intonation

  • Do You Speak English Clearly? Or Are People Nodding to Make You Happy?

    Why ask the question? Little do you as English learners pay attention to how you speak English. It’s not your fault. Your teachers have talked you into ignoring the way you sound. “We can understand you” they say. What they mean is that we can understand you when you speak about something we already…

  • How not to sound like a robot in English!

    This article will be helpful for those of you who believe you have a good command of the English language. You can speak fluently, you know the words, you know the grammar, you’re clear enough for most native speakers, however, you might get the feeling that you don’t sound interesting when you speak English.…

  • Bad pronunciation: 3 don’ts

    Bad pronunciation comes basically from 3 reasons that your pronunciation may not be good enough or clear enough. We’ll refer to these 3 reasons as the 3 don’ts. We’ll use the following sentence to demonstrate the 3 dont’s. I will get back to you as soon as possible (you often say or hear that…

  • You’re done memorizing the dictionary, now what?

    Isn’t that what many learners do? Literally study and memorize the dictionary from cover to cover? And how many learners study every grammar rule in the textbook? Some learners seriously know about the structure of the language more than many teachers. I have also met so many of them who are extremely fluent, and…

  • Spoken English through rap music

    Why rap music is good for improving English speaking and listening? Basically, I think of rap as the modern and hip version of tongue twisters. We all know what tongue twisters are good for. Rap though could potentially play a more powerful role in training the learner’s mouth and ears in producing and perceiving…

  • The schwa sound explained

    What is the schwa sound? It is a very LAZY and typically quick and short. In the world of colors, it is equivalent to GREY. In the world of drinks, it is equivalent to water, NO TASTE! Got the idea? I say it’s lazy, because we don’t need to make any effort with the…

  • Pronunciation Teaching: The Basics

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