Understanding and Teaching the Pronunciation of English.pdf

6.2 PRONUNCIATION OF 6.2 PRONUNCIATION OF 6.2 PRONUNCIATION OF -S-S-S ENDINGS ENDINGS ENDINGS

If the word ends in

one of these sounds

The -s ending is

pronounced like this Examples

/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/,

/ʧ/, /ʤ/ /əz/ or /ɪz/

boxes, roses, bushes,

judge’s, bosses’, Max’s,

kisses, catches, wishes

Any voiced sound

besides those listed

above

/z/

pens, bags, birds, eyes,

boy’s, Betty’s, children’s,

runs, sees, returns, goes,

he’s, she’s, where’s, Bob’s

Any voiceless sound

besides those listed

above

/s/

books, boats, laughs,

Mike’s, cat’s, cats’,

walks, laughs, stops,

it’s, what’s, Elizabeth’s

Problems with -ed and -s endings

Learners from many language groups tend to have some of
the same problems with -ed and -s endings. Here are some
reminders for learners:

Don’t add an extra syllable when it’s not needed.
Learners sometimes add unnecessary extra syllables with -ed
and -s endings, especially when adding the ending results in a
troublesome consonant cluster. For example, watched,
judged, stopped, and walked have just one syllable each,
even though some of the !nal consonant clusters may be

hard to pronounce. Learners should be careful not to say

watch-ed, stopp-ed, or walk-ed.

Don’t confuse the sounds that trigger each ending.

The !nal sounds that cause the ending to have an extra

syllable are di"erent, depending on whether the ending is -ed

or -s. When students learn the rules for both endings, they

sometimes forget which sounds go with which rule. It’s

important to help them see why particular sounds trigger an

extra syllable: Sounds that are very similar to the sound of

the ending need an extra vowel to separate them from that

similar sound. This helps the ending to be heard more

clearly.

Don’t forget the endings. Learners sometimes omit -ed or

-s endings entirely, especially if their native language has few

or no consonants at the ends of words, or if adding the

endings results in unfamiliar consonant clusters. The endings

are important; the listener needs to hear them to get

grammatical information to help understand the whole

meaning of what’s being said.

Think about sounds, not letters. They’re not the same.

For example, the verb hope ends in a vowel letter, but a

voiceless consonant sound. When we add an -ed or -s ending,

the ending is voiceless: hoped /howpt/ or hopes /howps/.

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