English Highway Podcast Pronunciation: /-ed/ ending (#0282) Learn how the /-ed/ ending sounds like a /d/, /t/, or /-ed/.

Transcription

1 English Highway Podcast Pronunciation: /-ed/ ending (#0282) Learn how the /-ed/ ending sounds like a /d/, /t/, or /-ed/. Announcer: You re about to listen to an audio lesson from OpenEnglish.com. Welcome. I m Andres Moreno, your coach for this audio lesson. How are you feeling today? I m feeling great. I m ready to help you master some new sounds of the English language. Today we re going to be talking about the pronunciation of verbs in the past tense. Most verbs in the past tense have an ed ending. For example, and fixed, they both end in the letters ed. The pronunciation of this ed ending isn t always the same. You have three different pronunciations. The ed ending can sound like a d as in the word, turned. Can you hear that d sound at the end? That s it. The ed ending can also sound like a t as in the word, walked. You wouldn t say, walk-ked. There s no d at the end. It s a t sound. That s it. Third and last, the ed ending can also sound like an ed as in the word, needed. You actually pronounce the e. That s it. So let s look at these three cases again. The ed ending can Page 1 of 5

2 sound like just a d without the e as in the word, turned. You don t say, turn-ned. The e is silent. In the second case, it can sound like a t. That s right. Again, you wouldn t say, walk-ked. You say, walked. sounds like a t. It The third case, the ed ending actually sounds like an ed. You pronounce the e and the d as in the word, needed. So repeat after me: That s it. I know it sounds complicated, but it s very common, and we re going to keep practicing until we get it perfect. So let s get started with some common verbs in the past tense that have a d sound at the end. The e is silent: Again, you don t want to say, turn-ned. You say: Here s a sentence. That s right. Let s keep practicing. Here s another example. Repeat after me: required Again, the e at the end is silent. You wouldn t say, required-ed. You say, required. required Page 2 of 5

3 Here s a sentence. Let me hear it: I am required to write a letter. I am required to write a letter. Okay, that s it. Here s a third example. burned burned That s it. You wouldn t say, burn-ned. You say, burned. Here s a sentence. Way to go. Now let s practice some common words in the past tense that have a t sound at the end. That s right. We wouldn t say, walk-ked with a d at the end. We say, with a t. That s it. Here s another example. dropped That s it. The ed ending sounds like a t : dropped Repeat after me. Come on, let me hear it: Page 3 of 5

4 That s it. Last example, repeat after me: stopped Again, the ed ending sounds like a t : stopped I stopped drinking alcohol. I stopped drinking alcohol. Way to go. Now, let s practice some common verbs in the past tense that actually have an ed sound at the end. You can hear the whole ed ending: Good job. You got it. Here s another example. That s it. You can really hear the ed ending: Last time, come on: That s it, last example. Listen carefully and repeat after me: Page 4 of 5

5 Listen to the ed ending: Here s an example. If the verb ends in a d or a t then you make the extra ed sound. Exited, wanted, all end in a d or t. That s how you know. You got it! You did great. This was a challenging session. The key to knowing when to make ed endings sound like a d a t or an extra ed is simply practice. From now on, every time you hear a verb in the past tense, pay close attention to its pronunciation. Until next time and remember, practice makes perfect! For additional practice, turn on your computer and go to OpenEnglish.com. At OpenEnglish, you ll find hundreds of interactive lessons and videos to help you perfect your English. Accelerate your English today. See you soon. Additional practice: Pronouncing the ed endings Words: turned walked needed required burned dropped stopped wanted exited Sentences: I am required to write a letter. I stopped drinking alcohol. Page 5 of 5