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Hello everyone,

This is one part of the series "Tips for learning English". The series is today created in the sake of collecting and assembling tips which come from English learners. Post your own tips which really work Other members can learn from them, and if necessary we could discuss

You are in PRONUNCIATION section 8) .

English Pronunciation lessons: http://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/

When the English tongue we speak
Why is break not rhymed with weak?
Won’t you tell me why it’s true
We say sew, but also few?
And the maker of a verse
Cannot rhyme his horse with worse?
Beard is not the same as heard,
Cord is different from word,
Cow is cow but low is low,
Shoe is never rhymed with foe,
Think of hose and dose and lose,
And think of goose and yet of choose,
Think of comb and tomb and bomb,
Doll and roll and home and some,
And since pay is rhymed with say,
Why not paid with said I pray?
Think of blood and food and good;
Mould is not pronounced like could,
Why is it done but gone and lone –
Is there any reason known?
To sum it up, it seems to me
That sounds and letters don’t agree.

This poem is very good, hope U like it like I do :) . So just practise

Very good!

I had another one, and harder. But I lost it, unfortunately! :D

Thanks for your sharing!It is very clear and good tips for students.I really can't pronouce well sometimes.
Some long speelling words are very difficult to pronouce.
I have to practise more form it!I must learn from it as to improve my english speaking.

Let's have a look at the basic pronunciation:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/help/phonetics.htm

thank you for all the tips. my own experience is to imagine the pose of your mouth, your tongue, your throat, etc. b4 speaking the word out loud. i think it's the best tips for the English learners. i've been applying this tip for a long time, and now people say that my pronunciation is not bad :">

Hmm it's interesting.I'll pactise it. Sometimes we also could listen to the television especially English News, watching english movie or sing an english song.This could be the basic steps of learning pronunciation.

We also could sing a song.From the simple level to the hardest one.

"Twinkle twinke little stars, how i wonder what you are.."

"When marimba rhythms start to play
Dance with me, make me sway
Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore
Hold me close, sway me more

Like a flower bending in the breeze
Bend with me, sway with ease
When we dance you have a way with me
Stay with me, sway with me"

:D :D :D :D

How about tounge-twisters? I think they are useful and give us more fun to learn.

A classic one: She sells the sea-shells by the sea shore. If she sells the sea-shells, show me the sea-shells she sells.

pirate wrote:How about tongue-twisters? I think they are useful and give us more fun to learn.

A classic one: She sells the sea-shells by the sea shore. If she sells the sea-shells, show me the sea-shells she sells.

Tongue-twisters are good for warming up and most welcome at the very beginning of each class - much like short and rather simple songs from 'Children's favorite songs' you may find on the Holywood site:

It ain't gonna rain no more no more,
It ain't gonna rain no more,
How in the heck
Can I wash my neck
If it ain't gonna rain no more.

...and the like.

Songs are as well a good way to round up classes though...

It is very difficult to say Pirate..I'll practise it more

My thanks is beyond words.

I'm in trouble with word-stress.
I don't know where can i make stress in words .

Hi Pirate !
I agree with you.
You are right at your tips for pronunciations.

My native language is Spanish and I want to improve my English language skills. Could you tell me or any body where I can get that book "Not study, but learn"?. I couldn't find it in Amazon.com. Thanks a lot friends.[/b]

Very interesting.
actually, i am now doing research on how to acquire native-like pronunciation.
well, my questions is how can i motivate lazy students who rarely practice their pronunciation?

I'll share some of the most stupid n boring styles of how i learn pronunciation.....

I guess pronunciation comes from your confidence in your mouth;which is the tongue and throat. I know this is really an absurd idea & suggestion.

But i believe if you put in confidence in your 'tongue' something like;we practise it with a mirror or perhaps our daily conversations with some other races could help, then of course the tongue twister is great too(tt' peter-pickled is recommended for asians).Then 4 the throat if we practise singing classical english song/music can help a little and also whenever we are shouting at the top of our voice to convey whatever msg when we are angry,somehow it(maybe something like that... of..our mind-perception work) would always make the word or pronunciation seems almost perfect or correct.

It somehow works for me since young we cant avoid those small quarrels over something(which is 4 the throat part) and also the best part is to learn from cacausians that kind of thick accent which we hardly encounter in our asian city. It is like 'wow' cacausians, but that was in 90's so not anymore nw!!!Then some will be motivated to learn that accent,eventually get to learn the pronunciation correctly

Hi There

Just wanted to let people know of a FREE TO USE website which may help with pronunciation. The website is http://www.ipicthat.com it is the world's first online talking dictionary. The site basically comprises of a ‘dictionary’ of approximately 5,500 words in an A-Z format and uses photographs to help identify each word. Every word has a written and spoken breakdown, highlighting any unusual soundings. In addition there are 'Letter Sounds', 'Rules', 'Categories', 'Scenarios' and a 'Help' section. Every part of the website is completely talking. You just need to register (which is FREE) and away you go - hope it helps . Please feel free to pass on to your friends.

Thanks

I practice reading english text loudly – as you read loudly, you will be able to identify the mistakes in your pronunciation.

If you can find a person who has good English then much better. Preferably, find someone who is a native English speaker and who can speak the language fluently. Practice by communicating with him or her. Use all your knowledge and experience that you've gained till now and try to make sure you speak as fluently as possible. One thing to remember is that it's perfectly alright to mispronounce a word or two or even more.

Pronounciation:
>
> Vowels vs. Consonants:
>
> There are two ways to pronounciate English words:
>
> With the vowels being pronounced as in Latin.
>
> A-ah
> E-eh
> I-y
> O-oh
> U-u
>
> Or English:
>
> A-ai
> E-i
> I-ay
> O-ou
> U-iu
> Y-this is considered a vowel and is pronounced as an "I".
>
> Vowels win and are pronounced as in English when there is the
> same amount in a word. If there are more consonants than
> vowels, or if there are two consonants together, the sound is
> Latinized. This system doesn't work 100% of the time and
> usually works with the first 4 to 6 letters...but it does
> simplify the majority of the words in the English language and
> allows a student to be able to know how to pronounce a word
> even though he has never seen it before. I have been using the
> system for 7 years now.
>
> Example:
>
> APE (english)
>
> APPLE (latin)
>
> CAP(latin)
>
> CAPE(english)
>
> IRONIC(english)
>
> FAMOUS(english)
>
> INFAMOUS(latin)
>
> INSTILL(latin)
>
> UNANIMOUS(english)
>
> HAT(latin)
> HATE(english)
>
> NUMBER(latin)
> NUMERIC(english)
>
> UNCOMMON(latin)
>
> HE(english)
> HI(english)
> MY(english)
>
> HELP(latin)
> HILL(latin)
> MYSTICAL(latin)
>
> My explanation may be a little confusing but the examples
> speak for themselves.
>
> I hope you like it and it helps.
>
> Marcelo.

It's best to listen to a native speaker on how they pronounce it. You can check a dictionary to see how it's pronounced then practice it. Then you listen to a native speaker on how he pronounce it and compare notes. Then practice how he pronounce it.

Another tip is to make sure that you pronounce your end consonants properly. For example, the word "end". Make sure that you pronounce the letter d properly. If you don't, it would seem like you're eating your words and it will make it harder for your listeners to decipher what you're saying.

Before you pronounce a word that you've never pronounced before, imagine the pronunciation first in your mind. Imagine what sound it will make and the positioning of your mouth when you say it.

Try this ultimate test of pronounciation from http://www.vocabularywiki.com/English_Pronunciation ....

The Chaos

by G. Nolst Trenite' a.k.a. "Charivarius" 1870 - 1946

Dearest creature in creation

Studying English pronunciation,

I will teach you in my verse

Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse

I will keep you, Susy, busy,

Make your head with heat grow dizzy.

Tear in eye your dress you'll tear,

So shall I! Oh, hear my prayer,

Pray, console your loving poet,

Make my coat look new, dear, sew it!

Just compare heart, beard and heard,

Dies and diet, lord and word,

Sword and sward, retain and Britain.

(Mind the latter, how it's written).

Made has not the sound of bade,

Say said, pay-paid, laid, but plaid.

Now I surely will not plague you

With such words as vague and ague,

But be careful how you speak,

Say break, steak, but bleak and streak.

Previous, precious, fuchsia, via,

Pipe, snipe, recipe and choir,

Cloven, oven, how and low,

Script, receipt, shoe, poem, toe.

Hear me say, devoid of trickery:

Daughter, laughter and Terpsichore,

Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles.

Exiles, similes, reviles.

Wholly, holly, signal, signing.

Thames, examining, combining

Scholar, vicar, and cigar,

Solar, mica, war, and far.

From "desire": desirable--admirable from "admire."

Lumber, plumber, bier, but brier.

Chatham, brougham, renown, but known.

Knowledge, done, but gone and tone,

One, anemone. Balmoral.

Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel,

Gertrude, German, wind, and mind.

Scene, Melpomene, mankind,

Tortoise, turquoise, chamois-leather,

Reading, reading, heathen, heather.

This phonetic labyrinth

Gives moss, gross, brook, brooch, ninth, plinth.

Billet does not end like ballet;

Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet;

Blood and flood are not like food,

Nor is mould like should and would.

Banquet is not nearly parquet,

Which is said to rime with "darky."

Viscous, Viscount, load, and broad.

Toward, to forward, to reward.

And your pronunciation's O.K.,

When you say correctly: croquet.

Rounded, wounded, grieve, and sieve,

Friend and fiend, alive, and live,

Liberty, library, heave, and heaven,

Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven,

We say hallowed, but allowed,

People, leopard, towed, but vowed.

Mark the difference, moreover,

Between mover, plover, Dover,

Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,

Chalice, but police, and lice.

Camel, constable, unstable,

Principle, disciple, label,

Petal, penal, and canal,

Wait, surmise, plait, promise, pal.

Suit, suite, ruin, circuit, conduit,

Rime with "shirk it" and "beyond it."

But it is not hard to tell,

Why it's pall, mall, but Pall Mall.

Muscle, muscular, gaol, iron,

Timber, climber, bullion, lion,

Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, and chair,

Senator, spectator, mayor,

Ivy, privy, famous, clamour

And enamour rime with hammer.

Pussy, hussy, and possess,

Desert, but dessert, address.

Golf, wolf, countenance, lieutenants.

Hoist, in lieu of flags, left pennants.

River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,

Doll and roll and some and home.

Stranger does not rime with anger.

Neither does devour with clangour.

Soul, but foul and gaunt but aunt.

Font, front, won't, want, grand, and grant.

Shoes, goes, does. Now first say: finger.

And then: singer, ginger, linger,

Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, and gauge,

Marriage, foliage, mirage, age.

Query does not rime with very,

Nor does fury sound like bury.

Dost, lost, post; and doth, cloth, loth;

Job, Job; blossom, bosom, oath.

Though the difference seems little,

We say actual, but victual.

Seat, sweat; chaste, caste.; Leigh, eight, height;

Put, nut; granite, and unite.

Reefer does not rime with deafer,

Feoffer does, and zephyr, heifer.

Dull, bull, Geoffrey, George, ate, late,

Hint, pint, Senate, but sedate.

Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,

Science, conscience, scientific,

Tour, but our and succour, four,

Gas, alas, and Arkansas.

Sea, idea, guinea, area,

Psalm, Maria, but malaria,

Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean,

Doctrine, turpentine, marine.

Compare alien with Italian,

Dandelion with battalion.

Sally with ally, yea, ye,

Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, key, quay.

Say aver, but ever, fever.

Neither, leisure, skein, receiver.

Never guess--it is not safe:

We say calves, valves, half, but Ralph.

Heron, granary, canary,

Crevice and device, and eyrie,

Face but preface, but efface,

Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.

Large, but target, gin, give, verging,

Ought, out, joust, and scour, but scourging,

Ear but earn, and wear and bear

Do not rime with here, but ere.

Seven is right, but so is even,

Hyphen, roughen, nephew, Stephen,

Monkey, donkey, clerk, and jerk,

Asp, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.

Pronunciation--think of psyche--!

Is a paling, stout and spikey,

Won't it make you lose your wits,

Writing "groats" and saying "grits"?

It's a dark abyss or tunnel,

Strewn with stones, like rowlock, gunwale,

Islington and Isle of Wight,

Housewife, verdict, and indict!

Don't you think so, reader, rather,

Saying lather, bather, father?

Finally: which rimes with "enough"

Though, through, plough, cough, hough, or tough?

Hiccough has the sound of "cup."

My advice is--give it up!

(",)

Haha. That's pretty hard! Just do it slow and focus on pronunciation.

In order to master pronouncing the English language, you have to master the "schwa" sound. I believe it is the most common sounds that is used in many words.

It's also a good idea to invest in a recording device. Read out loud a chapter of a book. Then have a native speaker listen to it and ask him if he understood you well. It doesn't matter if you have an accent. If you pronounced it correctly, he should be able to understand what you were saying.

One of the most commonly mispronounced words are "tree" and "three". You should practice pronouncing this because we always say those words. :)

I agree with you pirate! I had fun doing a tongue twister with my friends, and now I am proudly say I am good in english pronunciation. It's the best way to improve your pronunciation by just playing and enjoying to twist your tongue.

Pirate wrote:When the English tongue we speak
Why is break not rhymed with weak?
Won’t you tell me why it’s true
We say sew, but also few?
And the maker of a verse
Cannot rhyme his horse with worse?
Beard is not the same as heard,
Cord is different from word,
Cow is cow but low is low,
Shoe is never rhymed with foe,
Think of hose and dose and lose,
And think of goose and yet of choose,
Think of comb and tomb and bomb,
Doll and roll and home and some,
And since pay is rhymed with say,
Why not paid with said I pray?
Think of blood and food and good;
Mould is not pronounced like could,
Why is it done but gone and lone –
Is there any reason known?
To sum it up, it seems to me
That sounds and letters don’t agree.

This poem is very good, hope U like it like I do :) . So just practise

Thank you pirate :)

The first post claims that 'threw' and 'through' are pronounced identically... I wonder is it really so? Could anybody confirm?

DmitryL wrote:The first post claims that 'threw' and 'through' are pronounced identically... I wonder is it really so? Could anybody confirm?

Yes, I confirm. The word "threw" (past tense of "throw") sounds the same as "through".

I'm teaching English (primarily speaking and listening) to over 40 students in my hometown.

And here are 2 things I've learnt:

1. Tongue Twisters are extremely effective.

The majority of my students struggled with pronunciation.

So I taught them the correct pronuciation followed by many tongue twisters.

Due to the rigorous use of a specific sound in a typical tongue twisters,
students remember the pronunciation almost perfectly.

Thus, after a practice, words with similar pronunciation are no longer
problems for them.

2. Tongue Twisters are fun:

Students love it and I think most of us do.
It's fun to read, listen and play with.

So, I think training with tongue twisters is a wonderful to upgrade your pronunciation while
having some great fun.

I'm an English tutor teaching English online through Skype. One of the tips that I usually give to my students is to exercise their mouth (and even the face) to warm up your articulators when speaking.

I have recently put together a video which shows you how to position your tongue and mouth for a range of English consonants.
https://youtu.be/yCaoI2oxEfo
I have another one for vowel pronunciation. You can find it at https://www.advancedenglishlearning.com/page-1075376
Enjoy! I hope you find them useful!
Dr Norman

Actually, the sad thing is that, when there is attention to this matter, much emphasis is placed on pronunciation alone. This leads to disconnected speech and inability to really apply smooth, fluid, native-like style to communication.

Did you know that the real key is much beneath the surface? Yep, it's inside you.

In order to get an accent and have success with its pronunciation (and be clear), you need to actually get into the character of a target language. That's right. It's part of what acculturation is (changing and adapting into its culture).

Once we allow ourselves to 'be' - look, sound, move, act, react - like a target language, guess what? The accent and pronunciation moves so much easier and it sticks. Partly this is because you've emotionally connected in a positive way.

Latest neuroscience shows us that when we begin with emotion on something, the body automatically starts to memorize this. There's so much to say, but sufficient to say that when the body is in line with, or memorizing, the positive emotion, it sends signals and thoughts to the brain. Now, when you move your articulators (mouth, tongue, muscles, etc.) in a new and different way to sound more like the target language and culture: kaboom! You’ve got it and now you’ve got a basis for new accent, pronunciation and clear speech acquisition.

Cheers and all the very best!

BTW, I’d love to know more from you about what are the biggest challenges or key questions. If you like, just follow the link below.

that's quite interesting, Miss Smith.

Ration never rhymes with nation,
Say prefer, but preferable,
Comfortable and vegetable.
B must not be heard in doubt,
Debt and dumb both leave it out.


In the words psychology,
Psychic, and psychiatry,
You must never sound the p.
Psychiatrist you call the man
Who cures the complex, if he can.

In architect ch is k
In arch it is the other way.
Please remember to say iron
So that it'll rhyme with lion.
Advertisers advertise,
Advertisements will put you wise.

Time when work is done is leisure,
Fill it up with useful pleasure.
Accidental, accident,
Sound the g in ignorant.

Relative, but relation,
Then say creature, but creation.
Say the a in gas quite short,
Bought remember rhymes with thwart,

Drought must always rhyme with bout,
In daughter leave the g h out.
Wear a boot upon your foot.
Root can never rhyme with soot.

In muscle, s and c is s,
In muscular, it's s k, yes!
Choir must always rhyme with wire,
That again will rhyme with liar.


Then remember it's address.
With an accent like posses.
G in sign must silent be,
In signature, pronounce the g.

Please remember, say towards
Just as if it rhymed with boards.
Weight's like wait, but not like height.
Which should always rhyme with might.

Sew is just the same as so,
Tie a ribbon in a bow.
When you meet the Queen you bow,
Which again must rhyme with how.

In perfect English make a start. Learn this little rhyme by heart

rando wrote:Try this ultimate test of pronounciation from http://www.vocabularywiki.com/English_Pronunciation ....

The Chaos

by G. Nolst Trenite' a.k.a. "Charivarius" 1870 - 1946

Dearest creature in creation

Studying English pronunciation,

I will teach you in my verse

Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse

I will keep you, Susy, busy,

Make your head with heat grow dizzy.

Tear in eye your dress you'll tear,

So shall I! Oh, hear my prayer,

"

My advice is--give it up!

(",)

Tried with students. Very difficult, rarely turns out accurately.

Following mentioned are some point that can help you to improve your pronunciation:

Open Your Ears to Youtube & Podcast Pronunciation - There are a lot of very helpful, well-done youtube channels that focus on pronunciation. Beyond our very own Youtube Channel, RealLife TV, which teaches pronunciation in dynamic ways. Other recommended online website to improve English pronunciation skills is Pronouncing American English.

Listen to Podcasts Every Day - Podcasts Teaching Pronunciation: There are some phenomenal podcasts dealing with pronunciation. Podcasts are free, downloadable audio programs that you can put on your mp3 player. It is an excellent option because you can listen in your car or on the bus while you’re stuck in traffic, or whenever is most convenient for you.

Focus on the Music Behind the Words - Whether you pay attention to it or not, the musical element of a language is essential to good pronunciation. You don’t need to become a musician or listen to more music in English (although both of these could help), but you should pay attention to the intonation of native speakers. It is the melodic pattern of the language that is so fundamental to communication and human connection.

Record Yourself Speaking - Record yourself reading out loud on a tape recorder or a computer. At first, it will be really difficult to listen to your own voice. Relax, as you will get used it to pretty quickly.

There is some helpful advice on the use of commas here English Punctuation Rules.

Before learning any language try to listen to it improves. So first learn to listen, notice how your mouth and lips move and pay attention to your tongue. Listen to English songs and watch English movies it helps you to improve English fastly.

I saw that someone mentioned it already, but tongue twisters worked pretty good for me
Also, a good idea to practice pronunciation is to record yourself. It helped me to understand what I`m saying not that perfect.
I`ll write again if I`ll have any ideas. The topic is great and useful!

Thanks for sharing!

I think this post it really usefull to improve pronunciation and fluency, tongue twisters worked pretty good for me
It was so much fun if you play with friends :)

I think for better pronunciation there should be more practice.
You can try mobile apps, for example this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ion.tembry
There you can rate your current level and start improving your skills..

A great tip from my experience is to make regular use of English when speaking. According to studies, having regular conversations in that language is helpful for anyone learning a language. Movies, TV shows, news, and interviews with English subtitles are a few examples of video material. It will assist you in improving your command of everyday English. You should listen to podcasts, music, interviews, and other media in addition to reading books, periodicals, and newspapers. It will improve both your listening and reading skills when used in tandem. Your vocabulary will also get better. Reading free write ups and articles is a good way to improve pronunciation as sentences which are constructed using punctuation will define the tone of pronunciation and we will be able to pick up as we read along.

Pronunciation starts with listening. If you can't hear the subtle differences between words, it will be very difficult for you to say them yourself.

If these words are spoken individually, can you hear the difference?

steal still
warm worm
play pray
trouble travel
collection correction
sheep ship
fast first