Which suffix marks the past participle in English?

• A. -ed
• B. -ing
• C. -er
• D. -s

Answer: (A)

Past participles are the verb form used with have/has/had to form perfect tenses and with be to form the passive voice. For regular verbs, the past participle is formed by adding the suffix -ed, as in walked, talked, watched. This -ed ending is the standard marker for the participle in many common verbs. Keep in mind there are irregular verbs whose past participles don’t end in -ed—gone, eaten, been are examples—but the question is asking which suffix marks the past participle in general, and -ed is the typical marker. The suffix -ing, on the other hand, forms the present participle or gerund (walking, eating) and is used for progressive tenses or noun forms. The suffix -er usually creates agent nouns or adjectives (teacher, bigger) and isn’t a marker for the past participle. The suffix -s marks third-person singular present verbs or plural nouns, not participles.