Tips to Improve English Pronunciation and Perfect It

 

Many people who learn the English language try to do it by listening or reading learning materials like videos or audiobooks. They don't spend much time speaking. It makes them experience problems in pronunciation. By taking time aside to learn how to pronounce words, you can significantly improve English pronunciation. Pronunciation is an integral part of learning this language. How your speech sounds play a significant role in whether people understand you or not. But to perfect your pronunciation, you must practice it regularly. In this article, you'll discover some of the most effective techniques to improve your pronunciation.

 

Ways to Improve English Pronunciation

Without accurate pronunciation of English words, you cannot have learned English properly. Although there is no shortcut to perfecting your pronunciation, you can utilize the different ways given below and improve how you speak words.

 

Break words into sounds

Words consist of syllables or parts. When you break a word into its parts, the pronunciation of words will become easy. To know the number of syllables a word has, keep your hand under your chin. Now speak the word slowly. Every time the chin touches your hand, it is one syllable. Then you can write that word down in syllables. After that, leave some space between each syllable that you write. Now speak that word slowly. Ensure that you are pausing after every syllable. You will find pronouncing the word easy.

 

Emphasize sounds and words

You must be aware that English is a stressed language. It implies that certain words and sounds are more significant than others. If you stress the wrong part of the word, it will change its meaning. For example, if you speak the word 'present' and give stress on the first three words, 'pre', you will be talking about a noun whose meaning is a gift or the current moment. In contrast, if you say 'present' by emphasizing the last four words, 'sent', you are speaking of a verb that implies giving something. It would be best if you stressed the first syllable of most two-syllable nouns. Contrarily, you must emphasize the second syllable of the majority of two-syllable verbs.

 

Make sounds bigger

According to your native language and the type of English dialect you are learning, you'll notice that specific sounds are more difficult. Many students commonly find the 'r' sound challenging to pronounce. The answer to mastering these sounds lies in exaggerating them. Exaggerate them as you can, even if you feel weird while doing so. Exaggerating sounds will allow you to become aware of your mouth's shape and tongue placement when you make a particular sound. Moreover, it will also make it easier for native English speakers to comprehend what you are saying. As you keep exaggerating the sounds, you'll become familiar with the shape that your mouth makes. Eventually, you will not feel conscious of exaggerating. It will enable you to increase your speaking fluency. 

 

Read out loud every single day.

If you're not a native English speaker, you'll find much difference between your native language and English. After engaging in an intense English practice class, many learners find that their mouth and jaw are sore. Although it's natural, it can hinder your ability to learn. You need to understand that your jaw muscles are much like those in your other body parts. By training them every day, you'll be able to talk for longer without getting stuck. So, it's important to train them every day. Today, you can find many online English learning classes where you can practice with your instructor one-on-one. You can practice speaking words and sentences with them every day to develop better pronunciation. 

 

Use the best resources to improve your pronunciation

There are many resources for practicing English pronunciation online. From online classes to dictionaries that help you translate English words, the resources are many. Some of the most effective ones are:

• Google Translate – It's an easy-to-use translator that offers pronunciation guides for words and sentences. You can search for any words and receive a lot of definitions and pronunciations. All you need to do is type in the Google search bar 'how to say (word).' You'll soon get an audio pronunciation guide that will show how to speak that word.
• Online classes – You can also enhance your pronunciation by enrolling in an English-speaking class like Learners Classroom. It has lots of highly qualified native English instructors. These instructors provide various interactive learning materials to people and offer complete help with English pronunciation. You can chat with instructors whenever you face any issues while speaking a word.
• Merriam-Webster dictionary – This dictionary provides a detailed definition of words and high-quality audio pronunciation. It has a free app version, wherein you can locate words by speaking them aloud in your microphone. Using the dictionary, you can get great English speaking practice.

 

Record yourself speaking

Many people don't like hearing their voice's sound. Still, you need to do that if you're serious to improve English pronunciation. It is quite valuable while you are working on this aspect. So, it's recommended that you make it a part of your regular schedule. In the beginning, when you'll start recording, you'll not like the way you sound. But soon, you'll get over it. You can record yourself saying any words or sentences you like. But ensure that you speak for a whole minute. It's better if you speak for more than a minute. Suppose you are engaging in a conversation with a friend or an acquaintance. In that case, you can record that conversation by getting their permission. It will allow you to find how you sound naturally while speaking to others.

 

Final Words 

These were some of the top methods to improve English pronunciation. Use them every day to make yourself a fluent English speaker. You can also join an online English learning class to better your understanding of the language. The valuable guidance of the instructors goes a long way in making you a confident speaker.