Everyone has an accent in English, including native speakers from different countries, and that’s perfectly fine. The goal of pronunciation work is not to lose your accent, but to be understood clearly and without effort. These are the sounds that make the biggest difference to clarity.
Sounds to focus on
- "th" in think and thisA sound that doesn’t exist in many languages, including Portuguese."I think" can sound like "I sink" or "I tink" if the tongue isn’t between the teeth.
- Short and long vowelsChanging the length of a vowel can change the word.ship / sheep, live / leave, full / fool
- Word endingsFinal consonants carry meaning, so it helps to say them clearly.work / worked, plan / planned
- The "-ed" endingIt has three sounds: /t/, /d/ and /ɪd/.worked (/t/), played (/d/), wanted (/ɪd/)
- No extra vowel at the endKeep final consonants clean, without adding a vowel sound after them."club", not "club-ee"; "big", not "big-ee"
Stress and rhythm
- Word stressStressing the right syllable often matters more than any single sound.deVELop, comPUter, PHOtograph, phoTOgraphy
- Sentence stressStress the important words; the small ones become lighter.I NEED to SEND the REPORT by FRIday.
- Small wordsWords like "the", "to" and "of" are short and light, but they shouldn’t disappear.I want to go to the office.
A tip from class
You can’t fix what you can’t hear. Record yourself reading a short paragraph, then compare it with a native recording. It’s the quickest way to notice the sounds that need work.
Want to use these naturally, under pressure?
Knowing a phrase is one thing. Using it automatically, in the real situation, is another. That’s what we practise in class, with simulations based on your own needs.
In the free trial class, we’ll find out exactly what’s blocking your English. Not sure which course is right for you? We’ll decide together.
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