Adding ed ing s

I – V REVIEW short-vowel words that require doubling the final consonant before ed or ing is added so as to preserve the word’s short-vowel sound (as in clotted and patting). Knowing which pronunciation to use will start to come naturally to your student, as he will develop a sense of which sound of ed is appropriate.

REVIEW the process of adding –s to a short-vowel word (as in bats). In this case (adding s), we never double the final consonant.

Determining the Pronunciation of Words that End in ed

You might mention to your student that the pronunciation of the ed endings is determined in most cases by which pronunciation is easiest to say. It is easier to say sobbed with the |d| sound for ed (|sŏb-d|) than it is to say |sŏb-әd|, |sŏb-ĕd|, or |sŏb-t|. This rule of thumb is true for all three soundings of the ed ending.

|ĕd| |əd|

When a root word ends with a |d| or |t| sound and we add ed, the word is pronounced with the |ĕd| or ǀədǀ forming an extra syllable (e.g., clotted, spotted, prodded).

|d|

When the root word ends with a voiced consonant (vibration causing) and we add ed to the word, the ed suffix usually is pronounced with the voiced |d| sound (fibbed, begged, dimmed).

|t|

Sometimes ed says |t|. This is the case when the root word ends with a voiceless consonant sound, such as made by k, ck, or p. Examples of words featuring the |t| sound of ed are backed, tripped, and helped.