-ed and -s endings
Two small endings carry a lot of grammar in English: -ed for the past (walked, played, wanted) and -s for plurals and present verbs (cats, she works). Each has three pronunciations, and both are short sounds that are easy to miss in speech.
How to pronounce -ed: three sounds
- /t/ after voiceless sounds (p, k, f, s, sh, ch): walked, stopped, laughed, missed, washed, watched.
- /d/ after voiced sounds and vowels: played, called, opened, lived, cleaned, cried.
- /ɪd/, an extra syllable, after t and d: wanted, needed, started, decided, waited.
The -ed rule in one line
Only verbs that end in a t or d sound get an extra syllable (/ɪd/). For all the others, -ed adds no syllable: “walked” is one syllable, not “walk-ed”. Put your hand on your throat: if the last sound of the verb buzzes (voiced), -ed is /d/; if it doesn’t (voiceless), it is /t/.
How to pronounce -s: three sounds
- /s/ after voiceless sounds (p, t, k, f): cups, cats, books, laughs.
- /z/ after voiced sounds and vowels: dogs, bags, plays, trees.
- /ɪz/, an extra syllable, after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds: buses, roses, wishes, watches, pages.
What the -s does
- Plural nouns: one book, two books.
- Present-tense verbs after he, she or it: I work, she works.
- Possessives: the teacher’s desk, my parents’ house.
What learners miss most
The endings learners leave out most are the ones that add no syllable and run straight into the next word: “She work in a bank” for “She works in a bank”, “two cat” for “two cats”, “I walk home yesterday” for “I walked home yesterday”. The extra-syllable endings (/ɪd/, /ɪz/) are heard more easily.
How to catch the endings
- Use time words: “yesterday”, “last week” or “ago” mean the verb needs -ed.
- Use the subject: after “he”, “she” or “it” in the present, the verb needs -s; after “two”, “many” or “some”, the noun usually needs it too.
- Listen for the link: “walked out” often sounds like “walk tout”, “works in” like “work sin”. The ending has moved onto the next word.
- Check your writing before you send it: every past verb, every plural, every he/she/it verb.
Questions about -ed and -s endings
What are the three ways to pronounce -ed?
/t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced sounds (played), and /ɪd/ after t and d (wanted).
When is -ed pronounced as an extra syllable?
Only after verbs ending in a t or d sound: wanted, needed, started. Everywhere else, -ed adds no syllable.
How is the -s ending pronounced?
As /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced sounds (dogs), and /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch and j sounds (buses, watches).
Why do I miss these endings when I listen?
They are very short sounds at the end of a word, often joined to the next word, and many languages don’t mark the past or plurals this way. Your ear has to learn to expect them.