Instructions for Lesson 30
Introduces the pattern for two-syllable words ending in es or ed.
I – III NEW CONCEPT. Here we introduce the es spelling pattern that ends many words.1 The es has either a short-vowel e sound |ĕ| or the schwa sound |ә|, as in boxes and rushes. (The schwa is discussed below.) The |s| and |z| sounds of s are practiced in these lists.
IV – VI NEW CONCEPT. Now we will learn the ed spelling pattern that ends a fair number of words.2 The ed has either a short-vowel e sound |ĕd| or the schwa’s shortened short-vowel u sound |әd| (examples are tested and ended). Base words that end with a t or d (like the words test and add) are pronounced with the ed syllable being separate, as in tested and added. Roman numerals IV and V introduce base words that end with t and add ed, as in tested. Roman numeral VI introduces base words that end with d and add ed, as in added.
The Schwa Sound: ǝ
If a student struggles with the ending syllables of these words, tell him that words ending with es and ed can be pronounced with either the short-vowel e sound, |ĕ|, or with a shortened short-vowel u sound, |ŭ|. This special sound, known as a schwa, is shown in dictionaries as an upside-down e: ǝ. The schwa is quite common in English and is found in most multi-syllable words. The schwa (|ә|) is usually easier to say than the short-vowel e (|ĕ|).
Additional information about the schwa sound is provided in Lessons 65, 66, and 67.
If your student likes challenge words, he will be delighted with this lesson.
1 When es is added to a verb (a word indicating action or a state of being), it denotes present tense (“Mike blesses us with his music.”) When es is added to a noun, it indicates that the word is plural. (“Mrs. Dillard was sad when all of her classes were dismissed for the summer.”) Some words are nouns and verbs. For example, “Cora dresses in her best clothes for church” (here, dresses is a verb). “Ainsley and Shelby like to wear their frilly dresses” (here, dresses is a plural noun).
2 The ed ending changes a word from the present tense to the past tense. For example, “Jeff will mend the fence” denotes future tense, but “Chris mended the fence” denotes past tense.