3.6 Explicitly Teach the Suffix '-ed'

As you know, the suffix '-ed' is a morpheme that you add to a base word to form the past tense of a regular verb, as in jumped. We teach that the suffix '-ed' means "already happened" or "happened in the past." 

It is an inflectional suffix, which means it does not change the part of speech of the word. For example, the word crush is a verb; and when we add -ed to make crushed, it remains a verb.

The Three Sounds of Suffix '-ed'

The suffix '-ed' can make different sounds, depending on the final sound of the base word.

1. When the base word ends in an unvoiced sound, like /f/ in surf, the suffix '-ed' will be pronounced /t/. Listen to the audio file below; then repeat what you hear. 

• /serf/, /t/, surfed

Put your finger on your throat and pronounce /f/? Do you feel a vibration? There is no vibration because the /f/ sound is unvoiced, so the suffix '-ed' is pronounced /t/. 

2. When the base word ends in a voiced sound, like /n/ in rain, the suffix '-ed' will be pronounced /d/. Listen to the audio file below; then repeat what you hear.

• /rān/, /d/, rained

Place your finger on your throat as you repeat /n/. Can you feel the vibration? There is a vibration because the /n/ sound is voiced, so the suffix '-ed' is pronounced /d/. 

3. When the base word ends in a /t/ like float, the suffix '-ed' is pronounced /ĭd/. 

• /flōt/, /ĭd/, floated

Teacher Tip

Pronunciations of '-ed'
Understanding how the final sounds of base words affect the pronunciation of '-ed' is teacher knowledge. Students should learn the three sounds of '-ed,' but you don't need to explicitly teach how ending sounds affect pronunciation.

Choosing Words for Your Lesson

When you first introduce the suffix '-ed' to students, it's helpful to begin with base words that do not require spelling changes. You want to avoid words like jog (You’d double the consonant to add ‘-ed’: jogged.) and bake (You’d drop the magic 'e': baked.)

When choosing words, you can use words with two consonants after a short vowel to help ensure the suffix can simply be added to the end of the word. Here are some examples:

• Words with ending blends, like land and trust
• Words that end with digraphs, like brush and splash
• Words that end with glued sounds, like bang and honk
• Words that follow the FLoSS(Z) rule, like hiss and fill
• Words that end with '-ck', like pack and rock
• Words with r-controlled vowels, like bark and burn

These words are ideal for introducing '-ed' because they allow students to focus on the suffix without extra spelling changes, while also reviewing previously taught skills.

Find more words in the Suffix '-ed' List of Words, Phrases, and Sentences for Lesson Planning (opens in new window).

Teacher Tip

Went and Did: Two Examples of Irregular Past-Tense Verbs
Some verbs are called irregular because they don't form the past tense by simply adding the suffix '-ed.' Instead, the entire word changes. For instance, go becomes went in the past tense, or do becomes did.

You might hear students say, "I goed to the store." 

We can support their oral language development by modeling the sentence, "I went to the store." 

You'll teach these exceptions at another time. For now, you want to just work on words that follow the patterns being explicitly taught so student can learn how to read and spell words with the suffix '-ed'. 

Now it's time to teach!

Say,

Today we are going to learn about a new suffix. Remember: a suffix is something you add after a base word, and it has meaning.

Show the students the suffix '-ed' flash card. 

Say,

This is the suffix 'e-d'. The suffix 'e-d' is special because it can make three different sounds! 

Listen to what we will say when we see this card:

"The suffix 'e-d', can say /d/, /t/, and /ĭd/. It makes a word past tense. This means that it has happened already."

Repeat.

• The suffix 'e-d' can say /d/, /t/, and /ĭd/. It makes a word past tense. This means that it has happened already.

Students repeat,

The suffix 'e-d', can say /d/, /t/, and /ĭd/. It makes a word past tense. This means that it has happened already.

Write the word fill on the board. 

Say,

If I add the suffix 'e-d' to this word, what new word do I get?

Students respond,

Filled

Say,

Yes, filled, like in this sentence: "Mom filled the tub with warm water." The word filled has the suffix 'e-d'. This suffix tells us that the action already happened. Mom already filled, or added, warm water to the bathtub.

Let's say the word again together.

Students repeat,

Filled

Say,

What sound is the suffix 'e-d' making in this word?

Students respond,

/d/

Say,

Yes, in this word, the suffix 'e-d' makes the /d/ sound.

Even though we hear /d/, I don't just add 'd' to spell the word. 'D' by itself is not a suffix. I have to add the suffix 'e-d', because the suffix 'e-d' is what shows that the action already happened.

Next, write the word jump on the board.

Say,

If I add the suffix 'e-d' to this word, what is the new word?

Students respond,

Jumped

Say,

Yes, jumped, like in this sentence: "Bill jumped into the pool." The word jumped has the suffix 'e-d', and the suffix 'e-d' tells us that it already happened. Bill already jumped into the pool.

Let's say the word again. 

Students repeat,

Jumped

Say,

What sound is the suffix 'e-d' making in this word?

Students respond,

/t/

Say,

Yes, in this word, the suffix 'e-d' is making the /t/ sound. After the word jump, I can't just write 't' because 't' is not a suffix — it does not have any meaning. I need to add the suffix 'e-d' to show that the action already happened.

Finally, write the word land on the board.

Say,

If I add the suffix 'e-d' to this word, what is the new word?

Students respond,

Landed

Say,

Yes, landed, like in this sentence:

The plane landed at 10 o'clock. The word landed has the suffix 'e-d', which tells us that the action already happened. The plane already landed, or arrived, at 10 o'clock.

Let's say the word again together.

Students repeat,

Landed

Say,

What sound is the suffix 'e-d' making in this word?

Students respond,

/ĭd/

Say,

Yes, in this word, the suffix 'e-d' makes the /ĭd/ sound.

After the word land, I added the suffix 'e-d' to show that the action took place in the past.

Write the word bed on the board. Say,

In this word, 'e' 'd' is part of the base. If I take away the 'e' 'd', I am left with 'b' and 'b' is not a word. This word bed does not have the suffix 'e-d'.

Write the following words on the board one at a time and have students read them aloud chorally: crash, yell, twist, and miss.

Then add the suffix '-ed' to each word and have students read the new words. Discuss how the meaning of the word changed when you added the suffix. 

Try the Reading Universe Lesson Plan! This explicit teaching example aligns with the Reading Universe printable lesson plan for the suffix '-ed (opens in new window)'. You'll find dictation practice in the lesson plan and an explanation of how this works in Dictating Words with Suffixes.