Pronunciation help from academic skills.
Consonants. Saying them right in words and syllable endings.
Practice activities.
Here are some strategies for producing
word endings clearly. The first one is to
link the words together. Transitions, or
when we move from one word to the next
create difficult combinations. If you
can't join consonants smoothly you could
create an extra syllable for example you
want to say big day but you say bigger day.
You want to say one night, and you say
one-a-night . If you link
the words together you can make it easier to
say final consonants, which learners often
find difficult. Here is an example. When a
consonant is followed by a vowel you can
move the consonant on to the next word
when you speak. So we don't say an.
example., we say a nexample
We don't say students and staff
we say student sand staff.
In the same way similar ideas becomes
simila rideas.
Percent of change, percen tof change
Assess each case becomes assess
seach case.
How can you practice this? You can't do
it when you're talking to other students
friends or staff. Here is a good way to
start: Find a simple passage. I like
travel blogs from the net because
usually the language is nice and simple,
the way we would speak to each other.
Mark all the consonant to vowel links
between the words. That is, look for a
word that starts with a vowel and link
back to the consonant behind it.
Read it aloud. Let's try this one
Travel is the best way to improve your
life because it builds the lot of skills
at once. Instead of making a long
resolutions list next year, just travel.
When you've read it aloud, try to
recite it from memory. Of course you
won't remember every word, but you will
remember a few of those transitions, and
your mouth will get used to saying it
that way.
Let's have a look at this one here.
really good example if you try to say
build with our it's very difficult when
you get lots of consonants together
between two words to build that
build that is much easier now let's have
a look at this last one that I've marked
with a big red arrow just travel just
travel that leads us on to what we're
going to look at in the next slide
when one word ends with the confident
and the next would start with the same
continent native speakers join the two
together and make them long so I say
just traveled my tongue goes up for a
tea and it stays there
let's have a listen you can try and say
these after me if you like
get ready to hold your tongue up one
night one night
what time is it what time is it
some money some money Republic of France
Republic of France ukraine or russia
ukraine or russia there's another one to
practice with your short witness
passages here's the tough one
when we get two different continents
together where one would end the
continent and the next one start for the
different continent pull them out and
repeat them rapidly it's a bit like
doing piano scales with your tongue you
need to teach your tongue and lips to
move quickly between those sounds so I
don't want to say bigger day so I'm
going to pull out good together get
together get together get together to
get bigger
big day big day big day ok this place I
don't want to say this place so i will
go
this place this place again with good
point i want to the point the different
dependable good point good point
how to practice mark all the clusters
between words in a short newspaper
article practice repeating the clusters
then read the article allowed again try
to retell the story without reading it
aim for smooth transitions between words
do the same with identical continent as
in just traveled and word in confident
now link as in an example
don't try to do them all at once it's
too much have a go one at a time
ok here's the place where we often lose
lot for final continent and it sounds
like your grammar needs work
although it's not the case they're
actually easier to say than you think
haven't listened when I say these words
and work out what the rule is stopped
weight looks
the last sound is now listen to the
second column drag read rubbing love
what's happening here the word ends with
a continent that has voice so the S will
take Joyce what about these ones in
column 3 watches passes wages you
probably know these are special sounds
because it's difficult to say H and and
just with an s just just too hard we
can't say we add a valve just for those
three sounds so it doesn't watches
person way June now what about the past
ten stopped looked washed past
in column 5 this the word ends with
voice drag good rub
so the D has voice we got dragged rubbed
love the waged raised and just like we
guess we find it too hard to take that
together at P&D we add a syllable
wait did lo did need did say did
practice those three combinations for
present tense under 34 past let's have a
go to get up practice saying these words
in past ten pronouncing both final
confident so kept walked lip-locked
brushed step
pushed hinged finished now we're going
to read a passage allowed and we're
going to be very careful with those
final clusters on the verb he kept his
mind blank if he walked to the door
one thought
click through his head as he pressed the
red elevator button would the room be
locked
he brushed the thought from his mind as
he stepped into the lobby
he pushed the hinge glass door of the
building and looked around for his
colleagues who had already finished
working for the day
read that aloud and then recited aloud
from memory
pay attention to those final sounds on
the verb here's another one often
learners of English speak very good
English but will still play
she dragged or he had or he rub it makes
your english sounds much better if you
can include that final if allred found
so let's practice the ones with voice
drags head rubs love grabbed now the one
without voice fit greek barks look
checks
walk wait stop
now we're going to read a passage
allowed being very careful about the
final clusters on the burbs
I'll read the sentence at a time you can
repeat it after me every morning she
dragged herself out of dead sit for a
few minutes then headin to the kitchen
for breakfast
the dog Greek and barks she rubbed his
head he loved that today it looks like
it's going to rain so she grabbed her
umbrella check her bag and walks outside
when she waits for the bus which stop
out slide the house now you read it and
just like it aloud from memory