Mastering the 'Funky -ed' Pattern in Irregular Verbs

Khan Academy

This video explores a specific pattern found within English irregular verbs, playfully dubbed "the funky -ed." While regular verbs form the past tense by adding "-ed," the narrator demonstrates how a significant group of irregular verbs instead shift to a "t" sound (and often spelling) to indicate the past. Using clear comparisons between regular verbs like "walked" and irregular ones like "slept," "kept," and "built," the lesson highlights the phonetic similarities despite the spelling differences. The video breaks down the concept into a clear visual chart, contrasting present and past tenses side-by-side. It lists common verbs that follow this pattern—such as sleep/slept, keep/kept, and leave/left—showing that even within irregularity, there are consistent rules students can learn. The narrator also playfully runs through a list of incorrect regular forms (like "sleeped" or "losed") to reinforce the correct irregular conjugations. For educators, this resource provides a targeted approach to teaching one of the most common irregular verb patterns. Rather than asking students to memorize verbs in isolation, it groups them by their phonetic behavior, making retention easier. It is particularly useful for helping students distinguish between the spelling of the past tense and the sound of the past tense, a common stumbling block in both writing and pronunciation.