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Posts Tagged ‘improve spoken english’

The First Secret for Improving Your Spoken English

One of the best strategies you can use to improve your spoken American English is to learn to use syllable stress correctly.

That’s because when you use syllable stress correctly it creates a speech rhythm that sounds familiar to American listeners.

When non native English speakers stress every syllable in a sentence with the same emphasis it [...]

Spoken English Secret # 2-Sentence Intonation

Intonation is the rise and fall of pitch in spoken language. In spoken English these intonation patterns convey meaning.
In rising falling intonation the speaker’s pitch rises and falls on the focus word in the sentence. Listen to each sentence. The pitch will rise and fall on the focus word.
Statement- He wants to go to the [...]

Spoken English Secret #3-Learn Your Vowel Sounds

American English has five letters known as vowels but there are at least 11 simple vowel sounds and 3 diphthongs (although there are some regional differences).
As an example let’s examine the sound of the vowel ‘a’ in two different words.
Say the word ‘apple’. Listen to the sound of the /ae/ The sound of the ‘a’ [...]

Spoken English Secret #4-The Sounds of the American T

When you are speaking American English a letter ‘t’ that occurs in the middle of a word often sounds more like a /d/.
This sound is called a tapped T and it is one of the main differences between an American English accent and a British accent.
To make the tapped T sound, let your tongue lightly [...]

Spoken English Secret #5-Work with a Specialist

There are thousands of professionals living in the United States who need to speak American English clearly and confidently in the workplace. These professionals include doctors, IT managers, accountants, trainers and salespeople.
They know that improving their spoken American English will help them to communicate more effectively with business associates, customers, clients & colleagues.
You may be one [...]

Spoken English Secret # 6-Learn to Use Schwa

The schwa is the relaxed vowel sound that is frequently used in unstressed syllables. This sound is used in both British and American English.
The schwa is made with your tongue sitting in a relaxed position in the center of your mouth. It sounds like “uh”. The phonetic symbol for the schwa sound is /ə/.
Any vowel [...]