Pronunciation Spot

For many students the pronunciation of the -ed ending can be problematic. How do you know if you are supposed to pronounce the 'e' or not? Why do we say want-ed but not liv-ed? Do not fear, there is a general rule to follow;

The only time we pronounce the 'ed' ending is when it is preceded by the letter 't' or the letter 'd'.

So, for example, with verbs like visit, invite, decide, record and want you have to pronounce the 'ed' ending as an extra syllable. But with verbs such as travel, play, like and look, you must not. These endings are pronounced with either a 'd' sound or a 't' sound.

If the infinitive ends in one of the following sounds ('p', 'f', 's', 'k', 'sh', 'ch') the ending is pronounced 't'.

For example - wash (wosht), laugh (laft), like (laikt)

If the infinitive ends in any other sound the ending is pronounced 'd'.

For example - play (pleid), live (livd)

For pronunciation practice check out this website. Happy endings!