Is it correct to say: "Last year we had an exhibition that showcase how the town square has changed over the past fifty years."

Question

I heard a sentence as followed

Last year we had an exhibition that showcase how the town square has changed over the past fifty years.

Is it correct?

https://liuxue.koolearn.com/toefl/listen/619-2055-q0.html

around 47 second

the sound of / -d / (in particular / -t /) is quite weak.

I thought in the context the word ‘showcased’ should be used instead of ‘showcase’.

Some websites which show incorrect transcript distract me.

http://www.moguedu.com/toefl/info/2385/53.html

Are there any other better explanation?

Answer 1

The correct choice is "showcased" rather than "showcase".

• the transcript says "showcased".
• the woman says "showcased".
• the word expected by a fluent listener is "showcased".

It doesn't sound like any error was made.

During speaking, many syllables will not be emphasized. So, they pass by very quickly, almost inaudibly. It may depend on the listener expecting to hear something, and then the smallest indication of the sound is enough to confirm it.

Answer 2

The "ed" /t/ sound in "showcased" is actually elided. That is why you don't hear it. Why is it elided?

The "ed" /t/ sound here is commonly referred to as dropped t or silent t because the "ed" /t/ or t sound is a middle consonant sound between words.

Please look at the film at 1:08 around. You will find how the teacher utters "just thinking" without pronouncing t. If you need the detailed rules of dropped t/silent t, you can google them.