LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

As you learned at the beginning of this book, it is important to stretch your word endings. This will help your English rhythm sound correct. In order to pronounce your word endings clearly, however, you also need to stretch the final consonant sounds.

Read this paragraph and practice holding and stretching the final consonants that are underlined.

Opening up a large health club in Suntown was a risk for entrepreneur Trish Slaven. Although she had opened three other successful businesses, Ms. Slaven was unsure of the timing. The recession had hit the town hard, and many people were tightening their purse strings and didn’t have extra money to spend. Her idea was met with skepticism by some business leaders, but she felt that a health club would be a great way for this community to improve their lives. She had three good reasons to open up a club. First, the only place to exercise was the rec center at the local college, and many people didn’t feel comfortable working out with the students. Second, a recent influx of new residents had given the economy a boost. Third, the mayor was a former triathlete who supported her vision. Ms. Slaven opened the club and named it “Laps and Relax.” It’s been open six months. When asked about the club, Steph Brown, a member, raved, “It’s a great place to work out. Sometimes I go there just to relax at the spa.” It looks like Ms. Slaven made the right decision.