Pronunciation of "-ed" endings

Hello colleagues, I've introduced the past tense to the beginning level learners I'm currently teaching. (Note: I'm a firm believer in introducing the past tense early on so learners can talk about their past experiences.) I always start with the regular verbs that form the past by adding "-ed," e.g., worked, lived, started. Most instructional materials I've seen explain that there are three distinct pronunciations for the "-ed" ending, /t/ as in worked, /d/ as in lived and /ǝd/ as in started. Accordingly, I've taught these three distinctions for years.

The most common problem I've noticed in learners' pronunciation of "-ed" endings is adding an extra syllable to all words with "-ed" endings, so that worked is pronounced WORK-ED and lived is pronounced LIV-ED with two syllables instead of one.

Recently, I started to think that the most important aspect of pronouncing the "-ed" ending is for students to understand that they should only add an extra syllable for the "-ed" ending if a word ends in the letter T or D., e.g., start, need, etc.

With beginners, I decided not to worry about the distinction between the /t/ ending in worked and the /d/ ending in lived. Instead we focus on when --and especially when NOT-- to add an extra syllable. Part of my motivation is believing that adding an extra syllable when none is needed creates more problems with being understood.

I welcome members thoughts about this approach to teaching the pronunciation of "-ed" endings with beginners.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP

Comments

Hey Susan,

That approach is almost exactly what I do.  The /t/ vs. /d/ difference is difficult for them to hear at the beginning unless I overstress it, which results in some odd pronunciation problems that I have to go back and correct.  We just practice looking for the "t" or "d" at the end of the word to identify those that have the extra syllable.

Another thing I do early on is to introduce real texts (adapted for level), which inevitably include some of our most common irregular past tense (for example: was/were, went, had, said, took (as in, I took my children to school).  When these come up, I have a pocket chart and we add the past tense to the common verbs as they come up.  LIke a lot of ESL teachers in AEL, I don't have my own classroom, so I have to bring stuff in and out every class.  I've found pocket charts work well for continuity and converting the borrowed space into "our space" for the night.

Thanks for sharing!

Glenda

Susan,

I agree with your approach. It's best to teach lower-level ss the rule re: /Id/ regular past tense verb ending sounds because misapplying the rule to other verbs further contributes to ss syllable-timed production and leads to suprasegmental issues and listener strain. If ss fail to use the correct ending sound /t/ or /d/ on the other regular past tense verb ending sounds, it's an error at the phonemic level, doesn't impact rhythm, and often goes unnoticed in natural speech. 

With my ss, I create speaking tasks that naturally elicit the past tense. I then provide correction (focus on form) in suprasegmental features such as the /Id/ ending. If you'd like to see a sample lesson plan, please contact me at chatch@nvcc.edu. 

Cyn

Thanks Glenda and Cyn! I love the suggestion of using pocket charts. As you note, Glenda, these are especially useful if teachers have to share classroom space. I  am lucky to be able to add posters to the walls in my room, so I create a poster and draw a line down the middle. On one side we write words with no extra syllable and on the other side, words that need an extra syllable. We continue to add words to the poster as they come up in the materials we use in class.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP

Among Spanish speaking learners, especially, pronouncing ending consonant sounds is not natural since Spanish words usually end in vowels or "s." It takes practice, and if practice is fun, the deed is done.

When students place their hands under their chins along the throat (I mimic choking myself) , the distinction between voiced and unvoiced productions is readily felt. This can be a funny whole-class activity. Raise you hand if it's voiced. Repeat (different consonant sounds). Now for the /t/ and /d/ game. Voiced or unvoiced? Finally, repeat the verbs: work, laugh, fuss, ...Voiced or unvoiced ending? Listen and repeat the verbs: roam, argue, rain,... Voiced or unvoiced ending? OK. Listen to the verb. If it is a voiced ending, I want to hear everyone say /d/. If it is unvoiced, I want to hear /t/. Finally, look at the verbs on this chart/board. Let's say /t/ or /d/ when you see the "ed" at the end. Remember that you are not going to read the "ed" but say /t/ or /d/. Now, I'm going to call on pairs and then individuals. This short activity also helps a lot in pronouncing the "s" sound at the end of words as /z/ or /s/. Leecy