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How to Pronounce the Word DAUGHTER
Published on 2012-04-18 18:00:15
American Accent Video Tip- Pronounce the word UNIVERSITY
Published on 2012-04-04 00:49:29
Speaking Slowly Vs. Speaking Fast
Published on 2012-04-02 16:33:37
As an English language learner, you might be wondering whether it is more important to speak slowly or to speak fast when speaking in English. The truth is that there is really no ideal speed for speaking in English. What is more important is to be understood – and most of the time, this has [...] > read more
Listening To The American Accent
Published on 2012-03-29 22:27:51
While you are engaged in your studies on the American accent, it can be easy to get lost and focus too much on just your speaking skills. Of course, the fact of the matter is that effective communication is a two-way process that involves listening as well as speaking. Before you are able to speak [...] > read more
Accent Neutralization – A Simple Way To Develop Fluency
Published on 2012-03-23 00:45:56
Pronouncing he’ll, she’ll and we’ll
Published on 2012-03-14 15:32:49
Here's a helpful pronunciation tip… > read more
The Importance of Accent in English Communication
Published on 2012-02-28 00:29:22
Many people who try to learn English as a second language do not get very far in their studies even after years of attempting to acquire book knowledge of English by studying its grammar, syntax and even the proper pronunciation of individual words. Even after years of learning, many English language learners still cannot speak [...] > read more
Listen To The Music
Published on 2012-02-12 21:45:14
All types of spoken languages have their own accent. In fact, on an even broader scale, all individuals can be said to have an accent. Americans are no different. Even though native speakers often like to deny this, it is a fact that there exists an American accent – and this is what foreign English [...] > read more
Oral Reading
Published on 2012-01-19 15:20:06
One of the simplest and most often overlooked techniques towards self-improvement as far as spoken English for foreigners is concerned is oral reading. In fact, studies done on English language learners (ELLs) show that frequently engaging the students in oral reading activities not only helps to develop English fluency, but also has a motivating effect [...] > read more
Pronunciation Tip- Blending with R
Published on 2012-01-04 05:01:30
Here is a tip that can help you if you have problems saying combined sounds like GR, TR, and BR. You need to start the R before you finish the first sound. If you finish the first sound and then start the next one, you will get a small extra vowel sound between the two. [...] > read more
VOA News Report on Using Social Media for Job Searches
Published on 2011-12-28 19:58:05
As you may know, Iam a big fan ofVoice of America's (VOA) Special English program. They have a tons of news programsspoken fairly slowly. The reason I like this is because it helps you really hear the sounds of each word. The only thing you have to watch out for is word connections. Since everything [...] > read more
How to pronounce THE
Published on 2011-12-20 00:49:53
http://accentworkshop.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/the.mp3 Someone just asked me how to pronounce the word THE. He says he sometimes hears /th^/ sometimes /thiy/ sometimes /th'/ sometimes /d^/ He wanted to know which one was correct. The firstthree are correct. The fourth one is used but I don't recommend it for you unless you want to use a lot of [...] > read more
Fast and Easy Answers about Grammar
Published on 2011-12-07 23:45:44
While I mainly focus on English pronunciation nowadays, many people still have a lot of questions about grammar. Here is a great (totally free) resource with answers to 55 common questions such as… A lot or Alot? A or An? Accept or Except? Acronyms and Initialisms? Active or Passive Verbs? [...] > read more
Pronouncing BAD and BED
Published on 2011-11-27 03:26:46
James asked me how to distinguish between the words bad and bed. Here is what I told him and I thought you might like to hear, too… badandbed > read more
Foreign Accents Can Cause Doubt
Published on 2011-11-15 20:44:43
The University of Chicago has an interesting article out on how a heavy foreign accent can make people less believable. It makes me a little sad, but you may find that non-native speakers of your native language who have heavy accents are sometimes wrongly judged, too. Read it and let me know what you think… [...] > read more
Have You Made Any Funny Pronunciation Mistakes?
Published on 2011-11-05 03:14:53
Have you ever made a mistake with your English pronunciation and said somethingfunny or embarrasing when you didn't mean to? I know I have! Many times. I ended up asking for a room (pang) in Korean instead of bread (ppang). And one poor guy in Portugal was very surprised when I told him I had [...] > read more
Pronouncing “How Are You?”
Published on 2011-11-01 12:42:47
How are you? We say it all the time. It's a part of everyday life. Are you saying it correctly?What word has the most stress on it? Is it How? Is is Are? Is it You? It makes a difference. Well, the answer is- it depends. Every English sentence always has one word that is [...] > read more
Contest
Published on 2011-06-27 18:26:01
Why are you interested in learning an American accent? Listen to my short introduction… http://accentworkshop.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/contest.mp3 Tell me why you are interested in the American accent in the comments area and > read more
How to pronounce the word SOMETHING
Published on 2011-06-09 21:21:22
When you have two consonants together, you will have to start getting ready for the second consonant even before you finish the first one. You can see how that happens in the word something. > read more
Betty Bought a Bit of Better Butter
Published on 2011-06-02 00:44:37
Do you like Tongue Twisters? Here is a very popular one thatcan help you practice the soft T's that come up so often in English. Listen to the tongue twister and then try it out. Don't let your tongue get tied, though! http://acce > read more
How to pronounce the word CENTER
Published on 2011-05-27 13:18:15
I received this questionfrom Andy and I thought you might like to know the answer, too… How do you pronounce the word center, as in the sentence "I live on Center Avenue". I notice that native speakers say the second syllable real > read more
Pronouncing POLITICS, POLITICAL, and POLITICIAN
Published on 2011-05-24 16:22:57
One very interesting thing about English is how the stress patterns of words can change when we change the part of speech. Listen to this word: politics http://accentworkshop.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/politics.mp3 Can y > read more
The Pronunciation and Use of Surgery
Published on 2011-05-17 20:42:25
The word surgery can be difficult to pronounce. Here are some things you might want to know… 1- When pronounced clearly, it has 2 /er/ sounds in it. Surgery The first syllable is stressed and the second one isn't. B > read more
How D + Y = J
Published on 2011-05-16 17:06:11
I'll bet you have heard a lot of people saying things like dijoo and kujoo instead of did you and could you. Maybe you are even saying them that way, too. But do you know why you can hear a J in there when there isn't one written? > read more
Toronto or Toronno- How do you say it?
Published on 2011-05-13 13:27:51
Have you ever noticed how some peoplepronounce the city nameToronto, and others say Toronno? Have you ever wondered why? In fact, I live in Sacramento, California, and while plenty of people say Sacramento, probably a whole lot more > read more
Picking Up Accents
Published on 2011-05-01 22:39:55
Maria asked me: Do certain people pick up on accents better than others? Listen to my answer here. http://www.accentworkshop.com/amember/members/question8.mp3 > read more
The Short I
Published on 2011-04-11 23:35:09
SEATvs SIT Many people who have learned English as teenagers or adults have some difficulty distinguishing between the vowels in sheep and ship, teen and tin, meat and mitt. In the first instance in each pai > read more
Why do people use “GOTTA” ?
Published on 2011-04-02 00:56:15
Do you know why people often say gotta instead of must or have to? This short video will give you a little background on the word gotta. > read more
Speaking 2 Languages May Delay Getting Alzheimer’s
Published on 2011-02-28 01:14:48
Here is something I've always believed… Knowing more than one language boosts your brain. I remember my high school teacher telling me (a long time ago) that learning a new language can keep us from getting dementia. I've > read more
Private American Accent Coaching
Published on 2011-02-28 01:05:54
If you don't know it already, in addition to the American Accent Workshop, I often take on a few private students or small groups for independent accent coaching. If you would like to learn more about coaching over the internet, please cont > read more
Practicing Pronunciation with Voice of America
Published on 2011-02-18 03:04:29
I absolutely love VOA's Special English section. VOA stands for Voice of America and the reason I love them so much is that they produce the news in slowed-down version of English. I'm a great believer in this becauseusing s > read more
How to Pronounce the Word REFRIGERATOR
Published on 2011-02-08 00:29:05
Learn how to break down the word refrigerator so it can be pronounced easily. > read more
Stress in Phrasal Verbs (Two Part Verbs)
Published on 2011-02-05 00:10:30
Where did you grow up? Please fill out this form. He brought it up at the dinner party. Stop by my house on your way home. Tommy sure takes after his father. The two-part verbs that you see in these sentences are called phrasal verbs. They look > read more
Pronouncing the word WATER
Published on 2011-01-20 22:44:56
Masako asked me: "How can I say the word water? Usually people don't understand me." Here is my audio response… http://www.accentworkshop.com/amember/members/question6.mp3 > read more
Take a Peek inside Accent Workshop
Published on 2011-01-17 22:54:48
Take a look at all of the features of the American Accent Workshop: > read more
What are your English Goals for 2011?
Published on 2011-01-04 18:04:50
It's the first week of the new year and for many of us, it's time to make some new goals or resolutions as we enter this new period. I like to think of January as a fresh start where there are lots of possibilities. So my question to you is- > read more
How to Pronounce the English Alphabet
Published on 2010-12-07 12:08:19
Are you sure that you know how to pronounce the English alphabet? Just in case there is any doubt, this video will show you how to say each letter of the American alphabet. > read more
Personality Descriptions Broken Down S-L-O-W-L-Y
Published on 2010-11-20 16:58:03
Check out the following words about personality traits. I have broken them down into really small pieces you can hear them better and practice them more easily. http://www.accentworkshop.com/amember/members/wl5.mp3 optimistic pessimistic assertive > read more
Making Yourself Understood When English is Not Your First Language
Published on 2010-11-13 16:16:18
Adapting to another country can be an overwhelming experience by itself, but add the difficulty of working in another language, and you may find yourself feeling like a helpless child. Here are some tips that can help you be better understood when sp > read more
What is your most difficult English word to pronounce?
Published on 2010-10-22 17:03:29
I have another question for you… What is the most difficult English word for you to pronounce? Is it something that you use at work? Is it something that you try to avoid? Is it something that you explain instead of saying because you don’ > read more
How to Pronounce CAN’T in American English
Published on 2010-10-16 13:23:29
A while ago I showed you how Americans and Canadians say CAN when it is used as a modal or auxilliary verb. Now let me show you how we say CAN’T so you don’t always have to use CANNOT instead. > read more
How to Pronounce AGAIN
Published on 2010-10-08 19:24:34
Here is a short pronunciation tip for you… When you say the word gain as in to add to, you use a long A as in the word cake. When the British say the word again like in do it again, they also use the long A as in cake for the spelling of AI. [. > read more
Pronouncing AW and AU
Published on 2010-09-29 02:07:58
A lot of people are very surprised when I tell them that most Americans pronounce the following words with the /a/ as in father. That’s right, the spelling is an AW or AU, but the sound is just /a/. Try it out then go out and listen for it. law > read more