[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In English we add an “S” to nouns to show generality or to make plurals, possessives, and contractions. An “S” is added to verbs to ensure subject-verb agreement with a singular subject. When a verb or noun is modified by adding an “S” ending use the “S or Z” sound according to the following rule:
Say “IZ when the word ends in s, z, sh, zh, ch, or j sound.
Bus/busses
Buss/buzzes
Wish/wishes
Sabotage/sabatages
Crunch/crunches
Judge/judges
Say “Z when the word ends in a vowel or other voiced sound like the m, n, ng, l, b, d, g, v, voiced th, or r sound.
Go/goes
Guy/guys
Tom/Tom’s
Can/cans
Call/calls
Cab/cabs
Bed/beds
Dog/dogs
Live/lives
Breathe/breathes
Car/cars
Say “S when the word ends in a voiceless sound like a p, t, k, f, or voiceless th sound.
Cup/cups
Cat/cats
Back/backs
Cough/coughs
Ruth/Ruth’s
Practice with Apple iBook:
Learn to Pronounce the suffix -S – Tarle Speech & Language American English Pronunciation Lessons
Practice with Google Books:
Learn to Pronounce the suffix -S – Tarle Speech & Language American English Pronunciation Lessons