorrect -ed Endings Do not add -ed to any verb form that immediately follows the word to. With -ed Gordon climbed the ladder. He looked in the window. Without -ed Gordon hurried to climb the ladder. He tried to look in the window. In the first set of two sentences above, climbed and looked are verbs. In the second set of sentences, to climb and to look are infinitives and therefore have no -ed endings. Application 9 Do not add -ed to the first verb that follows any auxiliary other than to be or to have. With -ed We sprayed for cockroaches today. We slowed down the invasion. Without -ed We should spray for cockroaches today. We might slow down the invasion. In the first set of two sentences above, sprayed and slowed are single-word verbs. In the second set of sentences, spray and slow are main verbs following an auxiliary other than to be or to have. Here is a list of the auxiliaries that must be followed by a base form: will, shall can, could would, should may, might, must do, does, did   Application 10 Application 11

CONTENTS MAIN PAGE 10.1 Pretest 10.2 Your Writing 10.3 Recognizing Final -ed 10.4 Simple Past Tense 10.5 Perfect Tenses 10.6 Passive Voices 10.7 Past Participles that Act as Modifiers 10.8 Avoiding Incorrect -ed Endings 10.9 Review & Practice Part 1 10.9 Review & Practice Part 2 10.10 Fun With Grammar 10.11 Return to Your Writing 10.12 Mastery Test