Words Ending in -ed

The final ed forms the past tense of regular verbs (such as needed and worked) and of some adjectives (such as interested and tired). The ed can cause problems for some non-native speakers because it can be pronounced in three different ways: as /Id/, /d/, or /t/. Here are the three rules you need to know when pronouncing -ed.

Rule 1
 
If the last letter of the word is spelled with a d or a t, the ed is pronounced as /Id/
and as a separate syllable.
 
needed admitted attended decided
avoided separated visited waited
 
Rule 2
 
If the last letter of the word ends in a voiced consonant or a vowel sound, the e is
silent and d is pronounced as /d/. (Reminder: Voiced consonants are /b/, /d/, /g/,
/v/, /m/, /n/, / r/, /l/, /z/, /ʤ/, /y/, and /ð/.)
 
opened changed earned pulled
called closed loved showed
 
Rule 3
 
If the last letter of the word ends in a voiceless consonant, the e is silent and the
d is pronounced as /t/. (Reminder: Voiceless consonants are /p/, /t/, / k/, /f/, /s/,
/ʃ/, /tʃ/, and /θ/.)
 
passed helped laughed stopped
washed watched worked liked



 
 
 
Practicing the -ed Sounds

In the spaces provided, write the correct past tense sound of -ed in the following verbs.
(Is it /Id/, /d/, or /t/?)
1. admitted _______ 8. hugged _______
2. controlled _______ 9. liked _______
3. developed _______ 10. marched _______
4. dressed _______ 11. preferred _______
5. ended _______ 12. pretended _______
6. exploded _______ 13. pulled _______
7. finished _______ 14. robbed _______


Source: Mastering the American Accent