TT4BS - /e/ & /æ/

Welcome to another TongueTwisting4BetterSpeech. This time, we're going to practice the sounds /e/ and /æ/ together. If you have problems with making either of these sounds, you can check out my lessons that focus on each sound separately. Go to my post on July 31, 2011 for /e/ and on Feb. 19, 2012 for /æ/, or go to the exercises page and click on /e/ and /æ/ to practice.

Let's practice the words first. We're going to contrast the two sounds. Remember to flatten your mouth and lengthen the sound as you pronounce /æ/. Listen carefully and repeat.

/e/ -  pet, set, met, men, den
/æ/ - pat, sat, mat, man, Dan

/e/  - send, blend, pest, rest, ten
/æ/ - sand, bland, past, rash, tan

Now for the tongue twisters. Remember to exaggerate and start slow, then you can speed up as you get used to making the sounds. 

1. Set a mat on the sand and get a tan. 
2. Mend ten black pairs of pants for seven men in a trance.
3. Cashed his check, rented a tent he could mend and camped on a patch of grass all weekend.  

Remember, practice makes perfect. So do this several times until the sounds are easy to produce.
I wish you the best of luck! Thanks for listening and practicing with me. My name is Joe. You can follow me on Twitter @joeyu2nd, and be a fan of the small guide site on Facebook. Catch you later.