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Improve your English pronunciation with these exercises

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Do you think that in your English pronunciation, there is "room for improvement"? Do you also need to check the pronouncement of Prince Harry? In this class, we will carry out some exercises that will transform your pronunciation into British English. Oh yeah!

I'm sure if you're here, you'll know that no matter how long you have been studying English, you possess a vast vocabulary and master the grammar. However, if you keep pronouncing everything as it writing, you will have many communication problems.

This exercise of pronunciation will help you communicate with precision and fluidity. Now you will not have excuses to speak English because the natives do not understand you, because at the end of the class you will sound much more like one of them.

But wait! If you are not familiar with English phonetics, I recommend you see the first part of this complete guide.

The pronunciation of long vowel sounds in English

All vocals that you see marked in bold in these sentences are expansive vocalic sounds. And you will ask yourself, how is it if a vocal has a short sound? Easy-peasy, search in the dictionary and understand if the vocal appears followed by the triangles in the phonetic transcription. You want to decide that it's a wide sound.

Short sound → bin /bɪn/

Wide sound → pea /piː/ (British English IPA transcription)

Come on, take air that we started.

The pronunciation of the phoneme /ɑː/

I parked my car in France.

If you don't know the answer, ask.

This is your last chance to dance!

My heart is beating relatively fast.

The pronunciation of the phoneme /ɜː/

On Thursday I'm going to Birmingham.

What's the worst word in the world?

It would help if you were thirsty after your journey.

This bird urgently needs a worm.

The pronunciation of the phoneme /iː/

Would you mind repeating these phrases frequently?

I agree. I believe the speech was extreme.

She has a degree and teaches Swedish in New Zealand.

The pronunciation of the phoneme /ɔː/

Of course, my horse cannot talk.

Are you sure you didn't break the law?

Your daughter is drawing on my wall.

The weather is awful in autumn.

The pronunciation of the phoneme /uː/

Chew your food and drink your juice!

Tell the truth, or I'll ruin your suit.

We're not done yet!

Keep talking, my dear!

The silent R.

Now change the chip because it is NOT about saying Rs in words that appear in bold. If you have seen the first part of this mini-series in which we explain these phonetic rules in British English, you will know the golden rule.

The golden rule: the R is not pronounced when a consonant follows.

Putting in practice this pronunciation "tip" will make you soar like a native, "straight away."

Repeat these sentences without pronouncing the R:

Darling, your new haircut is perfect.

Your fork is under your chair.

Excuse me, dear, could I have four more pears?

Your sister speaks perfect German.

I'm certain the murderer works in Birmingham.

The pronunciation of the Y or the/j/ sound

Yes, I had a Yorkshire terrier when I was Younger.

I drank a yellow juice while riding Jessica's jet ski.

You're too young to go to university this year.

It dominates the liquid S.

This is a strong treatment for a specific type of skin with stunning results.

Sorry, what's the strong treatment for?

I said it's for a specific type of skin, and the results are stunning.

Steven went to a special state school.

The pronunciation of the aspirated H

The /h/ sound.

La H en inglés is not pronounced as a J, a bell that is aspirated. Except in very few words, it only changes, for example, in honest /ɒn.ɪst/ o heir /eər/.

Let's practice the pronunciation of the aspirated H. Remember that to do it correctly, you must have a small exhalation of air, and no sound is emitted from the throat as we pronounce it in Spanish. So please give it a go!

Hello honey, can you hurry up? Henry is waiting at the hotel.

What did you say about Henry?

I said he's waiting at the hotel, so please hurry up, honey.

The pronunciation of the V in English or The /v/ sound

My visa vanished when I tried to pay for a velvet vest. I felt very embarrassed.

Why were you very embarrassed?

Because I tried to pay for a velvet vest, and my visa vanished!

Practice with TH

The /ð/ sound (voiced).

These clothes are nice, although my mother prefers those without feathers.

What did you say your mother prefers?

I said these clothes are night, although she prefers those without feathers.

The /θ/ sound (unvoiced).

We also have another sound from the TH in English. We are phonetically represented with the /θ/ symbol. The good news is that we don't have problems with its pronunciation, and that's like it from la z en español.

You can find it in words like Thursday, thanks, thick, anything, month…

The pronunciation of the SH in English - The /ʃ/ sound.

She's too shy to walk around Cambridgeshire in those shiny British shoes.

Why is she shy to walk around Cambridgeshire?

Because she's wearing those shiny British shoes

The Schwa

Peter is the actor who fell of the chair during the theater play.

Sorry, who's Peter?

Peter's the actor who fell of the chair during the theater play.

The doctor tells my mother to cut down on sugar and to drink more water.

Sorry, what did the doctor tell your mother?

The doctor tells my mother to cut down on sugar and to drink more water.

Well done! That's much better! /bet.ə/

Are you ready to boost your English?

If you want to continue learning and take your pronunciation to another level, join the pronunciation Facebook page, a great place to learn.

You can also miss our English pronunciation Masterclass. In this lesson, we will review the minimal pairs, those words like cat /kæt/ and cut /kʌt/ whose pronunciation varies only in a phoneme and that draw us in our heads.

Remember that the secret to improving your pronunciation is familiarizing you with phonetics, listening, and practicing a lot. Practice makes perfect!

It's not something miraculous, I don't know any student who's been talking like Stephen Fry, but practices will notice the progress quickly.