Pronunciation 5: Ending sounds.

Unit 1. Task 1 – Line graph

s-ending sounds

Theory

We use –s (or –es ) endings in 4 different ways.

 In plural nouns: All the eggs are in the basket.
 In verbs: He plays football every day.
 In possessives: Jimmy’s cellphone is ringing.
 In the contractions of is and has: She’s doing her homework.

Ways we can pronounce the s-ending sounds:

/z/
/iz/
/s/ voiced sound – produces a
sibilant – hissing / buzzing
voiceless sound vibration or humming sound
sound
in the throat
C - races P - sleeps B - crabs
S - buses K - books D - words
X - boxes T - hats G - bags
Z - prizes F - cliffs L - deals
SS - kisses PH - graphs M - dreams
CH - beaches TH - myths N - fans
GE - changes NG - sings
SH - dishes R - wears
V - gloves
Y - plays

Practice
Exercise 1.Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the verbs and nouns.
1. Let’s see who................... (finish) these........................... (exercise) first.
2. The bar..................... (close) when the last customer......................... (leave)
3. Don’t make......................... (promise) you can’t keep.
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4. Nobody...................... (use) a typewriter nowadays, do they?
5. My dad’s so tall that when he........................ (reach) his hand up he................... (touch) the
ceiling

Exercise 2. Complete the following paragraph with the provided phonetics.

IELTS SPEAKING PART 3
Do you agree that many people nowadays are under pressure to work longer hours and to
take fewer holidays?

Yes, many people are indeed under huge pressure nowadays to work longer hours and enjoy
fewer 1. ......................... /ˈhɑːlədeɪz/ mainly because most of them are struggling to keep up
with the soaring living expenses. Then, some people are under pressure to work extra 2.
................... /ˈaʊərs/ also because they are simply being “exploited” by their employers. Then,
there is another group of people who are under pressure to work longer hours because they
want to meet their additional demand for more comfort and 3. ...................... /ˈlʌkʃəries/ of 4.
.............. /laɪvz/.

Exercise 3. Listen fill in the blanks. (Track 1)

Example: Joyce is George’s daughter.
1. Joyce and Mike .................. Dennis .................
2. Tom ..................... Dennis ......................
3. James and Joyce ......................... Mr. and Mrs. Birch ....................
4. Dennis ....................... George ......................
5. Joyce ..................... Mike Jones ...........................

Exercise 4. Circle the words with the different pronunciation.

1. A. coughs B. sighs C. stops D. sleeps
2. A. signs B. profits C. becomes D. survives
3. A. walks B. steps C. shuts D. plays
4. A. wishes B. practices C. introduces D. leaves
5. A. grasses B. stretches C. comprises D. potatoes

Exercise 5.Put the following words in the correct columns according to the sound of the
plural / third person “s”
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closes lives things wants phrases boys damages cooks hates
paints loves sandwiches minutes girls faces products lessons messages

/s/ /z/ /iz/

ed-ending sounds

Theory

The pronunciation of –ed at the end of verbs depends on the last sound in the verb before
–ed is added. There are three possible pronunciations of -ed, and they are /ɪd/, /d/, and /t/.

/t/ /d/
/id/
voiceless sound voiced sound
T - wanted P - helped L - called
D - needed K - looked N - cleaned
SH - washed R - offered
CH - watched G - damaged
GH - laughed V - loved
TH - breathed S - used
SS - kissed W - followed
C - danced Y - enjoyed
X - fixed Z - amazed

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Practice
Exercise 1. Listen and circle the words you hear. (Track 2)
1. They play/played very well.

2. We clean/cleaned all the rooms.

3. We always cook/cooked a big meal for the whole family.

4. I need/ needed some help with the housework.

5. I listen/listened to the radio.

6. I want/wanted to have a word with you.

7. They arrive/arrived early in the morning.

8. I never miss/missed the lesson.

Exercise 2. Complete the sentences below based on the given words.

1. He usually.................. (finish) before the others.
2. We................. (talk) for hours and hours.
3. I................. (add) a bit of onion to the recipe.
4. She really.................. (enjoy) the music in the film.
5. A child................. (drown) in that river yesterday.

Exercise 3. Circle the words with the different pronunciation.

1. A. worked B. wanted C. stopped D. asked

2. A. opened B. knocked C. played D. occurred

3. A. talked B. watched C. lived D. stopped

4. A. covered B. installed C. described D. decorated

Exercise 4. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the words.
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a time you invited family or friends to have dinner at your home or restaurants.

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 Ok, so I’m going to talk about a time when I 1. ................ (invite) my friend to have
dinner at a famous pizza restaurant called JFPizza.
This friend of mine came to my city on a business trip and we wanted to catch up. I
2. ................. (reserve) the seats a day in advance since the restaurant was always fully
booked. We both arrived at 6 in the evening and were 3. ............. (lead) to our table, located
near the entrance of a big dining room, with tall trees planted around us and some layers of
the black net overhead to prevent leaves from falling into our food. I was told that there is a
glass roof above the trees to stop rain from coming in as well. A nice environment, polite
waiters and waitresses, everything was going great.
We 4. .............. (order) cheese, pizza, pasta, and some wine. I think the food here is a
blend of Italian and Japanese cuisine, which somehow appeals to consumers.
The portions were moderate, leaving us satisfied but not full.
We 5. ................ (talk) happily over the dinner, catching up on each other’s lives,
asking after our mutual friends. The night was great.

Exercise 5.Put the words provided in the according columns.

looked opened played stopped delighted placed wanted drained shouted
tripped screamed wasted laughed amazed pointed danced covered naked

/t/ /d/ /id/

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