Study English online free

PRONUNCIATION Tips

PRONUNCIATION | Asking Questions

How do I Ask Questions in English?

There are two kinds of questions. Change your pronunciation depending on what kind of question you are asking.

1. YES / NO Questions – raise your voice up at the end  (i.e., go up)

e.g. 1, Do you like your new apartment?

e.g. 2, Are you okay?

2. INFORMATION Questions – drop, or lower your voice, at the end (i.e., go down)

These questions begin with a question word (i.e., who, what, when, where, why how)

e.g. 1, Where is the stop for Bus #1?

e.g. 2, How much does this cost?

 

PRONUNCIATION | Chocolate

How do I Say this Word in English? | CHOCOLATE

Although chocolate has three syllables, in spoken English it is usually said with just two syllables.

For more lessons on improving your English pronunciation, go to:

How do I Say this Word in English? | COMFORTABLE

How do I Say this Word in English? | THE

How do I Say this Word in English? | INTERESTING

PRONUNCIATION | Comfortable

How do I say this word in English? | COMFORTABLE

Although comfortable has four syllables, in everyday English it is normally spoken with three syllables.

COMF ter bel

How do I pronounce this word in English?

Listen to the audio and practice.

How do I say this word in English? | THE

How do I say this word in English? | CHOCOLATE

How do I say this word in English? | INTERESTING

PRONUNCIATION | Interesting

How do I say this word in English? | INTERESTING

Interesting has four syllables but in spoken English it is usually pronounced with just three syllables.

IN trist ing

How do you say this word in English? Listen to the audio as a native English speaker says INTERESTING.

 
PRONUNCIATION | Ordinal Numbers

How to Pronounce ORDINAL NUMBERS in English

CARDINAL numbers are 1 (one), 2 (two), 3 (three), etc.

 

ORDINAL numbers describe position, such as 1st (first), 2nd (second), 3rd (third), etc.

 

This video teaches the pronunciation for ordinal numbers.

 

PRONUNCIATION | Spoken vs. Written English

What do Bold & Italics Mean in Written English?

One of the challenges with mastering English is that spoken English is very different from written English.

In spoken English, important words are spoken LOUDER and slooooower.

In writing, the writer is limited in this area. How does a writer communicate to the reader which words he thinks are the most important?

In formal writing, the writer can choose a word with a stronger meaning.

PRONUNCIATION-What's the difference between written and spoken English?In informal writing, when the writer wants to emphasize (or focus on) a word, they will sometimes put the word in bold print, or italics.

If you are reading aloud, and you see a word in bold or italics, you should make your voice a little louder, and stretch the vowel sound in the stressed syllable.

See example:   And I am not super fit.

In this example, the writer wanted to emphasis the contrast between her fitness and her husband’s fitness, so she wrote not in bold letters. Read it louder and slower for emphasis.

Writing two similar sentences together, and then adding not (in bold, for emphasis) adds humour to the story:

e.g.,  My husband is super fit. And I am not super fit.

 

Imagine your world with English!

 
 
PRONUNCIATION | The

How do I say this word in English? | THE

for English Language Learners (ELL) – those learning to speak English as a Second Language (ESL), or English as an Additional Language (EAL)

What is the correct pronunciation of the word the?

Did you know that there are two ways to say the word the in English?

pronunciation of the word "the"

1.  Before a consonant sound, the is pronounced /ð/.

  • for /ð/:
    • put the tip of your tongue between your front teeth
    • blow out air between your tongue and top teeth
    • use your voice (i.e., it should feel like the air is starting from your stomach, not your mouth; you can feel your voice box vibrating if you put your fingers on your throat)
  • for /
    pronunciation of the word "the"
    /:
    • the mouth is relaxed and slightly open
    • the sound is very short and weak

examples:  the house, the car, the bus

pronunciation of the word the

2.  Before a vowel sound, the is pronounced /ðiy/. This pronunciation of the sounds like thee.

  • for /ð/  (this is the same as #1):
    • put the tip of your tongue between your front teeth
    • blow out air between your tongue and top teeth
    • use your voice
  • for /iy/:
    • open your mouth just a little
    • as you say the sound, spread your lips into a smile
    • push your tongue forward in your mouth
    • move your tongue up a little as you say it
    • use your voice

examples:  the hour, the apple, the entry

Note:

Some words start with a consonant, but the first sound is a vowel sound (e.g., hour, honest, etc.)

Some words start with a vowel, but the first sound is a consonant sound (e.g., “one” sounds like “won”)

The pronunciation of “the” depends on the sound, not the spelling of the following word.

For more lessons on improving your English pronunciation, go to:

How do I say this word in English? | COMFORTABLE

How do I say this word in English? | CHOCOLATE

How do I say this word in English? | INTERESTING