We use an ‘ed’ at the end of words in English a lot. Can you think of some examples?
We use ‘ed’ to put regular verbs in the Past Simple and other tenses. This, in turn, means that we use it in Passive Voice and 2nd and 3rd Conditionals as well. We even use -ed to change some verbs into their adjective forms.
The point is that you are going to use the -ed ending a lot. It’s worth the effort to learn how to pronounce it correctly.
It takes practice to perfect your pronunciation. It may take some time. But don’t worry! If you learn these three rules, you will know the correct sound you need for each case. Then it’s just a matter of practice and reinforcement.
How to Pronounce the -ed Correctly
We pronounce the ‘ed’ at the end of words in three different ways, depending on the sound that comes before them. ED can sound like -tid, -did, -t, or -d.
Learn the three rules!
Rule 1.) If there is a T or a D before the ‘ed’, we pronounce it ‘id’.
started – star tid (Notice how the T or D goes with the ‘id’ sound.)
planted – plan tid
needed – nee did
ended – en did
Listen to the examples:
Rule 2.) If there is one of the following soft sounds before the ‘ed’, we pronounce it ‘t’, as in ‘tiger’.
stopped – VERB + t
walked
watched
washed
coughed
missed
Listen to the examples:
p
k
ch
sh
gh / f (example huffed)
ss / c (example danced)
Listen to the sounds in isolation:
Rule 3.) All the rest of the time, the ‘ed’ is pronounced ‘d’, as in ‘dog’.
loved – VERB + d
used
played
carried
learned
Listen to the examples:
Keep practicing!
Try the general quiz.
Try the verbs for camping quiz.
Try the verbs for cooking quiz.
Try the verbs for crime quiz.
Try the verbs for charts and graphs quiz.
Try the power verbs quiz.
