/t/ Sentences 1 Tracey told Timthat1 ten times two must2 be twenty, but he felt he couldn’t1 trust her. 2 Stan boasts to Tina that he’s located a handwritten manuscript of an ancient Egyptian3 poet. 3 In fact, it’s better to wait a little later before reporting the details of the British meeting on Twitter. 4 In retrospect, the internet strategy training by the expertmade us more competitive in the market.
5 In August the traffic is terrible on the town’s streets because of the tourists, so it’s best1 to go in autumn. 6 From the start, the university students were taught and coached by private tutors for the chemistry test.
Further Notes: 1 When /t/ in one word is followed by /t/ in another word, we just say one long /t/
2 We usually delete /t/ when it is between two consonants: must be /mʌs bi/. In slow and careful speech, we can keep the /t/ sound: must be /mʌst bi/. Other examples: last January, next week dustbin, mostly, restless.
3 Sometimes the letter ‘t’ doesn’t actually produce a /t/ sound. In the word Egyptian, the ‘t’ is a /ʃ/ sound: /ɪ’ʤɪpʃən/. This is particularly common with words ending –tion.
− Other examples of different sounds the letter ‘t’ can produce include: o /ʧ/ in nature /neɪʧə/ o /ʒ/ in equation /ɪ’kweɪʒən/. o when it is combined with ‘h’, it becomes /θ/ thing /θɪŋ/ or /ð/ the /ðə/.
− However, most of the time, when you see a ‘t’ it is pronounced as /t/.
