How to Improve Your Pronunciation in English

Hi, y'all! I'm Ashley Rhone from ParadigmEnglish.com and the Podcast Living in English: 365. 

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Have you ever wondered why you studied English for so many years, but you still can't understand spoken English? Or, why people can't understand you when you speak in English? Well, today is your lucky day because I will tell you three things you must do to have better English pronunciation AND improve your **vocabularywith a few new words. 

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1) Sounds

Learn and perfect you English pronunciation by focusing on the sounds. Did you know that there are 44 phonemes in English? Okay, Ashley, but what's a phoneme. Basically, a phoneme is a sound, or a group of sounds. Take for example, vowels and consonants. The English language has 26 letters in its alphabet with 5 of the 26 letters being vowels. Now, here's the tricky thing, there are only those 5 vowels to make up over 40 phonemes. Yikes! 

Also, keep in mind the remaining 21 letters called consonants and things can get hairy! Don't worry much, though. Book an individual meeting with me at paradigmenglish.com and I'll help you reduce your accent in English. 

Don't forget that there are also many different dialects of English spoken around the world and each is, well, different. 

*Bonus: You just learned that English has a lot more vowel sounds in English than the 5 vowels represent, but do you know which vowel sound is the most frequent one in English? Leave your comment below. 

2) Stress the stress

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you just don't put the correct sentence or word stress when you're speaking. This can cause the listener to be confused, you embarrassed, and both of you to be frustrated. What a nightmare. 

3) Ebb & flow

Many students never learn that English has tones. I know, shocking. This does not mean that English is a tonal language: it's a non-tonal language. But, tone, just as in literature, shows attitude towards something. Unfortunately, many students never learn this and the get it wrong when speaking to others, especially native speakers. Also, intonation is important. It takes time to learn it well, but practice makes perfect. 

Lastly, focus on your thought groups when you're speaking as well as reduced and connected speech. 

Alright, folks. If you focus on improving your English using these three tips, you're sure to reduce your accent in no time. 

Start your journey to better speaking and pronunciation for IELTS, school, or your career today! Happy practicing and see you next time.

**Vocabulary words & phrases**

Phoneme
Tricky
Yikes
Keep in mind
Nightmare
Ebb & flow
Practice makes perfect