Consonant

Sounds of American English

Practice Activity: –s and –ed endings

v Three ways to pronounce –s endings:
/əz/ as in boxes, /s/ as in cats, or /z/ as in dogs

v Three ways to pronounce –ed endings:
/əd/ as in needed, /t/ as in missed, or /d/ as in played

v How do you pronounce the –s ending in these words?
1. keeps □ /əz/ □ /s/ □ /z/
2. builds □ /əz/ □ /s/ □ /z/
3. dances □ /əz/ □ /s/ □ /z/
4. eggs □ /əz/ □ /s/ □ /z/

v How do you pronounce the –ed ending in these words?
1. ended □ /əd/ □ /t/ □ /d/
2. judged □ /əd/ □ /t/ □ /d/
3. walked □ /əd/ □ /t/ □ /d/
4. enjoyed □ /əd/ □ /t/ □ /d/

v Practice reading this story. Circle the –s and –ed endings that you hear.

Mary is a college student. She knows that she needs to find a job after she graduates, but she
can’t decide what she wants to do. She’s always enjoyed singing, but her parents say that
music isn’t a practical career.
She’s studied math for many years, and her teachers have remarked that she’s very talented, so
that’s a possibility. When she was a child, she enjoyed pretending to be a teacher with her friends.
As she remembered how much fun she’d had when she played school, she made a decision.
She decided to become a math teacher and use music in her lessons.

v Write one word that fits in each box. Then say the words.

-s endings -ed endings

/əz/ /s/ /z/ /əd/ /t/ /d/