Learn to Pronounce Past Tense -ed with Taylor Swift
2022-06-10
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1The English alphabet has only 26 letters, but there are over 44 sounds!
2This can be a problem for English learners.
3Today on Everyday Grammar, we will learn about the past tense ending -ed for regular verbs.
4We will learn that it is pronounced differently depending on the letters it follows.
5The suffix -ed is used to form the regular past tense of a verb or as a past participle ending.
6We use the past tense to talk about things happening before the present or about completed action.
7For example:
8I listened to music this morning at the gym.
9I helped my neighbor water her garden.
10I waited all day for my brother to call me.
11These are all examples of the simple past tense of regular verbs.
12Did you notice any difference? Listen again to the way that each verb is pronounced.
13Listened
14Helped
15Waited
16The -ed ending of all three verbs sounds different.
17"Listened" has a /d/ sound at the end.
18"Helped" has a /t/ sound at the end.
19And "waited" has an /Id/ sound.
20When we speak, air causes the vocal cords to move, producing sound.
21That sound can be changed using parts of our mouth and tongue to produce words.
22If we produce a sound with our vocal cords, we create a vibration that we can feel.
23Place your hand on your throat while speaking to feel the vibration.
24These sounds are call voiced sounds.
25Voiced sounds include all vowels.
26In addition, the consonants /b/, /g/, /d/, /v/, and /z/ are voiced.
27So are /m/, /n/, /l/, /r/, /y/, /j/, and voiced /th/ sound, as in the word "the."
28For example, the verbs "roam," "believe," and "enjoy" end in voiced sounds.
29Voiceless sounds do not use the vocal cords to produce the sound.
30So, you will not feel a vibration when you say them.
31Voiceless consonants include /p/, /k/, /t/, /s/, /f/, /sh/ /ch/, and voiceless /th/ like in the word "teeth."
32Verbs that have voiceless sounds at the end include "watch," "help," and "laugh."
33We have three rules in English to help decide how to pronounce -ed endings for regular past tense verbs.
341. If the last letter of the regular verb ends in a voiced consonant or a vowel sound, pronounce the -ed ending as just /d/.
35For example:
36"Roam" ... "Roamed" (/d/)
37"Believe".... "Believed" (/d/)
38"Enjoy" ... "Enjoyed" (/d/)
392. If the last letter of the regular verb ends in a voiceless consonant, pronounce the -ed ending as just /t/.
40For example:
41"Watch" ..."Watched" (/t/)
42"Help" ... "Helped" (/t/)
43"Laugh" ..."Laughed" (/t/)
443. Finally, if the regular verb ends in either a "t" sound or a "d" sound, pronounce the -ed ending as /Id/ which creates a separate syllable at the end of the verb.
45For example:
46"Need" ..."Needed" (/Id/)
47"Want" ..."Wanted" (/Id/)
48"Decide" ..."Decided" (/Id/)
49Let us look at these rules in action with an example from a song by Taylor Swift called "Cardigan."
50Try to hear the different ways Taylor pronounces the verbs with -ed as she sings!
51To kiss in cars and downtown bars
52Was all we needed
53You drew stars around my scars
54But now I'm bleedin'
55'Cause I knew you
56Steppin' on the last train
57Marked me like a bloodstain, I
58I knew you
59Tried to change the ending
60Peter losing Wendy, I...
61The first past tense verb is "needed."
62We can hear that "needed" has an /Id/ sound at the end.
63That is because the verb "need" ends in a /d/ sound.
64The next verb is "marked."
65"Mark" ends in the voiceless consonant /k/.
66So the voiceless -ed ending /t/ is used.
67Lastly, we have "tried."
68The verb "try" ends in a vowel sound /ai/.
69All vowels are voiced, so use the voiced sound /d/ as our -ed ending.
70Today we learned that the pronunciation of the -ed ending for regular verbs in the past tense changes.
71The correct pronunciation depends on the ending of the root verb.
72Different pronunciations are used if the root verb ends in a voiced sound, a voiceless consonant, or a /t/ or /d/ sound.
73Here is a list of regular verbs. Can you guess how they are pronounced in the past tense?
74Mix
75Play
76Repeat
77Cook
78Gather
79And finally, listen to your favorite songs in English.
80If the song is in the past tense, can you hear which sounds are used for the regular past tense?
81Is it a /d/ sound, a /t/ sound, or an /Id/ sound?
82You can share your written exercise in the comments below, but also try to say the sounds aloud!
83I'm Faith Pirlo.
1The English alphabet has only 26 letters, but there are over 44 sounds! This can be a problem for English learners. 2Today on Everyday Grammar, we will learn about the past tense ending -ed for regular verbs. We will learn that it is pronounced differently depending on the letters it follows. 3The suffix -ed is used to form the regular past tense of a verb or as a past participle ending. We use the past tense to talk about things happening before the present or about completed action. 4For example: 5I listened to music this morning at the gym. 6I helped my neighbor water her garden. 7I waited all day for my brother to call me. 8These are all examples of the simple past tense of regular verbs. Did you notice any difference? Listen again to the way that each verb is pronounced. 9Listened 10Helped 11Waited 12The -ed ending of all three verbs sounds different. "Listened" has a /d/ sound at the end. "Helped" has a /t/ sound at the end. And "waited" has an /Id/ sound. 13Voiced and voiceless sounds 14When we speak, air causes the vocal cords to move, producing sound. That sound can be changed using parts of our mouth and tongue to produce words. 15If we produce a sound with our vocal cords, we create a vibration that we can feel. Place your hand on your throat while speaking to feel the vibration. These sounds are call voiced sounds. Voiced sounds include all vowels. In addition, the consonants /b/, /g/, /d/, /v/, and /z/ are voiced. So are /m/, /n/, /l/, /r/, /y/, /j/, and voiced /th/ sound, as in the word "the." 16For example, the verbs "roam," "believe," and "enjoy" end in voiced sounds. 17Voiceless sounds do not use the vocal cords to produce the sound. So, you will not feel a vibration when you say them. Voiceless consonants include /p/, /k/, /t/, /s/, /f/, /sh/ /ch/, and voiceless /th/ like in the word "teeth." 18Verbs that have voiceless sounds at the end include "watch," "help," and "laugh." 19Three rules 20We have three rules in English to help decide how to pronounce -ed endings for regular past tense verbs. 211. If the last letter of the regular verb ends in a voiced consonant or a vowel sound, pronounce the -ed ending as just /d/. 22For example: 23"Roam" ... "Roamed" (/d/) 24"Believe".... "Believed" (/d/) 25"Enjoy" ... "Enjoyed" (/d/) 262. If the last letter of the regular verb ends in a voiceless consonant, pronounce the -ed ending as just /t/. 27For example: 28"Watch" ..."Watched" (/t/) 29"Help" ... "Helped" (/t/) 30"Laugh" ..."Laughed" (/t/) 313. Finally, if the regular verb ends in either a "t" sound or a "d" sound, pronounce the -ed ending as /Id/ which creates a separate syllable at the end of the verb. 32For example: 33"Need" ..."Needed" (/Id/) 34"Want" ..."Wanted" (/Id/) 35"Decide" ..."Decided" (/Id/) 36Let us look at these rules in action with an example from a song by Taylor Swift called "Cardigan." Try to hear the different ways Taylor pronounces the verbs with -ed as she sings! 37To kiss in cars and downtown bars 38Was all we needed 39You drew stars around my scars 40But now I'm bleedin' 41'Cause I knew you 42Steppin' on the last train 43Marked me like a bloodstain, I 44I knew you 45Tried to change the ending 46Peter losing Wendy, I... 47The first past tense verb is "needed." We can hear that "needed" has an /Id/ sound at the end. That is because the verb "need" ends in a /d/ sound. 48The next verb is "marked." "Mark" ends in the voiceless consonant /k/. So the voiceless -ed ending /t/ is used. 49Lastly, we have "tried." The verb "try" ends in a vowel sound /ai/. All vowels are voiced, so use the voiced sound /d/ as our -ed ending. 50Closing thoughts 51Today we learned that the pronunciation of the -ed ending for regular verbs in the past tense changes. The correct pronunciation depends on the ending of the root verb. Different pronunciations are used if the root verb ends in a voiced sound, a voiceless consonant, or a /t/ or /d/ sound. 52Here is a list of regular verbs. Can you guess how they are pronounced in the past tense? 53Mix 54Play 55Repeat 56Cook 57Gather 58And finally, listen to your favorite songs in English. If the song is in the past tense, can you hear which sounds are used for the regular past tense? Is it a /d/ sound, a /t/ sound, or an /Id/ sound? 59You can share your written exercise in the comments below, but also try to say the sounds aloud! 60I'm Faith Pirlo. 61Faith Pirlo wrote this report for VOA Learning English. 62_____________________________________________________________________ 63Words in This Story 64suffix - n. a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning 65participle - n. (grammar) a form of a verb that is used to indicate a past or present action and that can also be used like an adjective 66vocal cords - n. pieces of tissue in the throat that permit speech 67pronounce - v. to make the sound of (a word or letter) with your voice 68vibration - n. the act of shaking with small, quick movements 69roam - v. to go to different places without having a particular purpose or plan 70syllable - n. a part a word is naturally divided into when pronounced. 71cardigan - n. a sweater with buttons 72bars - n. places where alcohol is served 73scar - n. a mark that is left on your skin after a wound heals 74bloodstain - n. a spot marked with blood