One ending, three sounds: the -ed ending

Objective & content

This Sound Check video (about 3 minutes 30) fixes one spelling with three sounds: the past-tense ending -ed. Freya (British) and Cody (American) give three rules. After a sound with no buzz in the throat, -ed is a quick t: worked, watched. After a buzzing sound or a vowel, it is a soft d: played, cleaned. After t or d, it is a whole extra syllable: wanted, needed. Students repeat the verbs and one sentence, I walked to school, then I played, then I waited. In the game they name the ending of helped, cleaned and started.

Pedagogical guide

Learners treat -ed as one sound. Speakers of French, Spanish and Italian often add a syllable, so worked becomes "work-ed". Speakers of German, Polish and Dutch do the opposite: their languages make a final sound hard, so played sounds like "playt", and wanted often loses its extra syllable. Teach the throat test: a hand on the throat feels the buzz in played and cleaned, and none in worked. Both hosts say the endings the same way. The game tests listening only.

Suggested procedure

1. Before (2 min). Write worked, played and wanted on the board. Do they rhyme?
2. Watch (5 min). Play the video once. Students repeat aloud when the hosts say "try it with us", "Say them with me" and "Now a sentence, with me".
3. Game (3 min). Play the game again. Pause after the host says "Listen..." and the verb, before the other host names the ending. The class answers: t, d or ihd?
4. After (3 min). In pairs, one student says watched, cleaned or needed. The partner says which ending: t, d or ihd.

Materials & prerequisites

• The video, a screen and sound for the whole class.
• The verbs are at about A2- level. Students must know the regular past tense.

Assessment & extensions

Say helped, started, cleaned, worked and wanted in random order. Students show one, two or three fingers: t, d or ihd.