Improving Pronunciation
Observe, listen & repeat.
Improving your pronunciation is a really important task in English. It’s important to understand that it takes time and you won’t see any changes overnight. However, it is something that might be worth keeping in mind throughout your studies.
If wrong pronunciation gets cemented in your mind, it will be harder to unlearn them later on.
Never be afraid to speak up and make mistakes because that’s how you learn and get corrected.
Yet it’s also important to remember that we all msis things from time to time. In your native language, you surely have to say “Can you say that again?” to friends, don’t you? So don’t be discouraged just because someone didn’t catch what you said the first time.
Tips to Improve Pronunciation
1. Observe people REALLY carefully
2. Learn the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)
3. Check pronunciation on Forvo or Google
4. Try minimal pair exercises
5. Identify your most difficult areas (teachers are handy for this) and follow YouTube tutorials
6. Exaggerate sounds
7. Learn stress and syllables
8. Consider focusing on just one dialect (for now)
Vocabulary
- To mumble (00:56) – To talk quickly and unclearly
- To stumble (00:56) – To fall over (when walking, or your words)
- Prompt (1:40) – A phrase given to someone as a reminder of something
- At the get-go (3:00) – Right from the beginning
- Red flag (3:16) – A sign that something or someone could be dangerous or not a good option
- To cement (4:12) – To solidify and become hard to remove
- To ease nerves (6:02) – To relax
- To job one’s memory (6:50) – Something to help someone remember
- To branch out (19:55) – To explore more similar topics and expand
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