Hello, this is Steve. For today’s story I am going to try and help SO MANY learners of English, who are getting the pronunciation of the words ending in “ed” wrong. If this is you, don’t panic, you’re not the only one, they are being mispronounced by a lot of learners, it is quite common.
An important thing to remember is this… if a word ends in “ted” or “ded” then it is almost always pronounced as either “tid” or “ted” OR either “did” or “ded”. In the vast majority of other cases when it DOESN’T END with either “ted” or “ded”, then the word sounds like it ends in a “t” sound or a “d” sound.
Remember, “ted” and “ded” are either pronounced “tid” or “did” or “ted” or “ded” the vast majority of all the other words are pronounced with a “t” or “d” sound.
So, here you go, this is a story with a lot of words ending in “ed”, listen carefully to my pronunciation of each of the words, hopefully by the end of the story, you will have a better understanding, of how the words ending in “ed” should be pronounced correctly.
The sun peeked over the tall trees, kissed the dewed grass, and woke up a sleepy little hedgehog named Pip. He stretched, yawned, and shuffled out of his cosy, leaf-lined bed. His tummy rumbled. It was time for breakfast!
Pip trotted through the forest, sniffing the damp air. He spotted a bright red berry peeking out from under a bush. He nudged it with his nose, sniffed again, then popped it happily into his mouth. Yum! Satisfied, Pip continued his journey.
Suddenly, a loud screech echoed through the trees. Pip stopped, his tiny heart skipped a beat. He looked up to see a beautiful blue jay perched on a branch. The jay flapped its wings in panic.
“Help! Help!” squawked the jay. “A silly squirrel chased me and knocked my nest right out of the tree!”
Pip felt a pang of sympathy. He scurried closer to the jay. “Don’t worry,” he squeaked. “I’ll help you find the nest.”
Together, they searched high and low. They hopped over fallen logs, squeezed under tangled roots, and peeked under every bush. Finally, they spotted it. The nest, made of twigs and leaves, lay scattered on the forest floor.
The jay cried out in dismay. “Oh no! My precious eggs are cracked! What will I do?”
Pip thought for a moment. “I know!” he exclaimed. “There’s an old ladybird who lives near the stream. Maybe she can help!”
Off they dashed towards the babbling stream. Pip, with his short legs, couldn’t keep up with the jay, but he hurried as fast as he could. They finally reached the stream and spotted a tiny ladybug perched on a green leaf.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Ladybug!” called Pip politely.
The ladybug looked down at them with her big, black eyes. “Hello there, little ones. What seems to be the problem?”
Pip explained about the fallen nest and the cracked eggs. The ladybug listened patiently. “Hmm,” she hummed. “I used to be a nest repairer when I was younger. Maybe I can help.”
The ladybug gathered some soft moss and sturdy twigs. She carefully rebuilt the nest on a sturdier branch. Finally, she gently rolled the broken eggs back inside.
The jay fluttered with joy. “Thank you, thank you, Mrs. Ladybug! You’ve saved my babies!”
Pip beamed. “We’re glad we could help!”
Suddenly, a tiny chirp came from inside the nest. A small beak poked out of a cracked egg. Then another. And another! Three tiny blue jay chicks peeped up at their worried mother.
The jay nuzzled her chicks with her beak. “See, my dears? Everything will be alright.”
Pip and the ladybug watched from a distance, their hearts filled with happiness. They had helped a family in need, and witnessed a miracle – new life hatching before their very eyes!
The sun began to set, painting the sky in beautiful shades of orange and pink. It was time to head home. Pip and the ladybug said their goodbyes and walked away, feeling tired but content.
Pip reached his cosy den just as the first stars began to twinkle. He curled up in his bed of leaves, a happy sigh escaping his lips. Today had been a busy day, but also a day filled with kindness and teamwork. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of happy blue jay chicks and a wise old ladybug.
Vocabulary Notes
Peeked (v): appeared briefly from behind something
Dewed (adj): covered in morning moisture
Shuffled (v): moved slowly, dragging one’s feet
Rumbled (v): made a low, deep sound (often used for stomachs)
Spotted (v): saw something
Nudged (v): pushed gently with the nose or something else
Echoed (v): repeated sound (often used when sound bounces off things)
Skipped (v): jumped lightly (often used for heartbeats)
Perched (v): sat on a branch or other high place (often used for birds)
Squawked (v): made a loud, harsh sound (often used for birds)
Sympathy (n): feeling sorry for someone
Scurried (v): moved quickly with short steps
Fallen (adj): that has dropped from a higher place
Tangled (adj): twisted and messy
Dismay (n): feeling of great disappointment or worry
Precious (adj): very valuable or loved
Exclaimed (v): said something suddenly and loudly
Ladybird (n): ladybug (British English)
Babbled (v): made a continuous, happy sound (often used for streams)
Politley (adv): in a nice and respectful way
Listened (v): paid attention to what someone is saying
Hummed (v): made a low, continuous sound (often used when someone is thinking)
Sturdy (adj): strong and not likely to break
Gathered (v): collected things together
Rebuilt (v): built something again
Gently (adv): carefully and softly
Fluttered (v): moved wings quickly (often used for birds)
Beaked (v): touched or stroked with a beak (often used for birds)
Chirped (v): made a short, high-pitched sound (often used for birds)
Poked (v): pushed something with a pointed end
Nuzzled (v): rubbed gently with the head or nose (often used for animals showing affection)
Witnessed (v): saw something happen
Hatched (v): came out of an egg
Content (adj): happy and satisfied
Twinkled (v): shone with a small, bright light
Sigh (n): a long breath out, often showing tiredness or relief
Content (adj): happy and satisfied
Story written by Google Bard AI
Image created by dezgo.com AI
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