The Plosives:     p b      t d      k g

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Plosives are very articulated and crisp. They tend to be released when followed by another consonant rather than being unreleased as in American speech.

Example:

Won’t you come and have some tea?
In metric feet that’s called ‘trochee’.
Thomas replying in dactylic measure,
Turns as he answers me: “Oh what a pleasure!”

Put the plate of plaice in the pantry
With the parsley and pine-apple pie:
For supper we’re having ripe apricots
Paul picked a preposterous supply!

As Kathleen closed the Cannon’s cookery book
in the refectory kitchen, she carelessly knocked
the cup of cocoa over the coffee cake.

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The consonant ‘r’

The consonant ‘r’ is dropped before another consonant.

farm	heart	Margaret	torn	darling
park	shirt	corn	early	earnest

It is not pronounced at the end of a word unless the following word begins with a vowel.

car	father	tore	star	dear
stir	fair	fur	cur	beer

In the past it was considered correct to “tap” an ‘r’ when it was followed by a vowel. It is useful in period plays when playing upper class characters.

Mary put your car away, before there is a storm!
The garage is not far away, and you’ll keep your engine warm.