-ed and -s Endings
Why worked ends in /t/, played in /d/ and wanted in /ɪd/, and the same three sounds for -s.
-ed කියන්නේ හැමවෙලේම "එඩ්" නෙවෙයි. Worked කියන්නේ "වර්ක්ට්", "වර්කෙඩ්" නෙවෙයි. අමතර අක්ෂරයක් (/ɪd/) එන්නේ වචනය t හෝ d වලින් ඉවර වෙනකොට විතරයි. -s එකත් එහෙමයි: buses (බසිස්), books (බුක්ස්), cars (කාස්).
The most common mistake is reading -ed as a full extra syllable on every verb: "work-ed", "ask-ed", "play-ed". That makes the past tense sound strange, and it also slows you down. Most of the time -ed is just one quick sound, with no new beat.
-ed: three sounds
| The word ends in | -ed sounds like | Beats | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| /t/ or /d/ | /ɪd/ | +1 | wanted, needed, started, decided |
| /p/ /k/ /f/ /s/ /ʃ/ /tʃ/ (no voice) | /t/ | same | stopped, worked, laughed, missed, washed, watched |
| any other sound | /d/ | same | played, called, lived, opened, cleaned |
Why? Try saying "want-t". You can't hear the second /t/, so English adds a vowel. After a quiet sound like /k/, a quiet /t/ is easiest. After a voiced sound like /l/ or a vowel, a voiced /d/ is easiest. You don't need to remember the rule: say the word, and your mouth picks the easy one.
-ed in sentences
- I worked /wɜːkt/ until ten last night./t/
- We played /pleɪd/ cricket on the grounds./d/
- She wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/ to go to Kandy./ɪd/
- The bus stopped /stɒpt/ near a big tree./t/
-s: three sounds
Plurals (books), he/she/it verbs (works) and 's (Amma's) all follow one rule:
| The word ends in | -s sounds like | Beats | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| /s/ /z/ /ʃ/ /tʃ/ /dʒ/ (hissing) | /ɪz/ | +1 | buses, roses, washes, watches, pages |
| /p/ /t/ /k/ /f/ /θ/ (no voice) | /s/ | same | books, cats, stops, months |
| any other sound | /z/ | same | cars, plays, dogs, Amma**'s** |
-s in sentences
- My brother works /wɜːks/ in Colombo./s/
- I bought three books /bʊks/./s/
- He fixes /ˈfɪksɪz/ cars /kɑːz/./z/
- The buses /ˈbʌsɪz/ are full./ɪz/
Grammar for these endings: the simple past, the simple present and singular and plural.
Quick check
Tap an answer. Nothing is saved.
The -ed in worked sounds like …
The -ed in needed sounds like …
The -ed in called sounds like …
The -es in watches sounds like …
How many beats are in stopped?
Finished this one? Tick it off. It is saved on this device only.