-ed Endings: Three Sounds, One Spelling (A2/B1)
๐ From the classroom: My Bengali students in Brittany pronounced ‘worked’ as ‘work-ED’, adding a full syllable. My Korean student said ‘wok’. My French student said ‘workt’. All three had learned the same spelling. None had learned the three different sounds. This is the lesson that fixed it.
๐ก The Idea
The -ed ending in Past Simple has THREE sounds: /t/, /d/, or /ษชd/ (an extra syllable). The rule depends on the final sound of the base verb. No extra syllable for /t/ and /d/ โ they blend in. Only /ษชd/ adds a syllable โ and only after /t/ or /d/.
๐ฃ Example
/t/ after voiceless sounds: looked, worked, stopped, kissed, watched, laughed
/d/ after voiced sounds: lived, learned, called, travelled, played, opened
/ษชd/ ONLY after t or d (adds syllable): wanted, needed, started, ended, visited
๐ฏ Try It Now!
Sort these verbs into three columns:
helped ยท loved ยท visited ยท missed ยท planned ยท waited ยท fixed ยท moved ยท decided ยท asked ยท opened ยท lasted
| /t/ | /d/ | /ษชd/ (extra syllable) |
|---|
โ Check Your Answers
โ /t/: helped, missed, fixed, asked | /d/: loved, planned, moved, opened | /ษชd/: visited, waited, decided, lasted. Tip: say the base verb out loud โ can you feel if it ends in a voiced or voiceless sound? Your throat vibrates for voiced sounds.
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