Talking About the Past
Primary 4 · English
Talking About the Past
Lesson 4 of 4
30 min
Say these three words slowly: walked, played, planted. They all end in -ed. But listen: the endings sound different!
walkt, playd, plantid. Today you will learn the three sounds of -ed, and how to spell past simple verbs.
| sounds like /t/ | sounds like /d/ | sounds like /id/ (an extra beat) |
|---|---|---|
| walked, helped, packed, cooked, washed, fetched, danced | played, cleaned, arrived, climbed, stayed, hugged, carried | planted, visited, wanted, needed, counted, waited, harvested |
Put your hand on your throat. If it buzzes when you say the last sound of the verb, the -ed says /d/!
We planted and we waited, we watered and we weeded,
We walked to the field, and we picked what we needed.
We carried and we counted, we cooked and we played,
And we danced until the sun went down on harvest day!
Speak: Say the chant with a friend. Clap once for walked, but twice for plan-ted and wai-ted. Can you hear the extra beat?
Write: Draw three columns, /t/, /d/ and /id/. Put every -ed verb from the chant in the right column.
Tip
t or d at the end? Add an extra beat! plan-ted, wai-ted, nee-ded. For every other verb, -ed stays inside the same beat: walked, played.
Write your answers in your exercise book, then check.
Which sound does -ed make in visited?
Answer: /id/ (visit ends in t, so there is an extra beat)
Which sound does -ed make in washed?
Answer: /t/
Write the past simple of carry.
Answer: carried (y changes to i)
Write the past simple of stop.
Answer: stopped (double p)
Write a sentence with planted and watered.
Answer: Example: We planted beans and watered them every evening.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
Quick check
Match each verb to the sound its -ed makes.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
