Grammer or Grammar?
200 Common Errors Course Grammar vs. grammer: what’s the difference? “Grammer” doesn’t exist! It’s a very common mistake to misspell “grammar” as G-R-A-M-M-E-R. There’s NO “e” in the word grammar; the...
View Article15 difficult English words to pronounce
Pronunciation Course Once I asked my students, “What are the most difficult English words for you to pronounce?” and I got a lot of great answers! Today we’re going to practice 15 words that English...
View ArticlePronunciation Tip #1 – Master the sounds of the English language
I’ll never forget my WORST pronunciation mistake when I was learning Portuguese. It was VERY embarrassing: 😱 I wanted to say: “Eu gosto de água de coco” (“I like coconut water”) 🥥 But I said: “Eu gosto...
View ArticlePronunciation Tip #2 – The “Music” of English
Hi! Yesterday you learned about words with similar sounds in the English language. Today’s tip is ALWAYS to pay attention to the “music” of English. What’s the “music” of English? It is the rhythm of...
View ArticlePronunciation Tip #3 – How to speak fast & continuously
If you’re trying to improve your pronunciation, you should pronounce each word very carefully and clearly, so that you can say it perfectly… right? Wrong! Native English speakers don’t actually do...
View ArticlePronunciation Tip #4 –“Shadowing” native English speakers
Let’s review: in the previous e-mails you learned: to practice minimal pairs in order to differentiate similar sounds to pay attention to the “music” (rhythm of stress) in words/sentences to speak...
View ArticlePronunciation Tip #5 + A shortcut for speaking better now
Hi! You might be wondering, “How long will it take to improve my pronunciation?” Remember that it’s like going to the gym. Just like physical exercise makes your body stronger, pronunciation practice...
View ArticlePronunciation Practice: SUPER-LONG English words
Pronunciation Course Are you ready to try pronouncing some SUPER-LONG English words? Today we’re going to practice pronouncing words with 6 and 7 syllables! Before we begin, two important tips for...
View Article50+ Hard words to pronounce (practice with audio)
The English language has a lot of hard words to pronounce! These are words that even native English speakers wonder how to pronounce correctly. Let’s practice pronouncing them with audio – listen and...
View ArticleLong and short vowels: 100+ words
Download this lesson Pronunciation Course A vowel is a sound we make with our mouth and vocal cords open, without touching our tongue to any other part of our mouth. In vowel sounds the air flows...
View ArticleBREATHE vs. BREATH: Difference in meaning and pronunciation
Wondering whether to use breathe or breath? Today’s lesson will teach you the difference between these confusing English words in meaning and pronunciation. You’ll also learn some collocations and...
View ArticleHow to pronounce the months of the year in English
Wondering how to pronounce the months of the year in English? Listen and repeat after me to practice your pronunciation! I’ve also included each month’s abbreviation (short form) and the origin of its...
View ArticleHow to pronounce the 50 states in the U.S.
Learn how to pronounce the names of all 50 states in the U.S.! Listen and repeat after me. You can learn more about the origins of the 50 state names here. For each state, I’ve included its...
View ArticlePronunciation Changes in English Questions
Pronunciation Course Has this ever happened to you – someone asks you a question in English, and you don’t understand it at ALL? One reason for the difficulty is that when native English speakers are...
View ArticleHow to pronounce CON at the beginning of English words?
Improve your pronunciation FAST A student asks, “How do you pronounce CON at the beginning of English words?” It depends – there are two pronunciations depending on whether that syllable is stressed....
View ArticleHow do we pronounce acronyms in English?
Improve your pronunciation FAST! Today’s question is about how to pronounce acronyms – terms like CEO – do we say their letters, or do we pronounce them as a word? It depends! I’d say most of them we...
View ArticleHow to pronounce -STS at the end of English words?
Improve your pronunciation FAST! One student said she has difficulty with –STS at the end of words, as in costs and guests – how can she pronounce it better? Well, the way I do it is while making the...
View Article100+ Regular Verbs with ED in the Past
Regular Verbs vs. Irregular Verbs Regular verbs are ones that end in -ED in the past tense and past participle: walk – walked – walked start – started – missed miss – missed – missed Irregular verbs...
View Article20 Commonly Mispronounced Words in English
You’re probably pronouncing these words wrong – yes, even you, native English speakers! Today I’m going to teach you the right way to say 20 English words that are commonly mispronounced – so you can...
View ArticleTough, trough, though, through, thought, thorough, throughout
Can you say these words fast? Now let me use them in sentences: Learning English on your own can be tough. (= difficult) You really want to learn – your life is busy, though. (= expresses a contrast or...
View Article