Pronounce English fluently with these exercises

Vowels

Since language starts with vocal sounds, learning these sounds properly is fundamental. This approach to language learning is called phonics, and it stresses the physical production of individual letters and syllables instead of grammar and vocabulary. You may be able to really boost your fluency and reduce your accent with some simple practice. Start with the ABCs, the alphabet. Almost everybody knows that some of the 26 letters are vowels, while the rest are consonants. To simplify, just start with the vowels because there are only 5 or 6, compared to 20 or 21 consonants. For a helpful review on pronouncing vowels, watch this video.

We know the English vowels are a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y. Each of these letters can have a different sound, though the actual possibilities are quite limited. A is first, and can represent around three different sounds. In the word "game," we call the first vowel "long" and the second vowel "silent" (silent e is often added in writing to signal that the previous vowel is long, as in game or fame.) The long form of each vowel sounds exactly like each vowel's name. If vowels can have a long form, they can also have a short form. Hat uses the vowel in its short form, as does cat, fat, bat, rat, mat, bath, lab, cab, etc. The short form does not sound like the name of the vowel, but is more open sounding.

In addition to long and short forms, the first vowel "a" stands for other sounds as well. It can sound like "ah" as in father or like "o" in warm. Though warm is spelled with an a, the vowel sounds exactly the same as the "o" in storm: "It was a warm storm." Maybe you can think of other examples. But focus on mastering the long and short forms of each vowel first.

Repeat out loud to yourself long a: "date, fate, gate, hate, late, mate, date, fate, gate, hate, late, mate, date, fate, gate, hate, late, mate, date, fate, gate, hate, late, mate, date, fate, gate, hate, late, mate."

Repeat out loud to yourself short a: "bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat, vat, at, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat, vat, at, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat, vat, at, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat, vat, at, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat, vat."

Now, alternate the long and short forms: "a (as in fate), a (as in fat), a (as in fate), a (as in fat), a (as in fate), a (as in fat), a (as in fate), a (as in fat), a (as in fate), a (as in fat), a (as in fate), a (as in fat)." After alternating short and long sounds for a while, your jaw should feel the workout. After some practice, you can continue developing the muscle memory in your jaw by alternating the long and short vowel: "ay, ah, ay, ah, ay, ah, ay, ah, ay, ah, ay, ah,ay, ah, ay, ah, ay, ah,ay, ah, ay, ah, ay, ah,ay, ah, ay, ah, ay, ah,ay, ah, ay, ah, ay, ah"

Use the same principle with each of the vowels. Long "e" sounds like the name of the letter, and is usually highlighted by special spelling, such as meet, feet, seat, greet, beat, beet (the vegetable), beef, reef, bead. Notice the "e" is always partnered with another letter, either a duplicate or another vowel. The short form sounds like "eh" as in bed, fed, led, bet, let, met, jet,net, etc. As with the first vowel "a", the second vowel "e" has a long sound and a short sound: "eee" as in meet and "ehhh" as in met. The second vowel also represents other sounds besides the basic two, and there are exceptions. For example, "dead" has a partner vowel but is nevertheless pronounced using short e. sounding like bed: "He was dead in bed." Head is another example. Why these oddities? Because completely different words use the long form of "e." When you pay off your house, you get the deed, which sounds like feed and seed. So we must pronounce head like bed and ignore the spelling completely. E can sound like A: You can weigh your vegetables, or you can lose your way, perhaps on the highway. But focus on the basic long and short forms. You can learn exceptions later.

Substitute E for A in the exercises above. Finally you will master "eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh, eee. eh. Follow the same pattern for the other three vowels. At that point you will be able to accurately recite the long and short forms of each of the five main vowels. Y usually sounds like I or E so the sound is not really different.

The word examples are for reference only-- just practice the vowel sounds, no consonants:

• Ay - A (fate, fat) 
• Ee - Eh (meet, met) 
• I -ih (kite, kit) 
• Oh - ah (hope, hop) 
• Yu - uh (cute, cut) 

Let me know if this helps you! After the basic vowel forms, you can learn the consonant sounds the advanced vowel forms. Once you know these, you have mastered all the sounds used in the English language. Phonics is the study of spoken language that focuses mostly on the sounds themselves. After all, that is how we all learn to talk. Watch this video again, and watch a small mirror while you pronounce the vowels. Is your mouth moving the same way?

Accelerate your English mastery, part 2

Written languages substitute symbols, arbitrary letters or characters for spoken sounds. Static images transform the sounds into words linked by spelling, word order, punctuation, and grammar. Spoken and written English share the same vocabulary, word order, and grammar, but only writing requires spelling, punctuation, indentation, and additional criteria. Though writing requires these additional skills, it dispenses with pronunciation and the need to produce language in real time. Writing lets you take your time before you hit "send" or "save." Now we can write, spell check, and revise to our heart's content.


Improving your English writing skills requires an overview of the subject. The Online Writing Lab at Purdue (OWL) is the best place to get this that I know of. Look at their site map to see a great outline. Mastering the elements presented here will make you a good, effective writer. 


Even the most casual writing has more structure and organization than every day social chatting we do with strangers in the checkout line. Face to face "small talk" about the weather or other neutral topics is how we socialize with others. Writing is the opposite of face to face and only meets human socialization needs in a small way. Books on English writing skills can help you get started as well.


Just as spoken English varies according to situation, written English includes shopping lists, notes, email, texting, chat, instant messaging (IM), and graffiti. Instructions come with every product and require more refined writing skills so that most people can understand them. Advertising, business letters, media, packaging, magazines, newspapers, books, and now Kindles all use written English in various ways. Through written language the knowledge of the ancients comes to us, long after their spoken words have vanished in the breeze. Most of today's world cultures are founded on written language, which for us today means "translated into English." All major religions revere the written words of their founders, whether Confucian, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Taoist, or neo-Platonist. No one can dispute that written language can be ultimately powerful. "The pen is mightier than the sword" is a common expression of this idea. The U.S. was formed by a written document, our Declaration of Independence. 


What does this mean to someone trying to improve writing skills? Number one, know the purpose of your writing. What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to keep in touch with an old friend by email, or writing a memo to your boss explaining why you deserve a raise? Are you making notes to yourself or composing an article for a scholarly journal? Another way to put this question is who is your audience? Forgetting why you are writing almost guarantees you will wander off course. Mastering your language expression in English will take a long time. In fact it is a lifelong pursuit because no one is yet perfect.

Let me know what you think! Send me an email here. Thanks!

Accelerate your English mastery: part one

The purpose of language

Almost everyone can benefit by improving their English speaking and writing techniques. Those born in the U.S. may have developed their verbal expression, but even many American college graduates can’t write very effectively. Naturally, those growing up outside the U.S. have even greater speaking and writing challenges to overcome. Most of my students are interested mainly in learning everyday English used in the U.S. rather than focusing on written expression. My opinion is that learning to feel confident conversing freely with native speakers basically differs from writing competence in degree and kind. My next post will address writing proficiency but since speaking is most important to many, the focus here will be on speaking English more like a native speaker.

Feeling confident in casual English conversation is largely psychological. Technical mastery of English grammar and pronunciation, though desirable, is not necessarily required. Some people speak confidently even when their speech is hard to understand. Others who have great skills don’t feel confident using them. The fastest way to help people feel comfortable expressing themselves in English is to boost their confidence. After all, the purpose of talking it to communicate. Secondarily, we all like to appear smart and sophisticated as we get our point across. Once those goals are fulfilled, real-time conversation does not allow for fine-tuning or perfectly grammatical sentences.

So far, the most effective short term strategy is getting people to talk about how they feel speaking in English. Asking them how they think others perceive them helps pinpoint their greatest fears, allowing them to give voice to their doubts and worries. Some of these worries are basic human nature, our need to fit in and be accepted and understood. Everyone shares this. Other fears can be unfounded and easily dispelled when properly understood. I use these techniques to help people lower anxiety and feel more comfortable right away, which is a way of describing self-confidence.

The next most powerful technique is learning to hear the music of English. Once they hear the rhythm, timing, intonation, and inflection of pleasing English, students can try to imitate the overall sounds instead of focusing on individual words and sentences. The first step is mastering each of the many basic sounds of English. Each sound requires different shapes in our lower face and throat. Once we learn all those shapes, we can put them together, like an exercise routine. Reading out loud is the easiest way to do this, because students can focus on reciting a written script, like an actor. Freed from having to invent their own words, learners can work exclusively on sound production.

Over the longer term, English learners have benefited the most by learning expressions that are well known to American children, but not taught in schools overseas. Popular expressions can be baffling because even if you know the meaning of every word, you don’t understand the phrase, such as “paying lip service to” or when a child smelling something unpleasant cries out “P.U.!” Pick up any U.S. children’s book and you will discover many expressions that will baffle you if you did not grow up in the American culture.

Besides colloquial expressions, idioms, and slang, U.S. cultural and historical references appear everywhere. Recently a monument to Martin Luther King Jr. was dedicated in Washington, DC. Though Dr. King is a national hero, his story is not much known outside the U.S. Raising the bar of understanding even higher is the fact that people born outside the U.S. have little or no knowledge about the history of race relations in America. I was helping a Japanese born student attending our local community college. His English assignment was to write about Dr. King. I helped him get started by letting him know that Dr. King was black and that the U.S. had severe racial discrimination. This was not covered in his Japanese high school curriculum. Noteworthy, though, is that Japanese students study U.S. history at all. How many U.S. high school students study Japanese history? Learning about American history and culture helps English speakers more fully understand what others are saying.

Notice that specific grammar and vocabulary study have not been mentioned. That is because though necessary, these skills take longer to develop. During longer programs, learners can focus on their own specific grammar issues and memorize vocabulary. Improvement in these areas comes slower, so I suggest doing the easy work first, as discussed above. As promised, I will talk about improving your written English expression in part 2. 

Accent reduction in the movies: My Fair Lady

The idea that people are evaluated by the manner of their speech is far from new, nor surprising. How someone talks immediately provides clues to their socioeconomic status, level of education, self-awareness, self-confidence, and geographic location. Logically, simply changing the way someone talks should help them function more fully and functionally across a broad range of social situations. 

My Fair Lady was a musical drama so popular it was made into a movie for wider distribution. Accent reduction is the central plot, though in this case, the ideal is British English as spoken by upper class people in the U.K. in the 1900s-- definitely NOT American! Professor Higgins bets his friend that he can make anyone speak properly. The challenge is to make over an ignorant street vendor, Eliza Doolittle, into someone who can mingle with the upper class, merely by transforming Eliza's "cockney" accent. 

As anyone who has tried to improve their accent knows, this is frustrating and difficult. Only with many repetitions and a lot of practice can you make progress. For the sake of the story, the poor street vendor happens to be a very cute young woman. The professor drills her constantly with little success and much comedy, until the breakthrough comes. As a learning strategy, the professor has Eliza repeat the phrase, "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" innumerable times until finally she masters it. Here is a link to this scene from the movie The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain .

In case you have not seen the play or movie, I will not ruin the story for you. Instead I recommend getting  it from the library, or better yet, see a live musical production. Many community theater groups present My Fair Lady because of its enduring popularity, great music, and theme of personal development. Professor Higgins finds himself developing as much as his student does. 

Pygmalion falls in love with his own creation.

The five-act play Pygmalion, by the renowned British playwright George Bernard Shaw in 1912, formed the basis of the musical play My Fair Lady about 50 years later. Pygmalion is also a wonderful drama, though without the rousing music. Shaw based his play on the ancient legend of Pygmalion, the sculptor, who falls in love with his stone sculpture of a woman. The original legend has nothing to do with accent reduction; that is entirely Shaw's creative mind at work. 

Millions of people who have seen My Fair Lady and Pygmalion have accepted the premise that our way of speaking influences how we appear to others. Maybe it is not always true, but thinking of an exception is hard.

Channels of English expression-- ways to get your point across

Effective use of spoken language, but is it English?

Language offers many different communication channels, just like cable TV. Expressing your thoughts in English, getting your point across, can happen verbally or in writing. These are two basic channels that have channels of their own. For example, spoken language includes both your speech accepting the Nobel prize or gossiping with a neighbor at a barbecue.Do you know where the word barbecue came from? It is not from any European or Asian language. I just found out that the Native Americans who first met Christopher Columbus gave us the delicious word.Politicians use one form of spoken language, salespeople use another. Each channel has a separate focus, audience, or intention.

Written language has many channels as well, everything from  thank-you notes or email to legal opinions from the Supreme Court. All the channels are almost like sub-languages, each with its own special vocabulary, expressions, and acronyms that may well be unintelligible to an outsider. Various channels serve specific communities, from rappers to preachers. Almost only by the use of English, rappers have built an entire sub-culture that thrives today. Preachers urge church-goers to behave well and do good, using entirely different communication styles, even though both are speaking American English. To be honest, I think that rappers' English only appeals to a fairly narrow audience and has a limited range of expression. I do appreciate rap for its creative energy and poetry.

When people ask me where to start improving their spoken and written English skills, my first question is, "Who do you want to or need to communicate with?" This question is crucial. Workers, for example, adopt different communication styles depending on their role. Workers use one style with colleagues, a different style with the boss. In every day life, you may use one style when talking to a family member than when you are talking to your kid's teacher.

Written communication is easier for some people to master. Reasons for this include the opportunity to compose as slowly as you want, as well as the chance to review and edit. Almost every book published has been re-written many times. You can work on writing as long as you  want before you send it to readers. Speaking requires a lot more bandwidth because you need to compose your words and sentences in real time. You don't have much time to select correct words, let alone pick the best from a number of options. When you speak, you do not have the opportunity to edit out errors. You can't take a break to look up a word in the dictionary.

Effective speaking is harder than good writing, in my opinion. Speaking well is harder because the speaker must also perform. So, besides a mastery of language comparable to a good writer, a good speaker must also be an artist of the spoken word, capable of giving life and expression to the words themselves. Expressing yourself in spoken English requires the gestures, voice projection, breathing, and stage presence of a great actor. What is your opinion?

Quizzes for English language learning: test your knowledge

Today I learned how to tap into my large reserve of HTML quizzes, exercises, puzzles, etc. that students have enjoyed. Many are basic because most adult speakers of English make frequent basic, small mistakes. Therefore, reviewing these errors can help you eliminate them in your everyday use. These resources are all taken from websites, PDFs, and other documents that I have collected over the years. Since I did not create these resources, I humbly request that that you support the respective authors by going to their specific website.

If you look at the tabs above you will see two quizzes from http://a4esl.org/ Activities for ESL. They have many such quizzes, and lots of interesting information. I recommend this website highly because it is so comprehensive and seems to have no advertising. As days go by, I will continue to add tabs to the top of the blog so eventually readers can find all they need gathered right here. Please let me know if you have any requests! carignan.paul@gmail.com

I have found that even advanced learners of English as a second language often make simple, minor mistakes without noticing it. Using quizzes like these can help you if you want to improve your English fluency. You may want to review my posting "Back to Basics," which mentions other ways to strengthen your foundation of English knowledge. Sure, you need lots of vocabulary, but if you make simple mistakes then you will not be expressing yourself well in English.

Learning resources for English

General Education Development is a U.S. diploma equivalent to a high school diploma.

Many non-native English speakers function very well for working and living in the U.S. Even if they are college graduates, many have never studied the material tested by the GED (General Equivalency Diploma) test. Specifically the Language Arts portion of the GED requires reading comprehension, identification and correction of writing errors, and an essay.

GED curriculum also is provided for free in all high school districts, part of the federally funded adult education effort. Lots of resources, on line and in print, help people prepare. Students can pre- and post-test with sample tests as many times as they want before having to take the real test.

Even advanced speakers of English as a second language rarely receive this specific sort of instruction. Without it, progress in higher education is slowed dramatically because students do not understand entirely what they are reading and have no instruction or practice in writing.

The internet has many free resources for GED study. Some you might want to check are http://www.my-ged.com , http://steckvaughnadult.hmhco.com/en/gedtestmenu.htm , and http://adulted.about.com/od/gettingyourged/a/gedbooks.htm .

Slang, idiom, expression, argot, jargon, colloquialism: what is it?

To improve your knowledge of U.S. slang, this website is really good. Another good reference is the Urban Dictionary.

Slang, idiom, expression, argot, jargon, colloquialism:
Either a printed or online dictionary will tell you what each of these words mean. Some definitions may differ, but these words all generally refer to language as it is normally used by native speakers. This everyday language differs from academic language in important ways. The vocabulary of formal, academic English language is quite fixed and slow to change. Words have well-defined meanings that change little over time. However, everyday English changes constantly. Words used today were unknown yesterday. Yesterday's slang sounds archaic today. Some idioms are completely arbitrary, like "P,U." Every American pre-schooler knows this means something stinks! What do the initial letter stand for? No one knows for sure.

One function of colloquialisms is to establish and maintain a community. The community is people who understand and use certain slang expressions, Insiders know the what it means to "pay lip service." If you are an insider, you can understand the intended meaning of the expression that lies beneath the meaning of the individual words. If you are outside the community, you may understand the words but not understand the underlying meaning they way insiders do. For example, the community of people born or growing up in the U.S. constantly use slang, idioms, and similar expressions which exclude non-native speakers. People outside the community cannot usually penetrate colloquial expressions very easily.

Another function of slang is to provide a platform for humor. Since the actual meaning of the expression may be the opposite of the literal meaning of the individual words, people using these kinds of phrases often have an ironic intent. To understand humor in English, non-native speakers need a broad understanding of the most common expressions. These expressions are known since childhood by native speakers but continue to baffle non-native adults.

One good way to discover these expression is to read a U.S. general interest magazine, such as Time magazine, Readers Digest, or National Geographic. If you have not lived all or most of your life in the U.S., though you understand the individual words and grammar, the overall meaning of the magazine articles remains elusive. That is because vital parts of the meaning are contained in the slang, idiom, expression, argot, jargon, or colloquialism used in speech and writing.

Please let me know your own experiences with English slang. How have you tried to learn common expressions and idioms? You can email me directly by clicking here. Also, please give me any feedback you can so I can keep improving. Thanks!

What makes a native American English speaker?

Chief Sitting Bull

People born in other countries want to sound like native speakers of American English while they live in the U.S. People born outside the U.S., speaking English as a second language, cannot avoid having at least a small accent, even if they can speak perfectly otherwise. For most non-native speakers, understanding American expressions and idioms is just as hard as proper pronunciation. Actually, a speaker of native American is a member of the original inhabitants of the U.S. Sitting Bull was a famous Native American and probably could speak English as well I expect.

To be accurate, I must say I am a native speaker of American English, which is how this language as evolved in the U.S; English in the U.K,, Australia, Canada, Ireland, India, and elsewhere are all slightly different. American English is my native tongue.

Another difference between English speakers born outside the U.S. and those born here is that most foreign born speakers know far fewer slang expressions, cultural references, and historic background on many subjects. Often people feel confident speaking within their area of expertise, such as at the workplace. For one reason, they know all the specialized vocabulary. But in other situations, such as social gatherings, they feel completely out of the loop because they do not always fully understand the conversation and its implications.

Some experts think the distinction between native and non-native speakers is not important. Technically they may be correct, especially when writing or speaking formally, as in a presentation. In casual conversation, though, or general writing (as in email or blog), the depth of your English knowledge comes through. A famous speech refers to a crystal cup that holds the rare wine. Yes, the cup is precious and valuable but the wine is what is most important. The cup is only a container for the wine. Likewise, our words are only containers for our meaning. Whether we drink from a crystal cup or paper cup, the wine tastes almost as good.

The meaning of English words

What does "civil" mean?

Everyone knows you can find the meaning of English words in a dictionary. However, a dictionary can only provide the most basic answers. Dictionaries really only provide hints about each word, especially words that have different uses or completely different meanings. Some words change their meaning depending on their role or function in the sentence. For example, when used as a verb "live" means one thing and is pronounced in one way. When used as an adjective, "live" has both a different meaning and pronunciation. 

Yesterday a student asked me about the word "civil." Because he had just taken a business training workshop, he knew about "civil rights" of workers that offer legal protection against discrimination. Civil rights are the topic of this cartoon. Civil rights in the U.S. became a common cause during efforts to reduce discrimination against people of color. More recently, civil rights have been extended to members of the military regarding their gender preference. Using "civil" in this way is only a specific application of the general usage.

The word civil forms the basis for "civilization/" What is the difference between civilized and uncivilized people? Civilized people follow laws and social rules, try to be courteous and respectful to others, and to build sustainable societies. Even if people disagree completely, they can still debate their views with civil discourse instead of insulting, threatening, or attacking their opponent. People who act civilly believe in cooperation as well as competition. Civility is collaboration between people. Or from another view, being civil is just having good manners, acting civilized, not like a savage.

Civil rights then can be understood as the rights of an individual in a civilized society. The word has many other important meanings though. In the U.S., you can get married in a church or by religious means, or you can get married in a court by a judge or justice of the peace. In the second case, we call this a "civil" marriage to show that it was legally and socially sanctioned, but without any priest, minister, or other clergy presiding. The civil officer (judge) presides instead. If you don't choose a civil union, then you can have a "church" wedding.

Involvement of a judge and public court in civil marriages suggests that "civil" is an important part of the U.S. justice system. Our law is divided into two parts: criminal and civil. Criminal justice deals with crimes. Civil justice governs contracts between people or companies and resolves disputes between various parties when no crime is involved. Besides marriage, a kind of civil contract, civil courts are where lawsuits are filed and settled. Lately, many high tech companies have been suing each other over intellectual property (patents, etc.). These cases are all held in civil court since no crime is alleged.

"Civil war" is an oxymoron. (an oxymoron is a phrase that contradicts itself. Wars are anything but civil!) Yet we call wars that break out within one country civil wars because they are not wars with other countries. This year is the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. This war was not at all civil and even though it was a long time ago, it killed more Americans than any other war before or since. So this phrase "civil war" is unintentionally ironic.

The dictionary will offer brief hints for these meanings, but fully understanding them is difficult, especially for non-native English speakers. Like many words, the deeper you look, the more you think about it, the more detail you see and appreciate. So dive in and really think about some words you already know. Do they have more than one  meaning? Do their meanings change slightly in different expressions?

English not your native tongue?

For a long time English has used the word "tongue" (pronounced tung) to stand for language. Before the days of widespread literacy, this always meant the spoken language. Using the word tongue to stand for a whole language is not so surprising when you think about it. In English, if not all languages, our tongues play a vital role in shaping sounds. Language joins various sounds together to represent things, ideas or actions, for example. From another perspective, spoken language is simply an audible code to communicate.

To create sounds correctly, our tongues must be in constant motion. Of course, if you "wag your tongue" (like a dog wags its tail), you will be called a gossip. If someone uses crude or obscene language, they will be told, "Watch your tongue!" Without a mirror, watching your own tongue is pretty hard unless your tongue is very long. Try it!

While speaking English correctly, our tongues fly all over our mouths. Those born or growing up in the U.S. learn to move their tongues correctly as very young children. People born outside the U.S. learn English in schools which usually do not emphasize pronunciation. Since they do not learn as children, and do not study it in school, no wonder most adults have serious doubts about how they speak. Even if your eyes, ears, and brain all are expert in English, your tongue still needs to learn the complex dance necessary to speak fluently.

Because our tongues are muscle, simply learning new information is not enough to train it properly. Just like any muscle, the tongue must practice the correct forms over and over. At first this feels very uncomfortable because your tongue has not developed "muscle memory" yet. Also, you have probably tried to make the correct sounds many times but did not learn it properly in the first place. In this case, you first have to "unlearn" your old tongue memory, then re-learn the correct movements.

Read something very slowly out loud to yourself. Feel how your tongue moves, flexes, advances, retreats. This dance gives life to our language. This muscle shapes the music of our voices.

Fluent pronunciation with a digital recorder

All students of English want to improve how they sound, how they pronounce each syllable and word. Everyone understands and respects people who speak clearly and precisely, without sounding like a robot. In other words, everybody wants to sound natural even if they can never sound fully native. No one doubts that face to face live conversation with a native speaker is the best way to improve but many learners don't get much opportunity.

Overcome this obstacle in this simple way. These days, digital recording is available through smart phones (like iPhone or Android), laptop and desktop computers, and dedicated digital voice recorders. Use any voice recording method you can. Ask various native English speakers to help you out for a minute. Ask each to slowly read the same article, from a website, newspaper, book, magazine, etc. Ask them to read for one-two minutes and record them while they do so. Before you finish, check spot check to make sure your recorder worked properly.

On your own, simply play back the readings and try to copy their sound exactly. Read from the same article. Don't pay much attention to the meaning, just listen to the sounds. Try to imitate them exactly. Experiment with your mouth, lips, tongue, and teeth to see what shape is needed for each sound. Listen closely to vowels and consonants. With a recording you can privately repeat as many times as you need. After all, your voice is ultimate musical instrument. To get their best sound, musicians have to practice a lot. So get going now!