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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

past tense forms of verbs ending in r

i am often confused about the past tense forms of verbs ending in r. when do i use single and double r?

for example, transferred, deferred, fathered, altered..
  

Top answer

I suppose it has something to do with their etymology. The words "transfer" and "defer" come from the Latin "transferre" and "deferre", respectively. I guess most, if not all, verbs that had a double 'r' in their Latin infinitive counterparts take on the additional 'r' when the past tense is formed.

— Ozzourti

  • I suppose it has something to do with their etymology.
  • The words "transfer" and "defer" come from the Latin "transferre" and "deferre", respectively.
  • I guess most, if not all, verbs that had a double 'r' in their Latin infinitive counterparts take on the additional 'r' when the past tense is formed.
  • If you are used to the British pronunciation of verbs ending in '-r', you should be able to tell when the 'r' needs to be doubled based on the length of the final vowel in spoken English.
  • The longer it is, the more likely the verb is to require an extra 'r' in the past tense form.
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1 Answers
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I suppose it has something to do with their etymology.

The words "transfer" and "defer" come from the Latin "transferre" and "deferre", respectively. I guess most, if not all, verbs that had a double 'r' in their Latin infinitive counterparts take on the additional 'r' when the past tense is formed. If you are used to the British pronunciation of verbs ending in '-r', you should be able t
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