Word Stress in English: The Rule That Fixes 100 Mispronounced Words
One syllable is long, high and clear; the rest shrink. The suffix rule, REcord vs reCORD, compound nouns, and the words learners stress wrong most.
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Pronunciation & accent
Pronunciation & accent
Connected Speech: Why You Can't Understand Fast English (and How to Speak It)
Native speakers do not talk fast. They join words together. Learn the four joining rules and the drills that make them yours.
Pronunciation & accent
Contractions in Spoken English: Why 'I Am' Sounds Robotic
Native speakers contract almost every time. Here is how each contraction is really pronounced, and the three moments when the full form is the right choice.
Pronunciation & accent
Ship or Sheep? The English Vowel Pairs That Cause the Most Misunderstandings
Five vowel pairs cause most misunderstandings in English. Here is what your mouth does differently in each one, and how to drill them in ten minutes a day.
Pronunciation & accent
Can vs Can't in American English: The Difference Is Not the T
Americans do not hear the T in can't. They hear a long vowel and a stressed beat. Here is how to say can and can't so the meaning always lands.
Pronunciation & accent
Silent Letters and Sneaky Spellings: Clothes, Worcestershire, Foreign and Friends
English spelling is a history book, not a pronunciation guide. The silent letters that follow rules, the words that follow none, and how to stop trusting it.
Pronunciation & accent
Why -tion, -ial and -ture Don't Sound the Way They Look
One rule explains why nation is 'shun', official is 'shul' and future is 'chur', plus the stress shift and the twenty work words to drill.
Pronunciation & accent
25 Words Advanced Learners Still Mispronounce (With the Fix for Each)
Decade, comfortable, salmon, southern, through: the 25 words I correct most at B2 and above, grouped by the trap behind them, with the fix for each.
Pronunciation & accent
P vs B, V vs W, S vs Z: Consonant Confusions and How to Fix Them
Pat or bat, vine or wine, ice or eyes: two tests with your hand and a sheet of paper explain all three pairs, plus drills sorted by your first language.
Pronunciation & accent
Intonation: How 'Good for You' Can Be a Compliment or an Insult
The same three words can be warm or cutting depending on the melody; here are the four American tunes, the sarcasm signals and a ten-minute practice routine.
Work, exams & life
Job Interview in English: How to Sound Clear, Confident and Prepared
From a former recruiter: the 15 words to pronounce perfectly, STAR answers in 90 seconds, ten ready phrases, and a two-week mock-interview plan.
Work, exams & life
Presenting in English as a Non-Native Speaker: A Preparation Plan
A tutor's preparation plan for presenting in English: script the first minute, rehearse the numbers, stress the key words, and practice out loud with feedback.
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