Expert English Pronunciation, Accent Reduction & Fluency
I learned to teach pronunciation well by reading these books, and taking apart all the pieces of English sound, laying them all out on the table (so to speak), and then putting the pieces back together in a way that Read More …
I’ve been playing with different software, looking for good tools that help English learners and practitioners improve their pronunciation. Today’s post is about SoundCloud. I found the following clip on SoundCloud, put up there by someone else, and it’s the Read More …
Angle Heart, a Facebook Page fan, requested more information about strong and weak forms. This is so easy to teach in person, and so hard to write about, because strong and weak forms are about sounds, not written words. You’ll Read More …
Today a client encountered an unfamiliar word ending in -ture; I think it was overture. So we had a brief review of the pronunciation of this end syllable. It can be part of a noun, as in the word nature, or Read More …
Some people say “thee”; some say “thuh”, many people say both! Here is the short answer for why and when we say them. In the daily practice of speaking, American English speakers strive to stay as relaxed as possible, in Read More …
Fun English for learners website–I especially like their Mixers: 6 different people speaking English, some with accents, discussing the same topic, for example: their worst haircut, or…asking someone to do them a big favor and take care of their pet. Read More …
This question came up recently (again): Why do native English speakers sometimes pronounce the word “the” as rhyming with “see”, and other times pronounce it to rhyme with “duh”? The most common pronunciation of the is with schwa, to rhyme Read More …
This YouTube video will get your feet moving, your toes tapping, and your spirits soaring! When the songwriters composed this tune, they changed the natural intonation patterns to something less natural, adding an element of surprise and excitement to the Read More …
Here’s a text that will get you started thinking abut the purposes and dynamics of intonation at a level not usually covered in ESL/EFL books and materials. You may be able to find it in a university library, but I Read More …
Teaching Amerian English pronunciation for the first time? You can only find this used, and you’re lucky if you can find it! It’s a great teacher resource and if you’re studying American English pronunciation on your own, this just might Read More …