Past Tense of Ear: Eared or Ear? (Pronunciation & Usage)

What Is The Past Tense Of Ear?

“Ear” lies in the regular verb group whose conjugation follows the standard language rule. So we will employ “eared” in the past tense of ear (like breathe, glow, leaf and pet).

Bare infinitive	ear
Present participle	earring
Past participle	eared
Third person singular	ears

    

Pronunciation

The verb base “ear” has one syllable, so learners will find it easy to pronounce this verb. The table below shows you its correct transcription according to IPA:

Form of word	Pronunciation
	UK	US
V1: ear	/ɪə(r)/	/ɪr/
V2: eared	/ɪəd/	/ɪrd/
V3: eared	/ɪəd/	/ɪrd/

No matter UK or US voices, the verb “ear” pronunciation is quite similar. British accents tend to minimize the /r/ sound, while American ones are prone to highlight it. Here is a straightforward way to pronounce common US transcription /ɪr/ correctly.

Let’s divide /ɪr/ into /ɪ/ and /r/, then focus on each sound and blend them smoothly. With the/ɪ/ vowel, open your mouth and stretch your lips in a tense form. Raise your tongue but not touch the roof of your mouth. Push it to the front and lower the tip behind the bottom front teeth. 

Then, combine the /ɪ/ with the /r/ sound by a gliding movement. Round your lips and swirl back the tip of your tongue. Slowly lower the middle part while raising the ending part of your tongue. But remember to tense your tongue for the best result.

Besides, this verb base ends with the consonant “r”, so you must add the sound “d” at the end. 

Click here to check if you have pronounced it correctly.

Definition & How to use 

Following the official Cambridge dictionary, this verb has solely one meaning: listen carefully to someone.

Ex: To avoid persistent errors in tests, students should ear to lectures and take notes carefully.

Ex: I always ear with great attention to the story of everyone I meet.

When you refer to an event or situation that already happened and ended in the past, using the past tense of ear – “eared” is appropriate.

Ex: To grind the corn into flour exactly, he eared carefully to the chef’s instruction. 

Ex: John wished to pass the exam with a high score, so he eared to the lecture and practiced exercises relentlessly.

Ex: If the children eared to their parents’ advice, they would not fall into the mud.

Exercises 

1. I knew all the lyrics in Blackpink’s playlist since I … to their songs with high interest.

A. eared

B. watched

C. looked

D. smelled

The correct answer is A

2. If you … to his speech, you would recognize the error patterns in word usage.

A. earring

B. ears

C. ear

D. eared

The correct answer is D

FAQs

What Are The Synonyms And Antonyms Of Ear?

Synonyms

• heed
• mind
• care
• pay attention to
• notice
• consider

Antonyms

• disregard

What Is The Present Perfect Tense Of “Ear”?

For the present and past perfect tenses, this conjugation verb will be “have eared” and “had eared”. So remember to consider the verb tenses before applying them to avoid errors in verbs.