Level 5Educationgrammar

-ed endings: /t/ /d/ /ɪd/ — The Sounds Hidden at the End of Every Verb

Grammar: Pronunciation of -ed endings: /t/, /d/, /ɪd/

Free ESL grammar exercise on -ed endings: /t/ /d/ /ɪd/ themed around the sounds hidden at the end of every verb. Printable worksheet from classplan.ai.

What's on this worksheet

A Level 5 (advanced) ESL grammar exercise on education, practising pronunciation of -ed endings: /t/, /d/, /ɪd/. The worksheet has a short reading excerpt, a grammar reference and graded practice items.

From the reading

The -ed suffix produces three distinct phonemes. When a verb ends in a voiceless consonant, the suffix is pronounced as a clean /t/: jumped, looked. When a verb ends in a voiced consonant or any vowel, the suffix becomes /d/: called, played.

Grammar

-ed → /t/
After voiceless consonants (/p/, /k/, /f/, /s/, /ʃ/). Example: 'looked' = look + /t/. The /t/ is crisp and short.
-ed → /d/
After voiced consonants and vowel sounds. Example: 'called' = call + /d/. The /d/ vibrates slightly.

Sample items

  1. She ______ (walk) to the library every morning last year.
  2. The committee ______ (decide) to postpone the conference.
  3. He ______ (call) three times before anyone answered.

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