The English language includes many irregular verbs that can prove frustrating for language learners. Although the sheer number of irregular verbs are quite confusing, regular verbs, when written, cause less confusion for learners. However, the pronunciation of the past tense can prove tricky for English language students. The regular endings for past tense verbs can be pronounced in three different ways. Once you learn the rules for the regular past tense, practice speaking and listening to make the pronunciation of these words a habit when communicating in English.

Learn the basic rules for the regular past tense verbs.
Regular past tense verbs ending in "ed" will not add an extra syllable to the end the word. Pronounce the last letter of the word without adding an extra syllable, but pronouncing a soft "d" sound. The letter "d" is pronounced as a soft d in words such as "robbed," "played," "canned," "loved" and "amazed."

Learn the pronunciation for the regular verbs with a "t" pronunciation at the end.
Words ending in consonants "f," "k," "p," "s," "x" and consonant combinations such as "ch," "sh," and "tch" appear to have an extra syllable when written in regular past tense. The past tense of words such as "talked," "mopped," "watched," and "cashed" may look as if they are pronounced with an extra syllable. These words remain as one syllable, but the final "d" sounds more like a voiced "t" than a "d."

Learn the "ted is ded" rule.
If a regular verb ends in the letters "t" or "d" you will pronounce the "ted" or "ded" in the past tense as an extra syllable. The words "started," "demanded," "awarded," and" "dated" carry this extra syllable at the end. The word "start" is one syllable while "started" is two syllables; "award" has two syllables while "awarded" has three.

Practice pronunciation online.
Look on the sites a4esl.org and Omniglot.com for links to English language learning sites and videos where you can see and hear native speakers pronouncing words in English.

Accent reduction courses will help you perfect your pronunciation.
Look for an accent reduction course in the ESL or EFL department of community colleges, adult education centers or private language schools.