Improving your pronunciation on your own

Howdy language learners!

This post is going to be short, but hopefully helpful.

Today I was working with some students and they were wondering how to improve their pronunciation when they were not in class. 

The answer is pretty simple.

We all have a smart phone. Every smartphone has a voice recorder. That is the trick.

All you have to do is record yourself speaking some sentences or words that are similar, but different. When you are done speaking, listen to the recording. Does each word sound different? If they sound the same, then you can repeat the process until they are different.

This is a good way to practice because it is very hard to speak and listen to yourself at the same time.

Here are some example sentences and words to try.

1) Past / Paste
2) I cook pasta / I cooked pasta
3) I lent my apartment / I rent my apartment
4) She bought / She thought
5) She is taunted / She is daunted

These are just a few examples. The best way for you to practice is to think about the words, phrases, or sounds that are difficult for you. Don't be afraid to practice the difficult things. Write your own list of phrases or words and practice them at home. Remember, when you are alone, you can make mistakes with no stress at all.

Also, remember that making mistakes is okay! Your teacher should never make you feel bad for making mistakes. Mistakes are a great way to learn!

If you don't know how to improve your English any more, we can fix that!

Matthew
englishispersonal@gmail.com

P.S. There is a new video coming soon!