THE PRONUNCIATION OF –S ENDINGS

The verbs ending in –s has three different pronunciations. Please study the rule as the following:

1.   We pronounce /s/ when the verb ends in /f/, /k/, /p/, or /t/

Base Form	Pronounce /s/
laugh	laughs
stop	stops
chant	chants
paint	paints
pat	pats
sit	sits
hit	hits
kick	kicks
pop	pops
plant	plants
chat	chats
eat	eats
beat	beats
knit	knits

2.   We pronounce /ız/ when the verb ends in /s(ce)/, /ʃ(sh)/, /tʃ(ch)/, /d_ʒ(ge, dge)/, /z/

Base Form	Pronounce /ız/
kiss	kisses
promise	promises
wish	wishes
match	matches
patch	patches
close	closes
dash	dashes
bridge	bridges
edge	edges
miss	misses
wash	washes
watch	watches
catch	catches
change	changes
pass	passes
hash	hashes
cage	cages
rage	rages

3.   We pronounce /z/ when the verb ends in:

A. A vowel + y/w or a consonant + ies

Base Form	Pronounce /z/
stay	stays
lay	lays
say	says
follow	follows
bow	bows
grow	grows
row	rows
study	studies
hurry	hurries
pay	pays
slay	slays
show	shows
know	knows
vow	vows
mow	mows
snow	snows
carry	carries
worry	worries

B.  When the verb ends in the consonant sounds such as: /b/, /d/, /g/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /r/, /ð/, /v/.

Base Form	Pronounce /z/
rob	robs
rub	rubs
beg	begs
aim	aims
care	cares
bear	bears
star	stars
land	lands
add	adds
smile	smiles
plan	plans
wear	wears
stare	stares
shave	shaves