Principles

My students take lessons for a variety of reasons. Some of them simply wish to speak English clearly and confidently, and are happy to still use their own accent as part of the way they speak. Others enjoy learning to say words in a ‘native-like’ way, for their own satisfaction (I like doing this myself, when I learn other languages). In either case, the key to improving your pronunciation is to understand the differences between English and your native language in the following areas:

1. The rhythm of the language.

2. The sounds of the language (e.g. /k/ in keep, or /uː/ in food) and how they join up together.

3. The intonation (pitch changes) of the language.

You can improve each aspect separately and then gradually bring all three together.