Tuesday, October 15th

A. How to Pronounce -ed in English

The past simple tense and past participle of all regular verbs end in -ed. For example:
base verb
(v1)
past simple
(v2)
past participle
(v3)
workworkedworked
In addition, many adjectives are made from the past participle and so end in -ed. For example:
  • I like painted furniture.
The question is: How do we pronounce the -ed?
The answer is: In 3 ways - / Id/ or / t/ or / d/
If the base verb ends in one of these sounds:example base verb*:example
with -ed:
pronounce
the -ed:
extra syllable?
unvoiced/t/wantwantedId/yes
voiced/d/endended
unvoiced/p/hopehopedt/no
/f/laughlaughed
/s/faxfaxed
/S/washwashed
/tS/watchwatched
/k/likeliked
voicedall other sounds,
for example...
playplayedd/
allowallowed
begbegged

* note that it is the sound that is important, not the letter or spelling. For example, "fax" ends in the letter "x" but the sound /s/; "like" ends in the letter "e" but the sound /k/.

  • he aged quickly /d/
  • he blessed me /t/
  • they dogged him /d/
  • he has learned well /d/ or /t/
The pronunciation depends on the sound at the end of the infinitve of the main verb and whether it is voiced or not.
/Id /infinitives that end in the sounds
/t/ or /d/
/ d /
infinitives that end in a voiced sound
/ t /
infinitves that end in an unvoiced sound 
needed
hated
dated
seated
lived
chilled
enjoyed
tried
shopped
picked
wished
crunched

Regular Past Tense Verb Pronunciation Practice 

Read the following dialogue. Write the phonetic symbol representing the sound 
of the ed-ending above each past tense verb. Check your answers. Practice the 
dialogue aloud with a partner. Be sure to carefully pronounce all past tense 
endings! 

Kathy: Tom, have you started your diet? I hope you haven’t gained weight. 

Tom: I boiled eggs and sliced celery for lunch. 

Kathy: Have you exercised at all? 

Tom: I walked 5 miles and jogged in the park. 

Kathy: Have you cleaned the house? Calories can be worked off that way. 

Tom: I washed and waxed the floors. I even painted the bathroom. 

Kathy: Who baked this apple pie? Who cooked this ham? 

Tom: When I finished cleaning, I was starved. I prepared this food for dinner. 

Kathy: Oh, no! I’ll take this food home so you won’t be tempted . I really enjoyed being with you. You diet is great! 

Tom: What happened? Somehow, I missed out on all the fun. 



Now, let's test your pronunciation by reading an article in the news today:

Article: http://news.yahoo.com/upside-shutdown-050011540.html


B. Still, Yet and Already
Still  
We use still to say that a situation or action is continuing. It hasn't changed or stopped:
  • It's 10 o'clock and Abdullah is still in bed.
  • When I went to bed, Mohammed was still working.
  • Do you still want to go to the party or have you changed your mind?

***Still usually goes in the middle of the sentence with the verb.

Yet 
Yet =' until now'. We use yet mainly in negative sentences ( I haven't finished yet) and questions (Have you finished yet?). yet shows that the speaker is expecting to happen.
***Yet usually goes at the end of sentence:
·         It's 10 o'clock and Abdullah hasn't got up yet.
·         I'm hungry. Is dinner ready yet?
·         We don't know where we are going for our holidays yet.

We often use yet with present perfect ( Have you finished yet?).
Compare yet and still:
·     Abdullah lost his job a year ago and is still unemployed.
Abdullah lost his job a year ago and hasn't found another job yet.
·     Is it still raining?
Has it stopped raining yet?

Still is also possible in negative sentences(before the negative):
·    She said she would be here an hour ago and she still hasn't come.

This is similar to 'she hasn't come yet'. But still.. not shows a stronger feeling of surprise or impatience. Compare:
·    I wrote to him last week. He hasn't replied yet. (but I expect he will reply soon).
·    I wrote to him months ago and he still hasn't replied. (he should have replied before now)
Already  
We use already to say that something happened sooner than expected. 

***Already usually goes in the middle of a sentence:
·      ' When is Sara going on holiday?'    ' She has already gone.' (= sooner than you expected)
·      Should I tell Fatima the news or does she already know?
·      I've only just had lunch and I'm already hungry.


Check if you have mastered this. Here is a short multiple choice test:

1: I haven't _____ done my homework
2: Although he treated her badly, she ______ loves him.
3: I only arrived here last week, and I haven't _____ met all the people.
4: He told me once, then he told me the same thing ______ .
5: I've been trying this for hours, and I _____ can't get the right answers.

6: Have you ______ not found out how to do it?



C. Tell me something about yourself...
  • List 3 beautiful/exotic places (countries, cities, regions, etc) that you want to visit but that you haven't yet (hint: use yet)
  • List 3 memorable activities that you have done in the past (hint: use already)
  • List 3 things that you plan to do but that you may not have started or you may have started but not finished (hint: use still)




Go to movies menu and select Top Movies.  Choose your top 3 movies from the list of Best Movies of 2013 Once you have made your selections, do the following:
  1. Read the synopsis of the movie
  2. Watch the trailer
  3. Read a few user reviews and qualify the movie as:
    • Very Bad
    • Bad
    • Mediocre
    • Good
    • Very Good
    • Excellent
  4. Write your own review of the movies
  5. Select one of the critics' reviews and make it your own by modifying a few words.
  6. Do you recommend this film? Why or why not

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