[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

 

Practice with Udemy On-Demand Class:

English Pronunciation: How to Pronounce & Rules to Use S and Z