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Be a NATIVE ENGLISH Speaker in 8 steps!!

Number one is the schwa. This is the most common and the most lazy sound in English. How do you make this sound? To make this sound properly, just breathe out of your mouth and then just make a sound. Okay, but when do we use the schwa? One of the reasons we use a schwa is in unstressed syllables. Example, cousin, the first syllable is the stressed syllable. Cou, the second syllable, that’s unstressed, so it has a weak form and that will take the schwa, cou, sin, cousin. Say with me, cousin. Other words, for example, freedom, again the first syllable is stressed, free. The second syllable is not. It’s unstressed so schwa. Not freedom, no, freedom, freedom. Say it with me, freedom. Or this word, effort. The stress is in the first syllable. So we pronounce that sound correctly. The next syllable, not stressed so, schwa, effort, effort. Or this word has three syllables, the middle syllable is stressed. So the first syllable has a schwa sound, not amazing, no, it’s amazing, amazing. And where am I now? I’m not in London, no. The first syllable is stressed, the second syllable is weak and has that schwa sound, London.

Another reason we use the schwa is when a word has the sound. For example in American English the Sound has a very strong R. But in British English, it doesn’t. For example, my job is a teacher. I say teacher. Americans would say teacher. If I get sick, I go to the hospital, and I see a doctor? No, I see a doctor, doctor. Say it with me, doctor. If I need legal help, I will not see a lawyer, I will see a lawyer, lawyer. Say it with me, lawyer. Someone who works in a university could be a professor? No, professor, professor. So repeat those four words with me. Remember to include that schwa sound, teacher, doctor, lawyer, professor.

Two, British English is non-rhotic. What the hell is non-rhotic? Non-Rhotic means that we don’t pronounce the R in the same way that for example American English pronounces it. We pronounce it in that lazy smooth way. Instead of saying here, no, we say here, warm, butterfly. Yeah, actually not every British accent is non-rhotic, some are actually rhotic. Okay, yes, fine, some are. For example west country or the pirate accent. We all know how pirates sound. They don’t say ah, no. They say… That one is Rhotic. For example we might say bird. In the west country they might say it like this bird.

Is there an exception to this? Yes, and that is when we use our linking or intrusion. For example in a sentence like, No better actor is better at acting than Ben Affleck, if you pronounce every word separately, then yes, you don’t use our linking or intrusion. But that sounds like a robot, and you’re not a robot. You might be. I don’t know. If you’re a robot, that’s cool. But if you want to sound like a natural sounding British human, then you might want to use our linking. So this sentence would sound like this, No better actor is better at acting than Ben Affleck. Try and say it with me, No better actor is better at acting than Ben Affleck.

Three, when you have a regular verb ending in the past, it will always have an “ED” ending. But there are three ways that we can pronounce that “ED” ending. One is like a T. One is like a D, and one is like ed. But how do you know which one has which ending? Well, this all has to do with voiced and unvoiced or voiceless sounds. What’s a voiced and unvoiced sound? It’s super easy, let’s compare the sounds of this and this. Put your hand to your throat, make this sound. Now add a vibration. Now you’re making this sound. So this, because there’s no vibration, it’s called unvoiced or voiceless. With this one, there is a vibration, so it’s called a voiced sound.

Okay, voiced and voiceless, why should I care? Well, it really helps to know what a voiced and unvoiced sound is, if you want to know how that “ED” ending should sound. For example take these words, kiss, walk, work, brush. All of those words finish with an unvoiced sound. So when you put them in the past, they have the “ED” endings. So how does that “ED” ending sound? It sounds like a T, kissed, walked, worked, brushed. It makes more sense if you say it in a sentence. He walked away. But it sounds really natural if you link that end sound into the next word, walked away. Notice that T links into that next word, walked away. He walked away. It sounds natural, right? Now let’s look at these words, use, play, smell. They all finish in a voiced sound. So voiced sounds make that “ED” sound like a D, used, played, smelled. In a sentence, we played a game. Fine, but sounds a bit robotic. So let’s make it sound natural and make that D sound link into that next word. We played a game. We played a game. We played a game.

When do we say that “ED” like an ed? It’s not walked. It’s not worked. It’s not wanted. Boom, wanted, ended, needed, visited. They either end in a T or a D, so the “ED” sounds like an ed. Let’s use it in a sentence. No, I’m okay. I’m okay. I just, I Needed a moment. Before is that glottal T? What is a glottal T? In the word uh-oh, the uh sound, makes your throat close and makes an uh sound. Now in some words, you can replace the T sound with that uh sound. Not in every T sound, no, some T sounds. For example at the end of words, but, it, that, not. Those words, cool, glottal T to finish, fine. It sounds great. But if there is a vowel sound, T, vowel sound, for example in words like better, water, no it sounds, I’m just going to say, it sounds stupid. Don’t do that. It sounds a little bit stupid. Just don’t do it. Also in words that have consonant sound T+ vowel sound, for example mountain, mountain, just no don’t do that.

But lastly, if there is a vowel+T sound+ consonant sound, for example in words like Batman, then it’s fine. You can use that glottal T, Batman. But again, if you want to know more about the glottal T, when to use it, when to not, click here. There is a whole lesson on it.

Five is the “ing” sound, sometimes to sound a bit more natural, you might want to contract the “ing” to an “in” sound and lose that last g, reading, writing, running, going. All these words are examples of when you can contract “ing” to “in”. Well notice that those are all words with more than one syllable and the last syllable is an “ing” sound. So for example, singing, has two syllables and in fact two “in” sounds, singing, the second “ing”, you can contract to an “in”, singing. I’ve got a meeting today, fine. But it could sound more natural if you add the glottal T and contract the “ing” to an “in”. I’ve got a meeting today. When can’t you contract it, then? If there’s only one syllable. Sing, sin? No. King, it’s one syllable, don’t contract it to kin. Thing, Thin? No, don’t contract those. Only if it’s more than one syllable and the final syllable is an “ing” sound, then it’s fine. I’m the kin of Enland, sea? It doesn’t work. Yes, England has more than two syllables but it’s the first syllable that has the “ing”, not the final one.

Number six, be careful of silent letters. For example the most commonly mispronounced word is this one. How would you say it? No, the p, we don’t pronounce it. Not receipt, no. We pronounce it, receipt, receipt. Not sward, sword, the w is silent. Okay next one, No, the b is silent. We say it like, subtle, subtle, subtle. What’s the day after Tuesday? Wednesday, Wednesday, we don’t say Wednesday, no Wednesday.

If you are from a different country, you are, what? Nope the g is silent, it’s foreign, foreign. Again, we have a perfect example of the first syllable being stressed so the second syllable is weak, has the schwa sound, foreign, foreign. Say with me, foreign.

Seven, practice, practice, practice that “th” sound. The “th” and the “th” sounds are so important. Try to be aware of the “th” sound in words and don’t pronounce it like a T or a D or a S or a Z. Before we begin, I’ve got joke for you. What did the German Philosopher say on the titanic? I’m thinking. I know I’m great, I’m just great. Now for most Non-native English speakers, this sound is super difficult but you will need to practice it. Let’s practice together, a difficult word like this one. Try it with me, three, three. After Wednesday, we have, Thursday. Say it with me, Thursday, Thursday. A word you will say many times during the day; well, you should do if you’re polite, is this one, Thank you, Thank you. Say it with me, Thank you. And on special days you want to say, Happy birthday. It’s not birthday, it’s birthday, birthday. Say it with me, practice, Birthday. For a longer explanation of how exactly to make this sound with your mouth, click here to see that video.

Eight, eight, you could have amazing pronunciation and then these words, ah, they let you down. They disappoint you. So let’s practice them. This one is very often mispronounced, not ask, it’s ask, ask, ask. Smooth them together, ask, ask. If you measure how tall something is, you measure its height. Not its height, Height. The same mistake I see in this word, not weight, no, weight, weight. This words, not comfortable, no. It’s comfortable, comfortable, comfortable. Push it together, comfortable. Vegetable? No, vegetable, table, veg, vegetable, Vegetable. One type of vegetable is this one. It’s not a lettuce, no. It’s a lettuce, with an e sound, lettuce. Remember and practice those eight tips and I’ll see you in the next class.