I am often asked the following question when working with English pronunciation, “How do I pronounce the word ‘world?’ ” Because of the spelling it is tricky! Is it: world /wɔːrld/ (American) , /wɔːld/ (British/Australian) or world /wɝːld/ (American), /wɜːld/ (Brit/Aussie)?? If you picked the 2nd lot where the ‘or’ says ‘er’ you were right. So here is the secret: When an ‘or’ …
Stop Being Confused- What sound is this in English?
Because English letters can say more than one sound, sometimes it can become quite confusing and students ask me ‘what sound is this in English?’ The vowels in English can be especially confusing. This time I thought I would address the ‘a’ letter/vowel and hopefully reduce the confusion. What English sound is this? In British and Australian standard English, the …
The difference between a British RP and American Accent-VIDEO
One of the differences between a British RP accent and American accent, is that some words of more than one syllable are said with different stress on the syllables. Also listen to the difference in the way the trainer pronounces the vowels in the words for the British RP accent or the American accent. This is another opportunity to practise …
How British and Americans pronounce ‘er’ differently- audio lesson
As I listen to audio assessments people have sent me, I notice there is some confusion regarding how British and Americans pronounce ‘er’ differently especially at the end of words. If you are speaking with a British accent or Australian accent generally, you don’t pronounce the /r/ sound when ‘er’ is at the end of words. The exception is when …
Understand English Vowels – Fine Tune Your Knowledge
Did you know that English vowels in certain word endings have different meanings? If you know the meanings, it’s easier to understand what the word means, and to pronounce the word correctly. This helps you speak more clearly, and helps you speak English better if you know what ending to apply. As well as this, it gives your English comprehension …
Your Secret Guide to English Vowels
In this article you will learn 7 secrets to help you pronounce English vowels more easily. Most people are taught that there are 5 English vowels- a, e, i, o, and u. I hate to break the news to you, but there are 22 vowels in English ! This means that when you want to speak English more clearly, or …