It’s very important to speak without mistakes but when you have good pronunciation people look at you with a different level of respect. Don’t get discouraged, it can be a little bit tricky and it takes time until you sound like a native speaker.
How English sounds to non-English speakers
I want to share some recourses and 5 tips that will help you improve your accent.
Slow down
In the beginning, you are not able to put your mouth in the right position, so speak slowly, learn the right sounds and then speak with a more natural speed.
Repeat, repeat, and repeat
Find out which sounds you don’t pronounce correctly, listen to a native speaker pronouncing it and repeat that word 10 times, 20 times, or even 30 times. Your brain needs to forget the wrong pronunciation and replace it with the correct one.
Check the right pronunciation on Howjsay, it’s better than Google Translate.
Exaggerate
Find a clear speech by a native speaker (American, British or maybe Australian) pause and repeat. Pause throughout the speech and repeat after them. When you recite the speech – exaggerate, that way you teach your brain to do the correct pronunciation.
Speak louder
When you don’t speak loudly other people won’t hear you properly and they won’t understand you. If this happens they may think your English isn’t very good. Don’t be shy, this is part of the learning process.
Get a PDF with 180+ FREE English Resources to accelerate your progress! Download Our Best English Resources
Record yourself
Read a text and listen to the audio from it, then record yourself and compare the two. A good website for that is Lingq.
Keep your initial recordings and after a few months compare them to the new recordings. It’s a great source of motivation to hear the results.
Also, check out these websites:
Accent Reduction For Professionals: How to Eliminate Your Accent to Sound More American
Learn this poem- it will improve your pronunciation and vocabulary, also it’s fun doing it!
