Everyone has an accent. An accent refers to the way you pronounce words when you talk. For example, native English speakers in California sound different than native English speakers in New York because they have different accents.

When you learn English as a foreign language, it is perfectly fine to have an accent. However there are a lot of English words that are difficult to pronounce! Also, sometimes the way a word is spelled does not match the way it sounds.

Practicing pronunciation will help improve your fluency and will also make oral communication easier overall. How do you improve this skill? Keep reading for a few fun ideas!

1. Choose a Song and Sing Along

If you are interested in going to English language school in USA, listening to American music is a fun way to help you learn English. And when you find a song you like, sing along! Many lyrics rhyme, which might help you remember their pronunciation more easily. Also, if you want to read the words as you sing, most song lyrics can be found online.

For many people, singing is relaxing. When you sing along, you will be practicing English, but you will not have to think of the words yourself or worry about grammar. Then when you feel brave enough, you might even take your singing skills to karaoke!

Have fun while you practice pronunciation and you’ll see big improvements

2. Read Aloud With Classmates From Your Intensive English Course

Another activity which you can do by yourself or with classmates from your intensive English course is reading a loud. Reading aloud will help you identify the sounds that are more difficult for you to pronounce.

Reading aloud will also give you a chance to practice intonation. Intonation refers to your tone, which goes up or down when you say certain words and phrases. For example, in English, your tone should go up at the end of a question.

3. Watch a TV Show and Pause to Repeat Words and Phrases

Today, many television shows can be watched online, so you can play, pause, and go back as often as you like. After a character says something, pause the show and try to repeat it. This activity can be done with or without the help of English subtitles.

The focus of this activity is imitation. Watching people speak also lets you see their mouths as they pronounce words. Remember, it’s OK if you do not sound exactly the same. The point is to practice!

Imitating people on TV is another activity you can do with classmates or on your own

4. Play Games

Have you heard of the game ‘20 Questions’? One player thinks of something, such as a type of animal. Then the other players ask up to 20 questions to try to guess which animal the first player thought of.

There is also the Alphabet Game, in which you choose a category like places. Then you go through the alphabet, letter by letter, from A to Z and you name a place for each letter. When you play a game, you can just have fun while still working on your oral communication skills. This also gives you and a group the chance to work on pronunciation together.

5. Slow Down and Listen to Yourself

If you have trouble pronouncing a certain word, slow down and listen to yourself say it can be tempting to try to show your fluency by speaking quickly, or maybe you are just excited to say something.

Just remember, it is OK to slow down. If you look in a mirror, you can also see how your mouth moves when you speak. This may help connect what you hear with how the word is pronounced physically.

All of these activities should help with pronunciation and boost your confidence as you learn English.

Are you looking for an intensive English program?

Contact ASC English today!