Why You’re Having Trouble Pronouncing Words in American English

If you’re having trouble pronouncing words in English, you’re not alone. When we’re learning a language, we spend so much time getting the grammar, the vocabulary and the expressions right. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave much time for working on the pronunciation of sounds or the music of the language. Besides that, it’s totally natural for your native language to influence the way you speak English. That said, some of these differences between your native language … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Practice Stress Patterns to Predict How to Say New Words

Let’s talk about strategies you can use to predict how to say new words. After all, you don’t always have a chance to check their pronunciation before using them. What happens when you come across a new or unfamiliar word? You look for something you recognize: Maybe the word looks like another word you’re comfortable saying. Maybe the word looks similar to a word in your native language, so you have a general idea of … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Clearly Say New, Unfamiliar, and Tricky Words with Word Stress and Contrast

Clearly Say Tricky Words

Can you relate to this experience? You see a word all the time in writing. You know what it means and how to use it. But then when you go to say it, you realize that you actually don’t feel confident pronouncing it out loud. You stumble over the word, hoping that you got it close enough so that the other person understands you. Don’t worry – we’ve all been there! That’s why I’m going … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Fast Speech – Shortcuts English Speakers Use to Speak Quickly and Efficiently

Have you noticed how we say “comfterble,” even though the word is spelled com-for-ta-ble? Have you ever heard anyone say “ax” when talking about asking questions? Or have you wondered why people often call the second month of the year “Febyuary,” even though there’s technically an “r” in the middle? In this video, we’re going to talk about fast speech, and the interesting things native English speakers do in order to speak the language more … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Intonation For Clear Communication – Why Intonation Is So Important in American English

So you’re ready to improve your intonation! You’d like to communicate what you mean and express how you feel when speaking English. You get that intonation involves pitch, but you realize that it goes beyond the rises and falls of your voice. You want to understand why intonation is so important for clear communication. In this video, we’re going to talk about why intonation matters so much in American English. You’ll learn the most important … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Change Your Meaning with Your Voice – Intonation, Inflection, & Tone of Voice

You can say the same question in several different ways: What are you doing? (falling intonation) What are YOU doing? WHAT are you doing? What are you doing? (steep fall in pitch) What are you doing? (wavy pitch) What are you doing? (flat pitch) Even though the words are the same, the feeling you get from them is totally different. In this video, you’re going to learn three ways to change your meaning with your … Read the article and watch the video lesson