Phonics pattern

Inflected endings: -s, -es, -ed, -ing

Inflected endings change a word's number or tense without changing its meaning: hens, wishes, rested, helping. The tricky part is that -ed has three sounds, /t/, /d/ and /ĕd/, and -s can say /s/ or /z/.

Spellings: -s, -es, -ed, -ing

How to teach it

Show the base word, cover the ending, read the base, then uncover and read the whole word. The base word is always read first.
Sort -ed words by sound (missed, filled, rested) and read lists that mix endings on the same base word (rest, rests, rested, resting).
Dictate words and ask the student to write the base word first, then add the ending. Finish with sentences.

Practice words

Read them across, then down. Point under each word as it is read.

wishes
benches
glasses
lunches
rested
landed
helped
played
filled
yelled
camping
painting

Decodable sentences

Ben jumped and landed in the sand.
The kids are painting the benches.
Mom is baking a cake.

Spoken warm-ups

No print. Say the prompt; the student answers aloud. Sounds are written between slashes.

Spoken warm-ups for Inflected endings: -s, -es, -ed, -ing
You say	The student says
Say ‘jumped’. What sound do you hear at the end?	/t/
Say ‘rest’. Add /ed/ to the end. What word?	rested
Say ‘play’. Add /ing/ to the end. What word?	playing

Common errors

Leaving the ending off in reading (rested read as rest). Underline the ending and point to it after the base word is read.
Spelling -ed by sound (mist for missed). Teach that -ed is spelled the same however it sounds.
Using -s where -es is needed (wishs). After s, x, z, sh and ch, add -es; you can hear the extra syllable.

Which lessons teach this

If you teach UFLI Foundations, this pattern comes up in these 6 lessons. Teach from your own manual.

Literacy Trail is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Florida Literacy Institute. It contains no UFLI lesson content, only lesson names and order.

Questions people ask

Are these words from an assessment?

No. The practice words, sentences and warm-ups here are written for teaching and are kept separate from the words in the Literacy Trail assessments, so practicing never teaches the test.

When is a student ready for inflected endings?

When they read and spell the pattern before it (diphthongs) accurately and without prompting, most of the time. Keep reviewing earlier patterns for two minutes a session while the new one settles.

How long should practice take?

A few minutes a day beats one long session a week. Read the word list once or twice, dictate three or four words, and read a sentence or two. Rate how it went and bring the pattern back on a short schedule if it is shaky.

Plan sessions for this pattern automatically

Start the 15-day free trial and add a student. When they reach inflected endings, Literacy Trail plans the sessions for it automatically, and a Needs support or Developing rating brings it back for review.

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