Part 2 · Beyond Single Sounds

The -ed and -s Endings — Three Rules Each

All levels50 min25 questions7 sections

Step 1

Quick Look

Two endings appear in almost every English sentence you speak — the past -ED and the plural/verb - S. Indians pronounce both by spelling: worked becomes वर्क-एड, books becomes बुक्स but dogs also becomes डॉग्स. Wrong on two counts. Both endings run on the SAME machine you built in Chapter 1: the throat test. Voiceless sound before? The ending is voiceless. Voiced before? The ending is voiced. This chapter installs both machines permanently.

-ED rule

After voiceless (p,k,s,श,च,फ़) T: worked = वर्क्ट
After voiced (b,g,v,z,m,n,l,r + vowels) D: played = प्लेड
After t/d only extra beat इड: wanted = वॉन्टिड

-S rule

After voiceless S: books = बुक्स
After voiced Z: dogs = डॉग्ज़
After hissing sounds (s,z,श,च,ज) extra beat इज़: boxes = बॉक्सिज़

The Indian error

Adding a syllable everywhere: वर्क-एड, स्टॉप-एड, फ़िक्स-एड — the extra beat exists ONLY after t/d (for -ed) and hissers (for -s).

The golden rule: the ending COPIES the voicing of the sound before it. Hand on throat, say the word’s last sound before the ending — vibrating? The ending vibrates too (d/z). Silent? The ending is silent too (t/s). And the extra syllable (इड / इज़) exists only where the mouth physically NEEDS it: you cannot say ‘wantd’ or ‘boxs’ — the tongue demands a vowel bridge. Everywhere else, NO extra beat: worked is ONE beat — वर्क्ट.

The ending COPIES the voicing

Hand on throat. Say the last sound of the word: silent? the ending is silent too (T, S). Buzzing? it buzzes too (D, Z).

Step 2

When to Use It

Use 1

-ED Group 1 — the T endings (voiceless before)

After p, k, s, sh, ch, f sounds — the -ed is a crisp T glued to the word. No new syllable.

worked = वर्क्ट, booked = बुक्ट, parked = पार्क्ट
stopped = स्टॉप्ट, helped = हेल्प्ट
finished = फ़िनिश्ट, watched = वॉच्ट, reached = रीच्ट
fixed = फ़िक्स्ट, laughed = लाफ़्ट (gh = f!)
Business drill: ‘We booked, checked and finished’ = बुक्ट, चेक्ट, फ़िनिश्ट — three one-beat endings.

Use 2

-ED Group 2 — the D endings (voiced before)

After b, g, v, z, m, n, l, r and all vowels — the -ed is a soft D glued on. Still no new syllable.

played = प्लेड, called = कॉल्ड, moved = मूव्ड
opened = ओपन्ड, planned = प्लैन्ड, cleaned = क्लीन्ड
agreed = अग्रीड, showed = शोड, followed = फ़ॉलोड
registered = रेजिस्टर्ड, transferred = ट्रान्स्फ़र्ड
used = यूज़्ड (hidden z + d), raised = रेज़्ड

Use 3

-ED Group 3 — the इड endings (only after t/d)

The ONLY place -ed earns its own beat: when the word already ends in t or d, the mouth needs a bridge vowel.

wanted = वॉन्टिड, waited = वेटिड, visited = विज़िटिड
needed = नीडिड, decided = डिसाइडिड, attended = अटेन्डिड
started = स्टार्टिड, invested = इन्वेस्टिड, submitted = सब्मिटिड
The test: does the base word end in a t or d sound? Yes इड. No glue t or d, zero extra beats.

Use 4

-S: the same machine, plural edition

Voiceless before S; voiced before Z (the hidden z of Chapter 4, now systematic); hissers before इज़ with its own beat.

S group: books = बुक्स, flats = फ़्लैट्स, banks = बैंक्स, deposits = डिपॉज़िट्स
Z group: dogs = डॉग्ज़, days = डेज़, deals = डील्ज़, buyers = बाय्अर्ज़, plans = प्लैन्ज़, rupees = रुपीज़, keys = कीज़ — every vowel-ending plural buzzes!
इज़ group: prices = प्राइसिज़, houses = हाउज़िज़, offices = ऑफ़िसिज़, boxes = बॉक्सिज़, branches = ब्रान्चिज़, leases = लीसिज़
Verbs obey too: he works = वर्क्स, she calls = कॉल्ज़, it closes = क्लोज़िज़

The -ED sorting machine

Test the LAST SOUND of the base word, not the letter. Hand on throat if in doubt: the ending copies it.

Step 3

Hindi Concept Note

अHindi Concept Noteहिंदी में समझिए

दो endings जो हर sentence में हैं — दोनों का एक ही इंजन: गले का test (Chapter 1)।

-ED के तीन नियम: पहले की आवाज़ बेजान (p, k, s, श, च, फ़) ending भी बेजान = T: worked = वर्क्ट (एक beat!)। पहले की आवाज़ सजीव (b, g, v, m, n, l, r, स्वर) ending भी सजीव = D: played = प्लेड। सिर्फ़ t/d के बाद अलग beat मिलती है: wanted = वॉन्टिड।

India की ग़लती: हर जगह ‘-एड’ जोड़ना — वर्केड, स्टॉपेड, फ़िक्सेड। याद रखो: extra beat सिर्फ़ वहाँ जहाँ मुँह को ज़रूरत है — ‘wantd’ बोलकर देखो, अटक जाओगे; इसीलिए वॉन्टिड।

-S के भी तीन नियम, वही logic: बुक्स (बेजान), डॉग्ज़ (सजीव — छुपा हुआ z!), प्राइसिज़ (फुफकार वाली आवाज़ों के बाद अपनी beat)।

सबसे बड़ा सुधार Z group है: days = डेज़, keys = कीज़, rupees = रुपीज़, buyers = बाय्अर्ज़ — स्वर के बाद plural हमेशा भिनभिनाता है। डेस, कीस, रुपीस बोलना बंद।

Drill: कोई भी past-tense sentence लो, हर -ed को T/D/इड में बाँटो, फिर ज़ोर से पढ़ो। हफ़्ते भर में मशीन अपने आप चलेगी।

Step 4

Common Mistakes Hindi Speakers Make

Wrong

Right

Why

worked = वर्केड (2 beats)

वर्क्ट (1 beat — k is voiceless t)

The universal Indian -ed. The extra beat exists only after t/d.

stopped, fixed, watched = स्टॉपेड, फ़िक्सेड, वॉचेड

स्टॉप्ट, फ़िक्स्ट, वॉच्ट

All voiceless finals crisp T, glued on, no beat.

played, called = प्लेयेड, कॉलेड

प्लेड, कॉल्ड

Voiced finals soft D, glued on.

days, keys, rupees = डेस, कीस, रुपीस

डेज़, कीज़, रुपीज़

Vowel-final plurals buzz — the hidden z rules them all.

prices, houses = प्राइसेस, हाउसेस

प्राइसिज़, हाउज़िज़

Hissing finals इज़ with its own beat (and house voices its s: हाउज़-).

‘He wants’ and ‘he wanted’ said identically fast (वॉन्ट / वॉन्टेड random)

wants = वॉन्ट्स (no beat), wanted = वॉन्टिड (beat)

Your listener hears tense from this ending. Getting it wrong scrambles your grammar even when your grammar is right.

One beat or two?

Every block is one beat. The extra beat exists ONLY after t/d (for -ed) and after hissers (for -s).

Step 5

Signal Words

The sorting machine:

-ed after p/k/s/श/च/फ़ T, no beat (वर्क्ट)

-ed after voiced sounds & vowels D, no beat (प्लेड)

-ed after t/d इड, one extra beat (वॉन्टिड)

-s after voiceless स; after voiced/vowels ज़; after hissers इज़

Doubt? Hand on throat at the word’s last sound — the ending copies it.

The -S sorting machine

Same machine, plural edition: hissers get their own beat, everything else copies the throat.

Step 6

Practice

Set A

Sort the -ed: write T, D, or इड

0 / 10

1
booked
2
cleaned
3
wanted
4
finished
5
moved
6
decided
7
helped
8
registered
9
visited
10
laughed

Set B

Fix the ending — respell in Devanagari

0 / 8

11
parked said as पार्केड
12
planned said as प्लैनेड
13
started said as स्टार्ट्ड (beat missing)
14
flats said as फ़्लैट्ज़
15
deals said as डील्स
16
offices said as ऑफ़िसेस
17
closed said as क्लोसेड (two errors)
18
watches said as वॉच्स

Set C

Read-aloud: respell the full phrase with correct endings

0 / 7

19
We finalised and signed the papers.
20
Three buyers visited two houses.
21
He booked, paid and moved in.
22
The prices dropped last month.
23
She called and asked for the keys.
24
All the branches opened at nine.
25
The tenant wanted reduced charges.

Step 7

Answer Key

Show answersHide answers

Answers · Set A

T (बुक्ट)

D (क्लीन्ड)

इड (वॉन्टिड)

T (फ़िनिश्ट)

D (मूव्ड)

इड (डिसाइडिड)

T (हेल्प्ट)

D (रेजिस्टर्ड)

इड (विज़िटिड)

T (लाफ़्ट)

Answers · Set B

पार्क्ट — voiceless k T, one beat.

प्लैन्ड — voiced n D, one beat.

स्टार्टिड — ends in t the इड beat is compulsory.

फ़्लैट्स — voiceless t S (this one was over-corrected!).

डील्ज़ — voiced l Z.

ऑफ़िसिज़ — hisser इज़ beat.

क्लोज़्ड — hidden z (sज़) + voiced D.

वॉचिज़ — hisser च इज़ beat.

Answers · Set C

वी फ़ाइनलाइज़्ड ऐन्ड साइन्ड द पेपर्ज़ (z+D, D, plural ज़)

थ* बाय्अर्ज़ विज़िटिड टू हाउज़िज़

ही बुक्ट, पेड ऐन्ड मूव्ड इन

द प्राइसिज़ ड्रॉप्ट लास्ट मन्थ*

शी कॉल्ड ऐन्ड आस्क्ट फ़ॉर द कीज़

ऑल द ब्रान्चिज़ ओपन्ड ऐट नाइन

द टेनन्ट वॉन्टिड रिड्यूस्ट चार्जिज़ (इड beat + T + इज़)

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Next up · Chapter 8Word Stress — Where the Punch Lands

REcord vs. reCORD are different words, and the suffixes that tell you exactly where the punch lands.