Improving spoken English quickly
Being understood #
Many English language learners have a large English vocabulary but still notice they have trouble being understood when speaking English. Working on pronunciation helps eliminate this frustration.
The fastest way to improve pronunciation is to tune in to the stress in words and sentences #
Placing stress means emphasizing specific syllables in words. Placing stress in the expected location is powerful. This applies to syllables in words as well as words in sentences.
There are many ways to improve pronunciation. It can be slower and more difficult to focus on individual sounds.
English speakers have a wonderful variety of accents that are not a barrier to being understood.
Several correct pronunciations with different accents are linked below. These are all easy to understand because the stress is placed on the correct syllable.
Exmaples of different accents correctly pronouning the word: determine #
British:
French:
Latin American:
Australian:
Exmaples of different accents correctly pronouning the word: pedestal #
Latin American:
Australian:
French:
British:
All of these examples can be understood because the stress is placed where it is expected. There is no difficulty in understanding the word even with an accent. When stress is placed incorrectly it confuses the listener, takes them longer to identify the word and interrupts comprehension.
Identifying stress in words using a dictionary’s phonemic notation #
The phonemic system describing pronunciation used in dictionaries uses ‘ to identify stressed syllables in words. It is placed before the stressed syllable. Our example of the word pedestal where the first syllable is stressed has this phonemic notation:
/ˈpedɪstl/
From Oxford English Learners Dictionary
Need help with Pronunciation? #
Tune into the music of English with "Pronunciation In English"