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WHAT DO WORD ENDINGS TELL US?

The sounds at the ends of words give the listener information about the tense and number of the word. The meaning of the word can change depending on the ending:

They wait for the call. (Habit) Give me the paper. (One paper)

They waited for the call. (Past) Give me the papers. (Multiple papers)

WHY DO NATIVE SPEAKERS HAVE TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING NONNATIVE SPEAKERS' WORD ENDINGS?

If people have trouble understanding your word endings, you are probably not holding the final sound long enough. Or, you may be adding an extra vowel sound when the word ends in a consonant.