Past Simple: -ed pronunciation.

In the Simple Past, we add -ed to regular verbs. But the question is: How do we pronounce the -ed?

The answer is: In 3 ways – / id/ or / t/ or / d/

* note that it is the sound that is important, not the letter or spelling. For example, “fax” ends in the letter “x” but the sound /s/; “like” ends in the letter “e” but the sound /k/.

If the verb ends in one of these sounds:		example :	-ed:	-ed pronunciation:	Do you add an extra syllable?
1.	/t/	want	wanted	/ id/	yes, the -e changes to [ɪ]
	/d/	end	ended
2.	/p/	stop	stopped	/ t/	no, the -e is silent.
	/f/	laugh	laughed
	/s/	fax	faxed
	/ʃ/	wash	washed
	/ʧ/	watch	watched
	/k/	like	liked
3.	all other sounds	play	played	/ d/
		follow	followed
		rain	rained

NEVER pronounce /ed/!!! Whenever you see a word ending in –ed, visualize the “e” as crossed out, if you want to increase your chances of pronouncing it correctly!

Is it clear enough? What’s the final sound of the following verbs? Choose the right one here.

Do you need more practice? Choose the correct “ed” ending sound in these multiple choice exercises. Exercise 1 – Exercise 2 - Exercise 3 – Exercise 4 – Exercise 5- Exercise 6. Don’t worry if you don’t know the meaning of some verbs, focus on their pronunciation.

Final Exam – Practice what you have learned by choosing the correct pronunciation for multiple words written in a paragraph.

Now you are ready to practise some listening. Try this site or this one and, finally, this one combines present and past pronunciations.