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THE AMERICAN T
1. T is T at the beginning of a word or in a stressed syllable.
When a T is at the top of a staircase, in a stresed position, it should be a clear
popped sound.
2. T is D in the middle of a word (MIDDLE OF THE STAIRCASE)
An unstress T in the middle of a staircase between two vowels should be pronounced as soft D.
3. T is Held at the end of a word
4. T is Held before N in -tain and -ten endings.
5. T is Silent after N with lax vowels.
RULE NO. 1:
1. Tom took ten tomatoes.
2. He was content with the contract.
3. It took Tim ten times to try the telephone.
4. Stop touching Ted's toes.
5. Control your tears.
6. It's Tommy's turn to tell the teacher the truth.
RULE NO. 2: Middle of the staircase
1. Betty bought a bit of better butter.
2. Pat ought to sit on a lap.
3. What a good idea.
4. Put it in a bottle.
5. Write it in a letter.
6. Set it on the metel gutter.,
7. Put all the data in the computer.
8. Insert a quarter in the meter.
9. Get a better water heater.
10. Let her put a sweater on.
11. Betty's at a meeting.
12. It's getting hotter and hotter.
13. Patty ought to write a better letter.
12. Freida had a little metal bottle.
RULE NO. 3: Bottom of the staircase
T at the bottom of a staircase is in the held position. By held, I mean that the tongue
is in the T position, but the air isn't released. To compare, when you say T as in
Tom, there's a sharp burst of air over the tip of the tongue, and when you say Betty,
there's a soft puff of air over the tip of the tongue. When you hold a T, as in hot, your
tongue is in the position for T, but you keep the air in.
1. She hit the hot hut with her hat.
2. We went to that 'Net site to get what we needed.
3. Pat was quite right, wasn't she?
4. What? Put my hat back?
5. hot, late, fat, goat, hit , put, not, hurt, what, set, paint, wait, sit, dirt, note, fit, lot,
light, suit. point, incident, tight
RULE NO. 4: The Held T before N
The held T is, strictly speaking, not really a T at all. Remember T and N are very
close to the mouth. If you have an N immediately after a T, you don't pop the T-the
tongue is in the position-but you release the air with the N, not the T. There is no
T and no schwa, Make a special point of not letting your tongue release from the
top of your mouth before you drop into the (N); otherwise, nu(tt)on would sound like
two words: but-ton. An unstressed T or TT followed by Nis held. Remember there
is no "uh" sound before the (n)
1. He's forgotten the carton of satin mittens.
2. She's certain that he has written it.
3. The cotton curtain is not in the fountain.
4. The hikers went in the mountains.
5. Martin has gotten a kitten.
6. Students study Lain in Britain.
7. Whitner has a patent on those sentences.
8. He has not forgotten what was sritten about the mutant on the mountain.
9. It's not certain that it was gotten from the fountain.
10. You need to put an orange cotto curtain on that window.
11. We like that certain satin better than the carton of cotton curtains.
12. The intercontinental hotel is in the Seattle.
13. The frightened witness had forgotten the important written message.
14. The child wasn't beaten because he had bitten the button.
RULE NO. 5: The Silent T
1. He had a great interview.
2. Try to enter the information.
3. Trun the printer on.
4. Finish the printing.
5. She's at the international center.
6. It's twenty degrees in Toronto.
7. I don't understand it.
8. She invented it in Santa Monica.
9. He can't even do it.
10. They don't even want it.
11. She's the intercontinental representative |
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