-ed ending: [t], [d] or [Id]? | Slow Practice
-ed ending: [t], [d] or [Id]?
A Quick Overview
Introduction
As previous lessons have already discussed, the -ed ending in English has three pronunciations:
[t]
[d]; or
[ɪd].
This change in sound results from whether or not the vocal cords vibrate to create the sound right before the -ed ending.
Example
When we say:
“kissed” [kɪst]
because there is no vibration in the vocal cords (“voiceless”) when saying the [s] consonant sound, it’s simply efficient for your vocal chords to continue to not vibrate and pronounce the -ed ending as a voiceless [t].
“kissed”
Similarly, when we say:
“buzzed” [bʌzd]
because the vocal cords vibrate (“voiced”) when we say the [z] consonant sound, the -ed ending will naturally continue to vibrate and sound like a [d].
“buzzed”
When there is a [t] or a [d] before the -ed ending, that -ed ending will be pronounced as an [Id].
Got it?
Let’s practice saying the past tense of verbs nice and slowly so that you can hear and master the three -ed ending sounds.
To test if a sound is vibrating in your vocal cords, just put your fingertips on the front of your throat and notice whether or not you feel the vibration when you say the sound.
Listen and Repeat
[t]
[k] “walked” [wɑkt]
[p] “helped” [hɛlpt]
[tʃ] “reached” [riytʃt] (pull your lips back for the [iy] vowel sound)
[d]
[l] “called” [kɑwld]
[v] “moved” [muwvd] (round your lips for the [uw] vowel sound)
[n] “happened” [hæpɪnd] (open your mouth for the [æ] vowel sound)
[Id]
[t] “wanted”
[d] “needed”
[d] “included”
Remember, it’s important to pronounce the last sound in words, including the 3 plural “s” and the 3rd person “s” sounds, because when you connect your speech in English, that last sound in the word should be heard nice and clearly at the beginning of the word that follows.
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