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LISTEN |
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/d/.../d/.../d/.../d/...
day...drive...made...address |
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WHAT IS IT? |
Pronunciation:
The sound /d/ is a voiced, alveolar, stop consonant.
The sound /d/ can be in these consonant clusters:
The sound /d/ is a voiced, alveolar, stop consonant.
- Touch your alveolar ridge (the hard space behind your upper teeth) with the tip of your tongue.
- Move your tongue sharply downward and let air out in a short burst.
- Your vocal cords should vibrate.
The sound /d/ can be in these consonant clusters:
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Beginning of a Syllable
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End of a Syllable
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/dr/ - drink
/dw/ - dwell |
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/rd/ ("rd" / "red") - hard, feared
/ld/ ("ld" / "led" / "lled') - told, piled, filled /nd/ ("nd" / "ned" "nned") - land, rained, planned /md/ ("med" / "mmed" / "mbed") - claimed, hummed, combed /lmd/ ("lmed") - calmed /rmd/ ("med") - harmed /bd/ ("bed" / "bbed") - cubed, robbed |
/gd/ ("gged") - hugged
/vd/ ("ved") - loved /zd/ ("zed" / "sed") - amazed, raised /ðd/ ('thed") - breathed /dʒd/ ("ged" / "dged") - raged, judged /dz/ ("ds" / "des") - roads, grades /rdz/ ("rds") - cords /ldz/ ("lds") - builds /ndz/ ("nds") - friends |
Spelling:
- "d" - had, avoid
- "de" - made, reside
- "dd" - sudden, address
- "ed" - loved, feared
Grammar Tip:
The “-ed” ending is used to mark most past tense verbs, some past participles, and some participial adjectives. The “-ed” ending is pronounced /d/ after a vowel or a voiced consonant.
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The "-ed" ending is pronounced /əd/ after the sounds /t/ or /d/.
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COMPARE |
Compare /d/ with /t/:
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/d/.../t/.../d/.../t/.../d/.../t/...
These are both alveolar, stop consonants. However, /d/ is a voiced consonant and /t/ is a voiceless consonant. When you pronounce /d/, your vocal cords should vibrate. |
You can hear the difference between /d/ and /t/ in these words.
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1. A. dip, B. tip
2. A. drunk, B. trunk 3. A. pad, B. pat 4. A. mend, B. meant 5. A. burned, B. burnt 6. A. rending, B. renting |
Practice recognizing words with /d/ and /t/ by taking the quiz below.
Compare Word Forms:
As extra practice, take the quiz below. You will listen to sentences with or without a verb that ends in "-ed" and identify which sentence you hear.
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PRACTICE |
Listen and repeat these words:

words_with_-d-.mp3 | |
File Size: | 601 kb |
File Type: | mp3 |
1. dot
2. dear 3. drink 4. draw 5. dresser 6. sad 7. tend 8. birds 9. learned 10. loved |
11. judged
12. understand 13. divided 14. address 15. redo 16. thunder 17. medicine 18. bundle 19. mandatory 20. dedicated |
Now, practice /d/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
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1. doctors - diagnose - kinds - diseases
Doctors diagnose all kinds of diseases. 2. did - decide - dessert Did you decide what you want for dessert? 3. children - dressing - different Children love dressing up as different characters. 4. send - include - address When you send the invitations, include your address. 5. burned - dish - dinner I burned the dish I was cooking for dinner. 6. heard - bad - Monday I heard the bad news on Monday. |
To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:
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USE IT! |
Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.
Prepare:
Think about the last time you prepared for a big test. What did you do to prepare?
Prepare:
Think about the last time you prepared for a big test. What did you do to prepare?
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- Memorized information
- Analyzed examples
- Studied your notes
- Reviewed old exams
- Stayed up all night
- Discussed questions with a teacher
- Completed a practice test
- Joined a study group
- Hired a tutor
Record:
In your recording, describe what you did to prepare for the test. Then, explain which preparations were most helpful.
©2018-2021, Christine Wingate

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