Pronunciation of ES Ending in Verbs

3. Pronunciation of the es ending

A syllable is a unit of pronunciation, usually consisting of a vowel sound which may or may not be accompanied by consonants.

When a verb ends in a sibilant sound such as ch, s, sh, x or z, the es ending of the third person singular is pronounced as a separate syllable. The reason for this is that these sounds are so similar to the sound of the es ending, that the ending must be pronounced as a separate syllable in order to be heard clearly.

In each of the following examples the bare infinitive consists of one syllable, whereas the form of the verb used in the third person singular consists of two syllables.

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
pass	passes
push	pushes
catch	catches
mix	mixes

Similarly, when s is added to verbs ending in ce, ge, se or ze, the final es is usually pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following examples the bare infinitive consists of one syllable, whereas the form of the verb used in the third person singular consists

of two syllables.

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
race	races
rage	rages
praise	praises
doze	dozes

However, when s is added to a verb ending in e preceded by a letter

other than c, g, s or z, the final es is not pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following examples, both the bare infinitive and the form of the verb used in the third person singular consist of one syllable.

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
make	makes
smile	smiles
dine	dines
save	saves

For each of the following verbs, underline the letter or letters representing the sound preceding the es ending, and then indicate the number of syllables in the verb. For example:

      wishes __

      wishes 2

      laces __

      laces 2

      takes __

      takes 1

1. watches __

2. teases __

3. likes __

4. rushes __

5. faces __

6. dines __

7. misses __

8. tames __

9. scares __

10. passes __

11. pinches __

12. wades __

Answers

1. watches 2

2. teases 2

3. likes 1

4. rushes 2

5. faces 2

6. dines 1

7. misses 2

8. tames 1

9. scares 1

10. passes 2

11. pinches 2

12. wades 1

Here are some video lessons on the topic. Even though they deal with the pronunciation of  final 's'and 'es' in nouns, the lessons apply to verbs as well.

Pronunciation Of The Final S(2)

View more presentations from rrrosaco.

Here's an interesting article about the  topic:

We all know the rule that words ending in ch, s, sh, ss, x and z are made plural by adding "es". But why?

Dave Null, Claremont, CA USA

This is a matter of pronunciation that is required for us to distinguish between nouns in the singular or plural. Take the word "Kiss" /kis/. When it is made plural we add 'es' (Kisses) The '-es' is usually pronounced /iz/ and it is pronounced /kisiz/ Try pronouncing "kiss" and then pronounce its plural "kisses" BUT pronouncing the 'es' as /s/, as with other plurals. You just end up with /kisssss/. That would be impossible to distinguish in fluent speech! Similar indistinctions happen with words like "box", "church", "brush" and "fuzz". 

Continue reading here