HOW TO PRONOUNCE 'ED' AT THE END OF A VERB

It's difficult to know how to pronounce 'ed' in English, because it's pronounced in three different ways. It depends on the letter before:

The three ways are:

• 1: 'id' (like in painted 'paint-id')
  
• 2: 'd' (like in 'played')
  
• 3: 't' (like in 'hoped')
  

The most important thing to remember is this:

If the verb has a 'd' or a 't' sound before 'ed' you need to pronounce 'id'. If it doesn't, don't pronounce an extra syllable.

Be careful! It's the sound, not the letter: 'decided' is pronounced 'decide-id' even though 'decide' ends in 'e', because we don't say the 'e', so the last sound is 'd'.

So for example:

• wanted (want-id)
  
• ended (end-id)
  
• decided (decide-id)
  
• admitted (admit-id)
  
• suggested (suggest-id)
  
• recommended (recommend-id)
  
• hated (hate-id)
  
• intended (intend-id)
  
• started (start-id)
  

If the word before 'ed' ends in the sounds 'p', 'f', 's', 'ch', 'sh', 'k', then 'ed' is pronounced 't': So:

• 'p' stopped
  
• 'f' laughed
  
• 's' promised
  
• 'ch' watched
  
• 'sh' finished
  
• 'k' walked
  

For all other words, 'ed' is pronounced 'd':

• allowed
  
• cried
  
• enjoyed
  
• cleaned
  
• imagined