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How to Pronounce the -ED Ending Correctly in English

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Pronouncing the -ed ending correctly can be a challenge for many English learners. It’s a common mistake that can make your speech sound unnatural or even confusing to native speakers. In this article, we will provide you with some tips and tricks on how to pronounce the -ed ending correctly in English.

Understanding The Basics of -ED Ending

When it comes to pronouncing the -ED ending in English, it’s important to understand the basics. The -ED ending is used to indicate the past tense of regular verbs, and it can be pronounced in three different ways: /t/, /d/, or /ɪd/.

The pronunciation of the -ED ending depends on the final sound of the verb in its base form. If the verb ends in a voiceless sound, such as /p/, /k/, /f/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, or /θ/, the -ED ending is pronounced as /t/. For example, the past tense of “walk” is pronounced as “walked” with a /t/ sound.

If the verb ends in a voiced sound, such as /b/, /g/, /v/, /z/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/, or /ð/, the -ED ending is pronounced as /d/. For example, the past tense of “love” is pronounced as “loved” with a /d/ sound.

If the verb ends in a vowel or a voiced consonant sound, such as /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /l/, /r/, or /j/, the -ED ending is pronounced as /ɪd/. For example, the past tense of “visit” is pronounced as “visited” with an /ɪd/ sound.

It’s important to note that irregular verbs have different past tense forms and are not pronounced in the same way as regular verbs. For example, the past tense of “go” is “went” and the past tense of “eat” is “ate”.

By understanding the basics of the -ED ending and its pronunciation rules, we can improve our English speaking and avoid common pronunciation mistakes.

How to Pronounce -ED in English

The final -ed ending has three different pronunciations: /id//t/, and /d/

Final -ED is Pronounced /id/

Final -ed is pronounced /id/ after verbs ending in /t/ or /d/ sounds, examples:

  • add – added
  • lift – lifted
  • end -ended
  • rest – rested
  • defend – defended
  • wait – waited
  • pretend – pretended
  • want – wanted

Final -ED is Pronounced /t/

Final -ed is pronounced /t/ after verbs ending in voiceless sounds except /t/, examples:

  • /p/ – dropped, shaped, sipped, wrapped, hoped
  • /k/ – dropped, locked, marked, wrecked, liked
  • /f/ – coughed, laughed, photographed, puffed
  • /θ/ – bathed, toothed
  • /s/ – danced, placed, kissed, missed, faxed
  • /∫/ – brushed, flashed, rushed, wished, washed
  • /t∫/ – pinched, reached, touched, watched

Final -ED is Pronounced /t/

Final -ED is Pronounced /d/

Final -ed is pronounced /d/ after verbs ending in voiced sounds except /d/. Voiced sounds include vowel sounds:

  • /i: / – keyed, guaranteed
  • /I/ – pitied, envied, worried, carried
  • /ɑ:/ – barred, scarred
  • /ɜ:/ – preferred, referred,
  • /ə/ –  answered, bothered, gathered
  • /eI/ – stayed, delayed, played, weighed
  • /b/ – disturbed, robbed, grabbed
  • /g/ – begged, dragged
  • /m/ – aimed, seemed
  • /ð/ – clothed, bathed, mouthed
  • /z/ – dazed, pleased, caused
  • /l/ – called, killed, rolled, boiled, mailed

Final -ED is Pronounced /d/

How to Pronounce -ED in English | Images

How to Pronounce -ED in English

How to Pronounce -ED in English

How to Pronounce -ED in English

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Mispronunciation

One of the most common mistakes when pronouncing the -ED ending is mispronouncing it as a separate syllable. This often happens with regular verbs that end in a voiced consonant sound (such as /d/ or /g/), where the -ED ending is pronounced as /id/ instead of /d/. For example, the word “played” should be pronounced as “playd” (with a short /d/ sound), not “play-id”.

Another common mispronunciation is when the -ED ending is pronounced with the wrong vowel sound. This often happens with regular verbs that end in an unvoiced consonant sound (such as /t/ or /k/), where the -ED ending is pronounced as /ed/ instead of /t/ or /d/. For example, the word “worked” should be pronounced as “workt” (with a short /t/ sound), not “work-ed”.

To avoid these mispronunciations, we should practice pronouncing the -ED ending as a single syllable with the correct consonant or vowel sound, depending on the final sound of the verb.

Misplacement of Stress

Another common mistake when pronouncing the -ED ending is placing the stress on the wrong syllable. This often happens with irregular verbs, where the -ED ending is pronounced differently depending on the verb’s past form. For example, the word “learned” is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable (/lurnd/), while the word “burned” is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable (/burnt/).

To avoid misplacing the stress, we should pay attention to the past form of irregular verbs and practice pronouncing them correctly. We can also use stress marks or stress patterns in dictionaries to help us identify the correct stress placement.

Overall, by avoiding these common mistakes and practicing the correct pronunciation of the -ED ending, we can improve our English speaking skills and communicate more effectively.

Recap and Summary

In this article, we have covered the basics of how to pronounce the -ED ending correctly in English. We learned that there are three different ways to pronounce this ending: /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/. We also discussed the rules that determine which pronunciation to use in a given situation.

To recap, here are the three rules we covered:

  1. If the verb ends in an unvoiced sound (such as /p/, /k/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/), the -ED ending is pronounced as /t/. Examples: “hopped”, “asked”, “missed”.
  2. If the verb ends in a voiced sound (such as /b/, /g/, /z/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/), the -ED ending is pronounced as /d/. Examples: “grabbed”, “bagged”, “raised”.
  3. If the verb ends in the sounds /t/ or /d/, the -ED ending is pronounced as /ɪd/. Examples: “wanted”, “needed”, “decided”.

Remember that these rules apply to regular verbs in the past tense. Irregular verbs have their own unique past tense forms that must be memorized.

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Monday 22nd of March 2021

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Sunday 21st of March 2021

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Friday 20th of November 2020

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ALMY GRACE J VELASQUEZ

Saturday 13th of June 2020

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Aicha

Tuesday 19th of May 2020

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