Simple rules for word endings in English

English belongs to the category of analytical languages: grammatical connections in it are expressed not by changing a word and adding various morphemes (prefixes, suffixes, endings) to it, but by using various service words - prepositions, modal and auxiliary verbs. And therefore there are not so many endings in English - only three: -s (-es), -ed and -ing. For comparison, Russian is a synthetic language, and it is morphemes that carry a grammatical load in it.

So, let's look at the most common uses of English endings.

Ending -s (-es)

The -s (-es) ending can be found in the following cases:

Plural nouns

Almost all nouns are plural by adding -s (-es). For example:

dog - dogs

book - books

When a word ends in -ss, -x, -z, -ch, -sh, or -o, the ending takes the form -es. For example:

Church - churches

box - boxes

tomato - tomatoes

3rd Person Singular Verbs Present Simple

Present Indefinite time is used when it comes to events that occur constantly, every day, systematically. It uses the basic form of the verb, and in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), the ending -s (-es) is also added as the ending of the verb. For example:

She plays tennis every weekend. - She plays tennis every weekend.

Sometimes my grandmother watches soap operas. - Sometimes my grandmother watches soap operas.

Rules for the use of endings in English

Possessive nouns

By and large, the ending of the possessive case should be considered separately, since it has a different history and is written with an apostrophe ('). For example:

John's car - John's car

My daughter's book - my daughter's book

If the word is plural or initially ends in -s, only an apostrophe is placed at the end of the word. For example:

Her parents 'house - her parents' house

James 'coat - James' coat

In this case, the ending is read in all cases in full: [‘pɛːr (ə) ntsiz], [‘ dʒeɪmziz].

-Ed ending in English

Second form of the regular verb

This form is used to express the Past Simple time. For example:

Yesterday he painted the window frame. “He painted the window frame yesterday.

Regular third form (past participle)

Used in perfect times - Present Perfect, Past Perfect and others. For example:

She has lived here since childhood. - She has lived here since childhood.

The rain had stopped when we left home. - The rain stopped when we left the house.

The past participle often acts as a definition.

For example:

Closed door - closed door

Well-dressed woman - well-dressed woman

Word ending with -ing in English

The fourth form of any verb (present participle)

As you know, the fourth form of the verb (ingove) is used in the group of continued tenses. For example:

She is sleeping now. - She's sleeping now. (Present Continuous)

Yesterday at six I was washing my car. - Yesterday at 6 I washed the car. (Past Continuous)

The present participle can also serve as a definition. For example:

Barking dog - barking dog

Blooming tree - flowering tree

Gerund / verbal adjective

Swimming is good for health. - Swimming is good for your health.

I like eating outdoors. - I like to eat outdoors.

As you can see, the rules for using endings in English are not at all complicated. Remember them, because this simple topic will help you further master the English grammar.

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