Correct pronunciation can often mean the difference between getting what you want and not. Recently, I posted about how the words “hobby” and “happy” confuse many students because of the way an error in pronunciation of the /p/can make them sound similar. Here is another seasonal example. In summer, many people go camping or go to the […]
Depending on your pronunciation, words that are very different can become homophones. Watch out for this. It can get you in trouble! For example, speakers of Arabic often confuse hobby and happy because they tend to lose the puff of air native English speakers make when they say a /p/. Hobby means a fun activity […]
My beginning students confuse “There are” and “They are.” First, the pronunciation is hard. To say “There,” your mouth ends up in the position you would use to say the word “girl.” Your mouth is small and your lips are tight and turned down. To say “they,” smile big. Show all of your teeth. (Or, as […]
Regular verbs all end with -ed. Why does the pronunciation sometimes sound like /t/, sometimes like /d/, and sometimes like a new syllable /ɪd/? To help you answer the question, find the sound that comes in front of the -ed ending. For example, in the verb helped, /p/ is the sound right before the -ed. Put […]
In English, words with different meanings can sound similar. This can make us laugh. Sound jokes are called puns. They are fun to create, and when we get (understand) a pun, we feel clever. Sometimes, we also groan when we understand the pun. We call those puns groaners. They’re bad puns, but in a good […]
The crazy spelling of English reflects the etymology (or origin) of English vocabulary. Begin by watching Claire Bowern’s simple TED Talk on the origins of English. So. now you know that the reason why these endings are spelled similarly but are pronounced differently is due to their country/language of origin. Now, let’s look at some specific […]
Tip One: Even without having “perfect” pronunciation, you can sound more like a native speaker of English. You do it by learning to emphasize the right words in a sentence. Emphasize means to say something louder and stretch it out longer. Imagine that you are holding a rubber band. When you get to these important words, […]
