How to Improve Your British Accent in 20 Minutes! (Standard English Accent)

Smashing English! Free and Fun English Lessons!
9 Jul 202420:50

Summary

TLDRIn this informative video, Laura introduces viewers to the nuances of the Standard English Received Pronunciation (RP) accent, highlighting common pronunciation pitfalls such as the glottal T and providing tips to correct them. She emphasizes the importance of imitation and exposure to British media for mastering the accent, suggesting tools like NordVPN for accessing content. Laura also covers specific sounds that are challenging for learners, such as 'oh', 'thinking', 'schwa', TH, and 'ah', and offers techniques for practicing these sounds effectively. Additionally, she touches on the rhythm and intonation of speech, the importance of diction, and the value of mouth movement in clear articulation, encouraging viewers to practice diligently to achieve a native-like accent.

Takeaways

  • 🎤 Subscribe to Smashing English for more videos on accents.
  • 🗣️ Laura teaches a standard English accent with hints of the West Midlands.
  • 📚 Received Pronunciation (RP) is a clear and precise way of speaking.
  • ❌ Avoid the glottal stop in inappropriate places, such as 'be' ter' or 'wa' ter.'
  • 📼 Imitation of native speakers is a key technique for mastering accents.
  • 🌐 Use NordVPN to access British content for accent practice.
  • 🎵 Practice specific sounds: 'oh,' 'uh,' the schwa, and TH sounds.
  • 📖 Follow the figure-of-eight pattern for natural intonation and rhythm.
  • 👄 Ensure clear diction by moving the mouth and practicing tongue twisters.
  • 🤓 Practice makes perfect, and flexibility in mouth movements is crucial.

Q & A

  • What is the accent Laura uses in the video?

    -Laura uses a standard English accent with some hints of the West Midlands, which is essentially Received Pronunciation (RP).

  • Why is it important to pronounce T's clearly in Received Pronunciation?

    -Pronouncing T's clearly helps to make speech sound much clearer and more understandable to anyone listening.

  • What is a glottal stop and how is it misused by English learners?

    -A glottal stop is a pronunciation technique where the air is stopped in the throat instead of with the teeth. English learners often misuse it by placing glottal stops where they're not needed or by combining them with T's, which is incorrect.

  • What is the advice for using glottal stops in Received Pronunciation?

    -Glottal stops should only be used in the correct places, typically replacing T's, and should not be overused.

  • How can one access British content that might be blocked in their country?

    -One can use a VPN service like NordVPN to virtually change their location and access content that was previously blocked.

  • What is the significance of the 'oh' sound in Received Pronunciation and how should it be pronounced?

    -The 'oh' sound is a diphthong that transitions from an open 'uh' sound to an 'oo' sound. It should not be pronounced too tightly or as 'ee'.

  • Why is the 'thinking' sound difficult for many people and how should it be pronounced?

    -The 'thinking' sound is difficult because it often involves an R sound that is not pronounced in Received Pronunciation. It should be pronounced with a dropped jaw and without tightening the lips.

  • What is a schwa and why is it important in Received Pronunciation?

    -A schwa is a neutral vowel sound represented by 'uh'. It is important because it is the most common vowel sound in Received Pronunciation and should be pronounced clearly and confidently.

  • How should the TH sound be practiced to improve Received Pronunciation?

    -The TH sound should be practiced by speaking in 'TH-speak', making the TH sounds 3 seconds long, and gradually reducing the duration until the correct pronunciation is achieved.

  • What is the correct way to pronounce the word 'what' in Received Pronunciation?

    -In Received Pronunciation, 'what' should be pronounced with an 'ah' sound, not as 'wat'.

  • How does the intonation pattern in Received Pronunciation contribute to a more natural accent?

    -The intonation pattern in Received Pronunciation follows a figure-eight shape, with a natural rise and fall of the voice, which contributes to a more natural and flowing speech pattern.

  • Why is diction important for mastering Received Pronunciation and how can it be improved?

    -Diction is important because it ensures that the sounds are clear and understandable. It can be improved by practicing tongue twisters and other diction exercises that require exaggerated mouth movements.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to Smashing English and Accent Teaching

The video script begins with a warm welcome and an invitation to subscribe to Smashing English for regular content. Laura, the instructor, introduces herself and explains that she teaches a standard English accent with a West Midlands influence, which she identifies as Received Pronunciation (RP). She clarifies that RP is a clear and heightened form of speech and provides examples of its pronunciation特点, emphasizing the correct use of 'T's and other sounds. The paragraph also outlines common issues that English learners face when trying to adopt this accent, setting the stage for the instructional content to follow.

05:04

📚 Addressing the Glottal Stop and Imitation Techniques

This paragraph delves into the issue of the glottal stop, a common mispronunciation where 'T's are omitted or replaced with a throat stop. Laura provides examples of incorrect usage and advises against overusing the glottal stop, especially in places where it's not standard. She then transitions into the topic of accent mastery through imitation, suggesting that learners should consume大量British content and even use VPN services like NordVPN to access region-restricted material. The paragraph highlights the importance of listening to and mimicking native speakers to internalize the accent effectively.

10:08

🎯 Mastering Key English Sounds for a Standard Accent

Laura focuses on the importance of mastering specific sounds to achieve a Standard English accent. She discusses the correct pronunciation of 'oh' as a diphthong, the 'thinking' sound without rolling the 'R,' and the neutral 'schwa' sound. Each sound is accompanied by instructions and examples to help learners avoid common pitfalls. The paragraph emphasizes the need for practice and confidence in producing these sounds to ensure a more authentic accent.

15:14

🔍 Refining Pronunciation with TH Sounds and Intonation

The script continues with a detailed examination of the TH sound, distinguishing between voiced and unvoiced variants, and offering a unique 'TH-speak' exercise to help learners practice. Laura also addresses the pronunciation of 'good' and 'what,' clarifying the correct mouth movements and sounds. She then introduces the concept of intonation, suggesting that the English accent has a natural rhythm resembling a figure of eight, and recommends using a physical gesture to help internalize the speech pattern.

20:15

🗣️ Enhancing Clarity Through Diction and Mouth Movement

In the final paragraph, Laura emphasizes the importance of diction for clarity in speech. She points out that even with correct pronunciation, a lack of mouth movement can hinder understanding. She encourages the use of tongue twisters and other diction exercises to improve mouth flexibility and articulation. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to practice and a prompt for viewers to engage with the channel for further lessons and support.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Received Pronunciation (RP)

Received Pronunciation, often abbreviated as RP, is a standard accent of British English. It is considered the prestige accent in the UK and is often used by broadcasters and in teaching English as a foreign language. In the video, Laura mentions that her voice is standard English Received Pronunciation, indicating that she speaks with a clear and widely understood accent, which is beneficial for English learners trying to master the accent.

💡Glottal Stop

A glottal stop is a type of consonant sound that occurs when the vocal cords abruptly stop the airflow in the vocal tract, often replacing the /t/ sound in certain dialects of English, especially in British English. In the script, Laura explains that while the glottal stop is common in British speech, students often misuse it by inserting it where it's not needed or combining it with a /t/ sound, which is incorrect.

💡Imitation

Imitation refers to the act of copying or mirroring the behavior, sound, or mannerisms of another. In the context of the video, Laura suggests that the best way to master an accent is through imitation, specifically by mimicking native speakers extensively. She recommends starting with an extreme impression of someone with the desired accent and consuming a lot of content from them to internalize the accent's nuances.

💡NordVPN

NordVPN is a virtual private network service provider mentioned in the script as a tool to access content that might be blocked in the viewer's country. Laura suggests using NordVPN to access British media to aid in the imitation of the accent, highlighting its feature of changing the viewer's virtual location to bypass content restrictions.

💡Diphthong

A diphthong is a complex vowel sound that begins with one vowel quality and glides into another within the same syllable. Laura uses the word 'oh' as an example of a diphthong in the video, explaining that it starts with an open 'uh' sound and transitions into an 'oo' sound, which is crucial for English learners to pronounce correctly to achieve a natural-sounding accent.

💡Non-rhotic

Non-rhotic speech is characterized by the dropping of the /r/ sound when it is not followed by a vowel. Laura points out that standard English, particularly Received Pronunciation, is non-rhotic, meaning that the /r/ sound is only pronounced when it precedes a vowel. This is a key feature of the accent that learners need to understand to avoid incorrectly pronouncing words like 'nurse' with an unnecessary /r/ sound.

💡Schwa

The schwa is a mid-central unstressed vowel sound, represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ə/ and is the most common vowel sound in English. Laura emphasizes the importance of mastering the schwa sound in the video, as it is a neutral sound that occurs frequently in the standard English accent, especially in unstressed syllables.

💡TH Sound

The TH sound refers to two different dental fricatives in English, the voiced /ð/ as in 'the' and the voiceless /θ/ as in 'think'. Laura discusses the difficulty many English learners have with these sounds and provides a method to practice them by speaking in 'TH-speak', which involves elongating the TH sounds to build mouth muscle memory.

💡Intonation

Intonation is the rise and fall of pitch in speech, which can convey different emotions, attitudes, and meanings. Laura explains the importance of intonation in sounding natural in the standard English accent, describing a pattern that resembles a figure of eight, with a general idea of rising and falling pitch that gives speech a more natural and flowing quality.

💡Diction

Diction refers to the clarity, articulation, and choice of words in speech. In the video, Laura notes that even if learners know all the sounds, their accent might still not sound native due to poor diction. She advises practicing diction exercises, such as tongue twisters, to improve mouth movement and articulation, which are essential for clear speech.

Highlights

Introduction to the video and the importance of subscribing for regular updates.

Laura's introduction and her role as an English accent teacher.

Description of Laura's accent as Standard English Received Pronunciation (RP) with West Midlands hints.

Explanation of Received Pronunciation and its clarity compared to other accents.

Common issues encountered while teaching the standard English accent.

Discussion on the glottal T or glottal stop and its misuse by learners.

Advice on pronouncing T's clearly for better understanding.

Importance of using the glottal stop correctly and not overusing it.

Recommendation to record oneself to monitor glottal stop usage.

Emphasis on imitation as a method to master an accent, citing dialect coach Sammy Grant.

Suggestion to consume British content for accent acquisition, with a mention of NordVPN for accessing blocked content.

Tips for mastering specific sounds crucial for the standard English accent.

Instructions on the correct pronunciation of the 'oh' diphthong.

Clarification on the non-rhotic nature of the standard English accent and the pronunciation of 'nurse'.

Explanation of the schwa sound and its prevalence in the standard English accent.

Guidance on the voiced and unvoiced TH sounds and the importance of practicing them.

Advice on the pronunciation of the word 'what' and its distinction from other vowel sounds.

Discussion on the correct pronunciation of the 'ah' sound in words like 'pot' and 'what'.

Recommendation of the book 'How to Do Standard English Accents' for mastering intonation patterns.

Description of the figure-eight intonation pattern characteristic of the standard English accent.

Advice on using physical gestures to practice the accent's natural rhythm and flow.

Importance of diction and mouth movement for clear speech in the standard English accent.

Suggestion to practice tongue twisters for improving diction and mouth flexibility.

Encouragement to keep practicing and exploring more accent videos on the channel.

Invitation for viewers to leave questions in the comments and access links for English lessons and social media.

Transcripts

play00:00

Hello! Do you want to sound a little bit like  me when you speak English? Keep watching.

play00:07

[Music]

play00:11

Good morning, good afternoon, and good  evening. Welcome to Smashing English! Before  

play00:14

we start this video, be sure to subscribe  because we make new videos all the time,  

play00:19

and I don't want you to miss any. So, with  that said, let's get on with the video.

play00:22

Hello, my name is Laura. Lovely  to meet you! Hi! I teach people  

play00:26

how to do this accent almost every day.  Now, what is this accent I'm using? So,  

play00:32

I would say that I have a standard English  accent with some hints of the West Midlands,  

play00:39

but for all intents and purposes, my voice is  standard English Received Pronunciation (RP).  

play00:47

You might have heard this term before. Received  Pronunciation is a little bit more heightened,  

play00:52

so if I were to talk in RP, everything would  be a lot clearer. I would say all of my T's,  

play01:00

I would say "butter" and "better," and I would  say, "look over there at that lovely cat."

play01:07

Like I said, I teach this accent  to English learners a lot,  

play01:11

and I have made a list of the common  issues that keep coming up when I am  

play01:16

teaching this accent. So, these are the most  common problems I hear and how to fix them.

play01:22

Now, the first problem I encounter a lot is  this guy: the glottal T or the glottal stop. So,  

play01:30

first of all, what is it? You will often hear  people doing an impression of a British person,  

play01:36

they might say something like, "bottle of  water, bottle of water," and they don't say the  

play01:43

T's. Instead of "bottle," they say "bo'le." What  they're doing there is called a glottal stop. So,  

play01:50

instead of stopping the air with their teeth  and going "b-t," they're stopping the air in  

play01:57

their throat; they're going "bo' - stop the  air - le," and then they release it. So,  

play02:03

try doing that. Try stopping the air  and then releasing it. Go "a' a' a',"  

play02:12

that's a glottal stop. And yes, British  people use it a lot. I just did it there.  

play02:18

British people use it a lot. I said "use it"  instead of "use it," so it is really common.

play02:27

But what I hear is my students put glottal  stops where they don't need one, or they will  

play02:34

do a glottal stop and a T. So, let me give you an  example of that. The word "better." I have heard  

play02:41

my students do "be' ter," so they are glottal  stopping and then doing a T: "be' ter" or "wa'  

play02:51

ter." That's not correct. Okay? We either do a  glottal stop or we do a T. We can't do both. So,  

play02:58

the best thing to do for clarity is to try to  pronounce as many T's as you can because it  

play03:05

just helps everything sound much clearer and  anyone can understand you. So, when you have  

play03:09

this word "better," "better," "water," "water,"  however, if you do need to do a glottal stop,  

play03:18

let's say that's the kind of voice you want, make  sure it's in the right place. I've heard a student  

play03:24

before say "thin' king," and he's putting  a glottal stop in there, but there's no T;  

play03:30

he's doing it before a K sound. So, make sure  you're reserving it for T's and don't overdo it.

play03:37

If you have a sentence like this:  "I thought about it," try not to go,  

play03:42

"I thought about it." Don't put too many  in there, okay? So just be careful with  

play03:47

the glottal stop. Don't overuse it, and don't  use it where it's not supposed to be there. So,  

play03:52

try recording yourself, listen back, and  see if you are doing too many glottal stops.

play03:58

Okay, on to the next tip. Many experts believe  that the best way to master an accent is through  

play04:03

imitation. Like dialect coach Sammy Grant says  when talking to voices.com, the only true way to  

play04:09

learn a new accent is by speaking with that  accent. Sometimes the best way to start is  

play04:14

by doing an extreme impression of someone. Find  someone who has the accent you want. Find multiple  

play04:20

people and then consume so much content from them  that you could easily do an impression of them.

play04:26

Now, in order to do this for this accent, you're  going to have to consume a lot of British content,  

play04:31

maybe even British media that is blocked in your  country because you're outside of the UK. Now,  

play04:36

how can we get past that? Oh, I know! By using  NordVPN. NordVPN has a huge network of servers.  

play04:45

When you connect to one of these servers, you  can virtually change your location, making it  

play04:49

appear as if you're browsing from another part  of the world. That means you can access content  

play04:54

previously blocked in your country. So, if you've  decided that you really want to sound like Tom  

play04:58

Hiddleston, you can access all the interviews,  TV shows, and films he's done and really work on  

play05:04

that imitation. And if you've downloaded NordVPN  for this reason, you are also going to benefit  

play05:09

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play05:14

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play05:19

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play05:25

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play05:35

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play05:42

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play05:47

My next tip to ensure you have the most perfect  Standard English accent is to master these sounds.  

play05:55

Okay, so I have written down the most common  sounds that people seem to struggle with,  

play06:00

and I'm going to teach them to you now.  So, if you can do these sounds perfectly,  

play06:04

you are very close to having  a lovely, consistent accent.

play06:08

The first one is "oh." Now, the problem that  people have with this sound is they don't start  

play06:17

it correctly. They tend to go too tight, so they  will say "ee." So, they will say "no," and they  

play06:26

go too tight. So, "oh" is a diphthong, which means  it's made of two sounds that go one to the other.  

play06:34

It goes "oh," it kind of changes. So, the first  sound we have is open: "uh." I want you to make an  

play06:43

"uh" sound, make a completely neutral sound, "uh."  Now hold that for me. We sound a bit stupid, so  

play06:56

you're going to do a very stupid sound, okay? Then  I want you to slowly close your lips to an "oo,"  

play07:04

so it's going to go like this: "uh-oo." Okay,  do it slowly. Ready? "Uh-oo." That's the sound.

play07:20

It's not "n-oo," it's "n-uh-oo." Can you hear the  difference? It starts on an "uh." So, let's look  

play07:28

at some words. So, we've got "no," "no," "no."  Or we've got "show," "show," "show." Okay? So,  

play07:42

the trick with that sound is the start of it. Make  sure you are confident on how to start that sound.

play07:47

Okay, let's move on to the next sound: the  "thinking" sound. Everyone finds it so difficult  

play07:52

because it feels so unnatural for so many people.  So, this is the sound that goes like this: "uh,  

play07:59

uh, uh." So, let's imagine you're thinking  of what to order: "uh, uh, can I have a,  

play08:09

can I have a coffee and uh, a muffin?" It's  that thinking sound, okay? Now, the reason why  

play08:19

people get confused with this is because often  there's an R here. So, if you think about the  

play08:24

word "nurse" or "her," people see that R and they  go, "I need to tighten something. I need to go  

play08:33

'nurse.' I need to make it tight to pronounce  that R, right?" No, we don't like R's. Okay,  

play08:41

if you know anything about this accent, you will  know that in standard English, it is a non-rhotic  

play08:46

accent. That means that we only pronounce an R if  it comes before a vowel, like "road" or "red" or  

play08:55

"really." But in this word, it's not before a  vowel. So, we've got "nurse," no R. Okay? So,  

play09:03

try making that sound and try dropping your jaw  a little bit. So, we're going to go "uh, uh, uh."  

play09:12

So, the jaw drops. Try to fight the temptation to  do anything with your lips. I know you probably  

play09:18

want to go "oh," but don't do it. If it helps,  try this: okay, so make sure your hands are clean.  

play09:26

"Uh, uh, uh." Can you see that I don't need my  lips to make this sound? That's because I'm not  

play09:33

pronouncing the R. It's just an open, dropped  jaw: "uh, uh, uh." So, practice that sound.  

play09:38

Make sure you're 100% confident on it because that  is always the sound that people have issues with.

play09:44

The next sound that my students struggle with is  the "schwa." The schwa is a completely neutral  

play09:53

sound. There are no lips, there are no teeth,  there's nothing. It's just "uh, uh, uh, uh."  

play10:01

You don't have to do the shoulders, but I like it.  "Uh, uh." So, this happens a lot in this accent.  

play10:08

It's actually probably the most common vowel sound  in this accent, so you need to be confident with

play10:13

it and really throw this sound away. When you have  a word like "mother," the second syllable is "uh":  

play10:23

"mother, mother." Some people don't want to fully  commit to that schwa because it feels odd, so they  

play10:30

say "mother, mother," and it's too much like an  E sound. Really drop it: "mother, mother, uh, uh,  

play10:39

uh." Another example of where you will hear "uh"  is in this word. We don't say "a," we say "uh":  

play10:47

"a pen, a dog, a cat." Can you hear how I'm  literally just doing "uh"? "A dog, a pen, a cat."

play10:57

The next sound people find tricky is, of course,  the dreaded TH. Everybody hates TH because it's so  

play11:05

hard. So, a quick reminder: we have two different  types of TH. We have a voiced TH (ding) and an  

play11:13

unvoiced TH (ding, ding). A voiced TH has voice  on it. So, if you do this for me, "ah," feel your  

play11:25

throat, you should feel vibrations: "ah, ah." Do  it now. Can you feel the vibrations? Now do this:  

play11:37

just breathe, "ah." Do this, "ah." No vibrations.  So, when your throat vibrates, that means you are  

play11:48

using your voice. If it's not vibrating, you're  not using your voice. So, a voiced TH sounds like  

play11:55

this: "the, the, the." Feel that buzz? An unvoiced  TH sounds like this: "think, think, think." No  

play12:07

voice. Okay? You have to be confident with  these two. So, practice them, practice them,  

play12:13

practice them every day because what often  happens is my student will have a great accent,  

play12:19

but then they say something like this: "I saw the  cat, I saw the cat," and they turn it into a D,  

play12:26

but it needs to be "I saw the cat." That  would be voiced: "I saw the cat, the cat." So,  

play12:34

the best way to practice your TH is you can watch  my video. I've got a whole video on the TH sound.  

play12:40

I will link it down below, but the best thing  to do is learn how to speak in TH-speak. So,  

play12:47

that means you speak normally, but you make  your TH's about 3 seconds long. So, maybe  

play12:53

find a book or something you can read, and every  time you come across a TH, I want you to make it  

play12:59

3 seconds long. So, for example, "I saw the cat  and it was sat on the wall, and I thought it was  

play13:13

strange because I usually think about cats  sitting on the wall." Stretch it out because  

play13:24

if you do it for longer, it gives your mouth more  time to find the position and get confident with  

play13:30

the position. Once you can do it for 3 seconds,  you can shorten it to 2 seconds, then 1 second,  

play13:35

and then you've got it. But don't give up on  the TH. I know it's hard, but don't give up.

play13:40

On to the next sound: how do you think  we say this word in a standard English  

play13:44

accent? How do you think? If you said "good,"  not quite. If you said "good," you got it. So,  

play13:54

the tendency is my students like to go "ooh"  when they see two O's; they go "ooh." But that's  

play14:02

not always correct. A lot of the time, our lips  need to do this, like that. So, one lip goes up,  

play14:11

the other lip goes down, like that. You see  it? It's a very attractive face, like that.  

play14:17

If you look at the symbol for this sound, it even  looks like your lips. It looks like it's got your  

play14:23

top lip doing that and your bottom lip doing  that. So, try to remember that symbol: "uh,  

play14:29

uh, uh." See the difference? "Uh, ooh." Can  you see my lips coming out every time? "Uh,  

play14:38

uh, uh." So, practice that one and make sure  you know that it's different from an "ooh."

play14:43

And the final sound that my students struggle  with is "ah." "Ah" seems simple, but people  

play14:50

really struggle with it. So, take a word like  "pot, pot." We want to make the sound "ah."  

play15:00

So, it's very different from "oh," it's very  different from "a," it's "ah." Now, weirdly,  

play15:06

we also have this sound in the word "what."  Even though it's spelled with an A, we don't say  

play15:13

"what," we go "what, what." So, get that "what"  perfect because we use the word "what" all the  

play15:22

time. So, if you can say that perfectly, it'll  help you a lot in your everyday conversation.

play15:26

Okay, those are the sounds I want you to focus on  if you want to have a perfect accent because they  

play15:31

are usually the ones that most people struggle  with. Okay, moving on to the next tip. If you  

play15:36

watched my video on intonation, you will know  that I love the book "How to Do Standard English  

play15:42

Accents" by Edda Sharpe and Jan Haydn Rowles. In  that book, they give a great tip on how to sound  

play15:49

more natural with this accent. So, let's say  that you know all of the sounds. You can do TH,  

play15:55

you can do "nurse," you can do "pot," but it still  doesn't sound quite right. That's probably because  

play16:02

you are missing the right rhythm and groove. So,  with this accent, we tend to follow this pattern,  

play16:13

like a figure of eight, and they talk about this  in the book and it's really interesting. So,  

play16:18

the example they give is: "There was once a young  rat named Arthur." So, we would say it like this:  

play16:26

"There was once a young rat named Arthur.  There was once a young rat named Arthur." So,  

play16:34

see how my voice goes up when it's here, it goes  down when it's here, it goes up when it's here,  

play16:39

it goes down when it's here. Let's think  of another example: "I work as a teacher,  

play16:44

but I would love to be a head teacher." So, the  key there is we always end down. It always ends  

play16:52

on that down, and there's just this general  idea of rising and falling. We like to go  

play16:59

up, and then we like to go down. We like  to go up, and then we like to go down.

play17:03

Now, if you've been speaking English  in quite a straight, monotonous way,  

play17:08

this might feel really strange for you, but  it's going to be really useful for you. So,  

play17:13

try to physically take your finger and make that  shape, and speak about something, and see if you  

play17:19

can follow the rising and falling of the shape.  So, you could say, "I've never played golf,  

play17:26

but I'd like to try because I think it's really  useful to be involved in a sport, and it does a  

play17:36

lot of good things for your brain and for your  social life and for everything like that." So,  

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try, just try it. See what happens. Now, you  don't have to follow that religiously; you don't  

play17:48

have to always be doing exactly that, but it's  a lovely little energy that you can give your  

play17:53

speech to help it sound more natural and flowing,  and a lot more like a native speaker. So, try it.

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Let's say you've tried everything. You know all  of the sounds, you've practiced, you can do a TH,  

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you can do this shape, but something still just  doesn't feel right. You still don't think that  

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your accent is close to sounding like a native.  You still feel that something's not quite right.  

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That might be down to diction. So, a lot of the  time, I teach students and they sound great;  

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they have a great accent, but it's being trapped  inside of a mouth that's not moving enough. So,  

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sometimes I teach people and their mouth  is very tight here; they don't move,  

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it kind of stays in one place. Now, if  you look at how I speak, my mouth is  

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always making completely different shapes.  You can see my lips moving, my mouth opens,  

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and that's because Standard English is  quite a flexible accent. We jump from  

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these different types of sounds very quickly,  and it's very pronounced, it's very clear. So,  

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that's why you need a flexible mouth. You need  to be able to get your mouth around these words,  

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especially because it's your second, third, or  fourth language. You might be fighting against  

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an accent or maybe habits that make you a little  bit harder to understand. So, you have to work  

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even harder to speak clearly so that people  can understand everything that you're saying.

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So, try some diction exercises, things like  tongue twisters, like "Peter Piper picked a peck  

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of pickled peppers." Now, with a tongue twister,  don't just read it: "Peter Piper picked a peck  

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of pickled peppers." That's not going to help  you at all. Try to read it like you are reading  

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to someone who can't hear you. Imagine you are  talking to someone and they've got headphones in,  

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they're like this, and you're trying to talk  to them: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled  

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peppers." You should look crazy; you shouldn't  look good. This isn't about looking good,  

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this isn't about looking cool;  this is about looking crazy.

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I hope all that was useful for you. I have lots  of videos on this accent on my channel, so have a  

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look. Keep practicing, practice makes perfect. Of  course it does. Thank you so much for watching. If  

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you have any questions, leave them in the comments  down below. If you would like an English lesson  

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with me or my partner Bez, the link for that is  down below. If you want to follow us on Instagram,  

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you can do so there. Thank you so much for  watching, and we will see you next time. Ta ta!

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