Don't Drop That Final Letter

In French, many final consonants are silent unless followed by a vowel through liaison — think of how the S in 'les' often disappears. That habit can quietly follow you into English, where final consonants almost always need to be pronounced clearly, since they often carry grammatical information like plurals or past tense. Dropping the final sound in 'cats,' 'looked,' or 'friend' can genuinely confuse a listener about tense or number, not just accent. Try saying 'looked' and make sure you finish with a crisp 't' sound, even though it feels unnecessary. Practice with 'books,' 'walked,' and 'best,' pushing yourself to fully complete each ending. Two-minute exercise: read a short sentence aloud and tap the table gently every time you finish a final consonant, making sure each tap actually corresponds to a sound you made. This one habit shift can prevent real misunderstandings, not just soften your accent.