Episode Details

If you are a new listener to this podcast, welcome! I'm Craig. This is Reza, and we are going to help you grow your grammar, vocalize your vocabulary and perfect your pronunciation.

With over 40 years of teaching between us, we'll help you improve your English and take it to the next level.

In this episode: The ‘-ed’ ending on past regular verbs

Listener Feedback: Anonymous (audio feedback) Hola. Mucho gusto estar normalmente en el aire.

We are the champions. We...Come on baby. Yes. Goodnight!

Franz Jhonny Jallasi

Hello Craig and Reza. I would like to ask something. How can I pronounce these words in the past tense?

to change, to follow, to play, to kidnap (secuestrar, raptar) , to murder, to peek (to look quickly - dar un vistazo, a peek=ojeada, vistazo - echar una ojeada or miradita)

"The baby was sleeping so we just peeked in the window."

"No peeking!" - ¡Sin mirar!

I live in Bolivia, La Paz Ive been working like (as) a locksmith and studing English for two years and a half (two and a half years)

I always follow you in your podcasts, I would like it very much if you never stop your grammar explanations.

Please go on with your help (it) is very kind of you.

Good bye and please continue with your podcasts.

Pronunciation – The ‘-ed’ endings on past regular verbs

The –ed ending is added to regular verbs in the simple past and the past participle.

It can be difficult to pronounce correctly, even at advanced level.

Luckily, there are some guidelines to help you pronounce this correctly.

There are three different ways to pronounce the –ed ending. However, the majority of endings have the 'e' as silent. It is not often pronounced.

Two words in which the 'e' is pronounced are 'started' and 'collided'.

If the final sound of the infinitive is a /t/ or a /d/ sound, the 'e' is pronounced. For example, want - wanTED. Need - neeDED.

1./t/ after voiceless sounds (you can identify a voiceless sound by putting your hand on your head or your throat and checking for vibration. If there’s no vibration, it’s a voiceless sound).

Examples of voiceless sounds are:

/p/ - play

/s/ - say

/th/ - three

/ch/ - chips

/h/ - hello

/sh/ - wash

Here are some verbs that end with the /t/ sound after a voiceless sound:

helped

boxed

asked

impressed

pushed

laughed

2./d/ after a voiced sound (voiced sounds can be identified by feeling vibration when you place your hand on your head or your throat).

Here are some examples:

/j/ - July

/d/ - dad

/g/ - give

/b/ - baby

/th/ - these

/n/ - nine

Here are some verbs that end with the /d/ sound after a voiced sound:

poured

explained

tried

robbed

required

stayed

3./Id/ after the sounds /d/ and /t/:

added

wanted

needed

ended

confided

inflated

acted

Listen and repeat the 3 groups with Reza and I.

Now choose the correct –ed sound for the words that Franz suggested:

to change - changed

to follow - followed

to peek - peek

to play - pleyed

to kidnap - kidnapped

to murder - murdered

try some more:

start - started

live - lived

watch - watched

kiss - kissed

visit - visited

laugh - laughed

end - ended

edit - edited

love - loved

park - parked

record - recorded

Thanks to Manuel, M