The Last Pronunciation Class You Will Ever Need
Do you notice that people ask you to repeat what you say? Or that people pretend to understand you when you can tell they don't?
It might be time to review the basics of English pronunciation.
It's possible that your English as a Second Language classes didn't do a good job teaching pronunciation, especially if your teacher didn't speak English as a first language. I have heard this story from hundreds of my English students!
That's why I decided to teach pronunciation the way that American children are taught in Kindergarten.
In a kindergarten classroom, American children learn the vowels, A E I O U, and sometimes Y.
Easy.
Next, American children learn that every vowel has two primary sounds: the short sound and the long sound.
This is the part that even my most advanced students usually don't know!
The letter A can be pronounced two ways. The short A sounds like the A in 'at,' and the long A sounds like the A in 'ate.'
Usually the silent E at the end of the word changes the vowel from short to long! That's why we don't pronounce the E at the end of so many words. But that silent E still has a function, and that is to change the vowel sound of the word!
So:
Short A: At, Ask, Am, Class.
Long A: Ate, Make, Name, Age.
The same is true for all of the vowels.
Short E: Red, Said, Help, Less.
Long E: Read, Speed, Meet, Even.
Short I: It, Big, Kid, Is.
Long I: I, Hi, Bye, Like.
The MOST common pronunciation mistake for English learners everywhere is confusion between Short I and Long E.
Can you pronounce the difference between these words?
It / Eat
Kiss / Keys
This / These
Send me a message to receive a complete pronunciation review, and I can teach you all the vowel sounds just like American kids learn when they are five years old.
You will leave class with a Google Document with lists of common words with each Short and Long vowel sound and a personalized assessment of your pronunciation. I will give you specific exercises with recordings to practice daily to become a more clear English speaker.
See you in class,
Rebecca
10 Aralık 2018
