Pronouncing T varies between languages. For example, where the tongue makes contact with the top of the mouth varies, as does the angle of the tongue and the air expelled. In this poem, the T sounds are primarily made at the beginning of the words. In this case, the T is aspirated, meaning we release a touch of air. This is true for any T which begins a stressed syllable. The T falls into the phonetic category called a STOP since it stops the sound when you make it.

Please note that some languages make their T with the flat part of the tip of the tongue and rest that against the teeth (Spanish, for example.) Many Indian languages make the contact further back, behind the ridge, which creates quite a different quality of sound. Experiment with where and how you make contact in order to replicate the English T as much as possible. The poem and audio are copied below. The audio recording allows you time to repeat after each phrase.

By the way, a toad is similar to a frog but generally is bumpy and often lives on dry land. A tree-toad lives in trees and a she-toad is the female. Good luck!

THE TWO-TOED TREE-TOAD
A tree-toad loved a she-toad
Who lived up in a tree.
He was a two-toed tree-toad,
But a three-toed toad was she.
The two-toed tree-toad tried to win
The three-toed she-toad’s heart,
For the two-toed tree-toad loved the ground
That the three-toed tree-toad trod.
But the two-toed tree-toad tried in vain;
He couldn’t please her whim.
From her tree-toad bower, with her three-toed power,
The she-toad vetoed him.