Contrast: Improve Your Accent and Sound More Natural and Interesting in American English 🎶

Over the past few months, I’ve been hearing from a lot of non-native speakers who are concerned that they sound monotonous, robotic, bored, or even annoyed when they’re speaking English. They’ve been working on their accent, but they feel like something is missing. When you’re trying to improve how you sound in English, you’ll find a lot of tips out there. (You can find quite a few of them right here!) But if you really … Read the article and watch the video lesson

How to Handle Uncomfortable Questions You REALLY Don’t Want to Answer in English

Let me ask you something. How do you feel when someone asks you an uncomfortable question? When you’re chatting with new people at a social event or a party, or you’re interacting with strangers while waiting for the bus or the train, you might get asked an awkward question you really don’t want to answer. For example: How old are you? Why do you wear so much makeup? Why do you cover your hair? Why … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Why Intonation is So Important: We Communicate Meaning Through Tone of Voice in American English

Ready to start working on your intonation? Let’s talk about the key elements of intonation you need to understand as you learn how to use your pitch and change your tone of voice in order to communicate more effectively in American English. This introduction to intonation will help you understand the following: why intonation matters for clear communication, the most important roles of intonation in American English, and the key elements of intonation you’ll need … Read the article and watch the video lesson

How to Change the Subject or Conversation Topic in English

Imagine this situation: You’re having a great conversation with a person you’ve just met. You’re talking about a topic that both of you are really interested in, and you’re sharing ideas back and forth. You’re both asking great questions and responding with enthusiasm, but then suddenly… silence. This particular conversation topic has come to its natural conclusion. You’ve said all you have to say on this subject. Does that mean the entire conversation is over … Read the article and watch the video lesson

Clarifying What You Mean, Restating Your Ideas, and Explaining Your Thoughts

It happens to all of us. You’re in the middle of a conversation with a friend, colleague, or even a stranger on the street, and you say something that just comes out wrong. Oops! What now? Maybe you used the wrong word or expression. Maybe you lost your train of thought or forgot what you were saying. Maybe you got distracted by something happening around you. Or maybe you just needed a little more time to come up with the words … Read the article and watch the video lesson

How to Pronounce -S and -ES Endings in English (Plurals, Third Person Singular Verbs, Contractions)

Let’s talk about this little letter here: s. When you see it, you should pronounce it like “s,” right? If only English were that simple! In this article and video, we’re going to talk about how to pronounce words ending in -s and -es. There are actually three possible pronunciations of these two endings on plural nouns, third person singular verbs, contractions, and possessives: /s/, /z/, and /ɪz/. The -s suffix and ‘s contraction can … Read the article and watch the video lesson