10 More Advanced English Words for Fluent English

How to Practice English Pronunciation - 5 Steps

Here are the five steps that I recommend you follow in order to improve your pronunciation and make your accent as native-like as possible. 

Connecting English Words to Sound Like a Native Speaker

This video will teach you the importance of connecting words together when you're speaking English. When you connect words (also called  "linking") you will automatically sound more fluent and your accent will be better.  Remember, linking does not mean we are speaking faster. Our speech is just smoother and more natural. If you don't connect words, your speech will sound choppy, like a beginner who is just learning to speak English.  Watch the video until the end so that you can do the practice exercises.

Vowel Pronunciation Test

Check your knowledge of American English vowel sounds by taking this test

Which word is pronounced with a different vowel sound? (doesn’t rhyme with the other words?) 

This test is not as easy as it seems.  If you get 12 or more right, your pronunciation of American vowels is very good.  If not, you can improve by listening carefully to native speakers. Also, you can review Video 1 from my video series "50 Rules You Must Know." 
(answers are at the bottom)

                   A              B                      C                    D

1.       food              foot                       mood                     moon                      same

2.       cookie           look                       put                        wool                       same

3.       would           should                   boot                       pull                         same

4.       most              post                       toast                      cost                        same

5.       said               head                      dead                      bed                         same

6.       no                 sew                        flow                      Joe                          same

7.       bean              been                     seen                      scene                      same

8.       does              what                     come                     up                           same

9.       none             done                     nun                       fun                         same

10.   sail                sale                        ate                       eight                      same

11.   call                coal                       role                       roll                        same

12.   was               what                      won                      watt                      same

13.   hurt               work                     burn                    world                     same

14.   were             where                   bear                      pair                        same

15.   bone             done                     none                     one                        same

answer key:

1. B,  2. same,  3.C,  4.D,   5. same,   6.same,  7. B,   8. same,  9.same,  10. same,  11. A,  12, D,   13. same,  14. A, 15. A
copyright © all rights reserved [Lisa Mojsin] [2015]

Practicing the American Accent with film and TV scenes

A great technique for improving your accent is reading short scenes from your favorite film or TV show.  You can often find the script on line. Then watch the scene and try to imitate the actors'  way of speaking.  Practice a short, three or four minute scene over and over again.  You can even try to memorize it.  Pay attention to the word stress, intonation and linking of word groups together. Try the following scene:

Practice Exercise:

Here is an example of a very popular TV series:  Breaking Bad.  Here is YouTube clip of the scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPk3TN81y_c

Below are the transcripts for you to practice reading:

 

Mike: You got a good thing going here. We all do. You want to risk it all on one junkie? Now I realize you two have a history, but this kid's been on the bubble a while now. It's a long time coming.

Walter: What is?

Mike: [Chuckles] Um... I used to be a beat cop, long time ago. And I'd get called out on domestic disputes all the time, hundreds probably over the years. But there was this one guy, this one piece of shit, that I will never forget: Gordy. He looked like Bo Svenson. You remember him? Walking Tall? You don't remember?

Walter: No.

Mike: Anyway. Big boy; 270, 280. But his wife, or whatever she was, his lady, was real small. Like a bird, wrists like little branches. Anyway, my partner and I get called out there every weekend and one of us would pull her aside and say, "C'mon, tonight's the night we press charges." And this wasn't one of those 'deep down he really loves me' setups, we got a lot of those, but not this. This girl was scared. She wasn't gonna cross him no way, no how. Nothing we could do but pass her off to the EMTs, put him in the car, drive him downtown, throw him in the drunk tank. He sleeps it off, next morning out he goes, back home. But one night, my partner's out sick and it's just me. And the call comes in and it's the usual crap. Broke her nose in the shower kind of thing. So I cuff him, put him in the car and away we go. Only that night, we're driving into town, and this sideways asshole is in my backseat humming 'Danny Boy'. And it just rubbed me wrong. So instead of left, I go right, out into nowhere. And I kneel him down and I put my revolver in his mouth and I told him, "This is it. This is how it ends." And he's crying, going to the bathroom all over himself, swearing to God he's gonna leave her alone, screaming – much as you can with a gun in your mouth. And I told him to be quiet, that I needed to think about what I was gonna do here. And of course he got quiet. Goes still, and real quiet, like a dog waiting for dinner scraps. And we just stood there for a while: me acting like I'm thinking things over, and Prince Charming kneeling in the dirt with shit in his pants. After a few minutes I took the gun out of his mouth and I say; "So help me if you ever touch her again I will such and such and such and such and blah blah blah blah blah".

Walter: Just... just a warning?

Mike: Hmph. Of course. Just trying to do the right thing. But two weeks later he killed her. Of course. Caved her head in with the base of a Waring blender. We got there, there was so much blood you could taste the metal. The moral of the story is, I chose a half measure when I should have gone all the way. I'll never make that mistake again. [stands up] No more half measures, Walter.

 

Speaking with a more powerful voice

A lot of my students struggle with various voice issues. All of these issues can prevent you from speaking English clearly and may make your foreign accent even stronger. For example:

• speaking too fast
• speaking with a weak voice
• breathing incorrectly
• mumbling (not opening mouth enough)
• loss of energy at the end of the sentence 
• hesitation and lack of confidence in their voice

These issue can affect how easy or difficult it is for others to understand what you are saying.
Here are two videos by voice coach Jay Miller.  I believe that his techniques and exercises will help you to speak with more confidence, especially at the workplace.
Keep practicing!!!   By changing your voice, you can change your life!  Successful people speak with energy, enthusiasm and a powerful voice.

New English Pronunciation Videos for Sale

The new videos are called "Say It Correctly - Fixing the Most Common Pronunciation Errors of Words."   They contain lessons on how to fix the biggest mistakes that non-native speakers make. I have collected lists of words that are universally difficult to pronounce for my accent reduction students.  I made lessons that will teach you how to fix those mistakes and gain more confidence when you're speaking English. The videos are almost 2 hours long.  They are intended for intermediate and advanced learners of English. You can either download them or get the physical DVDs in the mail.  Please go to:  AccurateEnglish.com

New pronunciation videos coming soon!

For the last few days we have been shooting the new accent reduction videos. They will help non-native speakers of English to fix the common pronunciation rules of English words.  I have been collecting lists of words for the past 20 years of teaching. I hear these mistakes over and over again, even from my most advanced students - some of whom have lived in the US for over 20 years.
Time to fix those mistakes permanently!

Good American accent in a film role

My student, Roberta Setzu, is an actress from Italy.  Her American accent sounds amazing in this film clip.  She worked hard on it, and it certainly paid off.  Great job Roberta!
(She plays the daughter in this clip.)
http://vimeo.com/65939580

Why English Is So Hard

This poem demonstrates the challenges of learning English. So many exceptions to the rules.

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.
Then one fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese,
You may find a lone mouse or a whole nest of mice,
But the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?
The cow in the plural may be cows or kine,
But a bow if repeated is never called bine,
And the plural of vow is vows, never vine.

If I speak of a foot and you show me your feet,
And I give you a boot would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth, and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?

If the singular’s this and the plural is these,
Should the plural of kiss ever be nicknamed keese?
Then one may be that and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother, and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren,
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine she, shis and shim,

So the English, I think, you all will agree,
Is the queerest language you ever did see.

Words with same pronunciation - "Homophones"

Many of my students are surprised to find out that the following three words are all pronounced the same:

they're, there, their  

Here are some more homophones which might surprise you.  If you have been pronouncing these words differently, it's an understandable error.  English spelling is crazy!

Same pronunciation:

berry - bury 
atom - Adam
do - due (in British English they're different)
billed - build
so - sew 
son - sun
metal - medal
wore - war
won - one (this one always surprises people)

Which ones surprised you?

(You can find a list of other homophones in my book, "Mastering the American Accent")

Is Your Foreign Name Easy to Pronounce?

Many of my foreign-born students have names that are difficult for native speakers of English to pronounce. Some of them decide to change their name to a similar sounding English name, and others prefer to keep their original name and just accept the fact that they will have to teach people how to say it.

Here is an interesting article about research done by  business professors of three major universities about how the pronunciation of your name might affect your professional success. According to them, if your name is easy to pronounce you are more likely to get ahead. Adam L. Alter, professor or marketing from New York University, says:  "People tend to feel more positive about things that are easy to process mentally, and with work colleagues that means better relationships.”

read article here. 

What are your opinions on this topic?  What are your personal experiences? 

 Here are my thoughts:

• Your foreign name may contain sounds that do not exist in English. Will it bother to hear your beautiful name wrongly pronounced ALL the time?
• If you keep your original name, be prepared for regular comments such as "What kind of name is that?" and "Can you tell me your name again?" Will that annoy you after a while? 
• Some people may actually perceive your accent to be stronger due to your foreign sounding name. It happens subconsciously. 
• If you are getting a job which requires you to regularly interact with new people, a name that is easy to pronounce will make life easier.  But if you work with the same colleagues every day, using your foreign sounding name would be much less of an issue. You'll have time to teach everyone how to say it. 

American vowels and good word stress

Watch this student from India. He's been practicing with my American Accent teaching materials. He just sent me this video. I am impressed. He sounds like he lives in the United States. Don't you agree?
He is stressing the words well, speaking clearly and pronouncing the vowels correctly.  Is your accent as good as his?  Send me your videos.

How does your accent sound?

This student from Brazil practiced his American accent by watching my YouTube lessons.  Great job, Wagner!   

I want to see more videos from you guys. If I think your accent sounds good, I will post your video here on my blog.   

First, view all of my accent reduction lessons on my YouTube channel and then chose one.  And then practice, practice, practice! 

The Rhythm and Melody of English

Here is a short exercise to help you with word stress and rhythm. 

First, here are some general rules:

• Stress key words (content words), which are generally nouns and verbs.
• In longer sentences, stress the last key word the most. 
• Reduce prepositions, pronouns and articles (function words)

(There are other more specific rules and exceptions, but this can give you a general idea of how English word stress works.)

Now, let's practice reading the below paragraph. The words in bold should be stressed. The underlined word gets the most stress.  Pause between the slash lines.

Practice exercise:

excerpt from speech by Steve Jobs, Stanford University, 2005 

You've got to find what you love.  And that is as true for work // as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill // a large part of your life, //and the only way //to be truly satisfied // is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work// is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking -- and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart,// you'll know when you find it. And like any great relationship,// it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking -- don't settle.

For additional rules and practice, you can purchase my DVDs, "American Accent Course - 50 Rules You Must Know." 

Too old to improve your accent?

I sometimes get phone calls from people in their 30's and 40's who think they are too old to change their accents. No, you are not too old!

I currently have three students in their 60's who have been making great progress with reducing their foreign accents. In fact, they have been making better progress than some of my younger students! (One is a nurse from Korea, one is a business owner from Argentina, and one is a high school teacher from Uruguay.) I am so proud of them. Their hard work and dedication are an inspiration to me. All three have the following traits in common:

1. They are highly motivated to reduce their accents because they believe a thick accent is holding them back.
2. They practice regularly.
3. They don't give up easily and they are patient with the learning process.
4. They have achieved a lot in other areas of their lives through hard work. This has helped them to develop the self-discipline that is needed.
5. They are not overly self-critical when they make mistakes.

From my experience, these above traits are often more important than age. (unless, of course, you move to an English speaking country as a child)

Pronouncing American Names

My students sometimes struggle with knowing the correct pronunciation of American names. One of my students had a problem with the name of her boss, "Doug." She called him "dog" instead!
Some names can be confusing because they are similar. For example:

"Brett" and "Brad"
"Joanne and "Joan"
"Kristin" and "Christine"
"Jan," "Jen" and "Jane"
"Don" and "Dawn"
"Greg" and "Craig"

Other times the names are simply difficult to pronounce, depending on your native language.

Here is a website that helps you to pronounce American names. I think it will be very useful for some of you. Make sure that you can correctly pronounce the name of the person who will be interviewing you for a job. Also, learn the correct pronunciation of the names of your American co-workers to feel more confident when interacting with them.

http://www.hearnames.com/

Which names are difficult for you to pronounce?

Easy way to memorize vocabulary?

A student, Mohammad Ali Mohammad, asked me the following question:

Madam Lisa, I try to memorize vocabulary but I cannot. What is an easy way to memorize?

My answer:

1. Try to use the word immediately by creating your own sentence. Say it aloud. Don't just read the word from a book or a dictionary. Saying the words aloud is very powerful for memorization.

2. Make a word list and study the same words every few days until they are imprinted in your mind.

3. Google the word to see how it's used in different contexts.

4. Have a dictionary. (not just an online dictionary, but an actual book) When you learn the meaning of a new word, underline it. Then, once in a while scan your dictionary looking for the underlined words and check to see if you still remember the meaning. It's a nice way to see your own progress. I used this method with learning French. It was so exciting to look through my dictionary and to see how many words I didn't know just six months before. It encouraged me to keep learning and to become fluent.

Do you readers have any other suggestions?

Confusing English Words

When you pronounce a word, do you worry that it sounds like a different word? Have people been confused or have they misunderstood you?

Here are some that my students often confuse:

can and can't
Doug and dog
Brett and Brad (men's names)
series and serious
staff and stuff
sheet and shit
this and these
of and off

Which ones can you add to this list?

Great New Site for Practicing your Pronunciation

An English teacher from Brazil, whose name is Mayli Brasil (yes, that's really her last name!), came to LA to take American Accent classes with me for a few weeks. (that's a photo of Mayli and me.) She told me about a great new website which can help you with practicing your pronunciation. It's wonderful because it's got many video clips with captions that you can pause after each line. There is a great feature for you to record your voice after each sentence. Then it gives you a score. You can click on the individual words to hear the pronunciation or to see the meaning. You can also enter your TOEFL score and it will give you videos which are at your proficiency level.

I highly recommend this site for practicing your pronunciation! It has so many interesting videos to watch.

Thanks Mayli! It was great meeting you. Say hello to your English students in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Here is the site. Let me know how you like it:

http://www.englishcentral.com/