Accent Training Podcast

Today I bring on Accent Coach Bianca from Master an American Accent. We consider how we can set realistic and quantifiable goals to improve overall speech, and work on accent related skills. Bianca mentions that it's essential to know you're motivation for learning something. If you don't understand why you want to learn something, you risk losing any motivation you might have had b...

Today I get into detail with 3 different general rules for pronouncing the letter X. X may sound like "eks", "igz", or "Zz", depending on its position in a word. Listen on in to get a good feel for this sound! Practice along with these phrases here: Expert opinion Mix in water Exit Strategy Luxury Suite Examine the mixed results.   They’re exaggerating my text. Let Ma...

Speech involves many aspects, and accent reduction takes dedication and patience. However, when we consider the sounds of the American accent, connecting our speech, and intonation, we can break speech down into categories to be better understood.  Tune in to learn how you can improve your understanding of spoken English, and ultimately improve your communication skills and confidence! COACH WITH...

Today's episode practices more Spanish words than English. This may seem like craziness, but I'd like to show you how the concepts that we speak about to improve your spoken English muscle memory can be applied to ALL languages! All that it takes is a little patience, and knowing what to look for. In fact, while editing this, I realized that I, myself, have been pronouncing some words in...

ZH spelling is not commonly found in English, but we do say it a lot! We make the same position as an Sh, but add a little voice. Tune in to work this one out with me here! Practice your ZH with these idiomatic expressions! Bon Voyage Have a good trip I wished them a bon voyage and sent them off.  Snap Decision A decision made in a quick moment I made a snap decision and bought Oreos. Beyond measu...

Today we see a list of words that I find people commonly mix-up. Tune in to see what difficulties you may be facing, and how you can overcome them! Follow along with These Words Here! S ay v Says  | This Tuesday v Next Tuesday  |  World v Word  |   This v These  |  Party v Potty    Can v Can’t | There, Their, They’re COACH WITH ME 1 ON 1

The internet is full of confusing words, and sometimes communicating even basic vocabulary can be tough. Listen on in to learn how Americans will typically say some common online-related words, and how you can get used to using them as well! Follow along with these words here: Internet = In 'nerne' Wifi = WIY fiy Bandwidth = Bay yuhnd Wi'th Data = DAH dtuh Meme = MEE mm Gif = GIH ff...

Do you ever wonder how to pronounce ED when ending a word? There are 3 different sounds used when the letters ED end a word, and each sound has an easy rule for when it is used. If you want to know how ED sounds when ending a word,  tune in to learn these three MUST KNOW rules, along with some examples of how you can put this to work! Practice regularly with these idiomatic expressions here to get...

Buying a house may be terrifying, but with a few questions prepared, you'll sound like you know what you're doing! Here we consider 7 good questions to ask when buying a house in English, and how these can make your life MUCH easier! COACH WITH ME 1 ON 1

In English, sounds change depending on the sounds around them. We call this assimilation, and today, I explain how you can get the hang of this yourself by stretching out your vowel sounds for certain words! Follow along with these words here to get the hang of this: Got v God  |  Hit v Hid  |  Bat v Bad  |  Plate v Played   |  Wait v Wade  |  Cup v Cub Back v Bag  |  Pick v Pig  |  Safe v Save  |...

Stop consonants include the letters PB, TD, KG, and are often not released when ending words. Listen in to see how you can make a habit of this yourself, and have better control over your word stress! Practice along with these idiomatic expressions! Hit the Sack Go to bed It’s time to hit the sack and go to bed tonight.  Go cold turkey To quit a habit through will power It was hard, but cold turke...

Today, I bring on a good friend who explains just how you can call in sick for work, and have NOBODY question it! Making that call is daunting to many people, whether you're genuinely sick or not. Listen on in to learn what you can do, and how you can call your employer and take a day off with ease! Listen for these idioms here to get a good feel for talking about work culture! We’re swamped!...

The A sound in the American accent receives a unique pronunciation when followed by an N or an M. We hear this in words like " Man " or " Banana ", but it's difficult to understand exactly what is going on! Listen on in to get a grasp on this concept, and see how you too can change your pronunciation of  these words! Practice along with these sentences here: A plan to trap...

Moving is common in the summer in the United States, and you want to make sure your English is ready for it! Listen on in to learn about English you can use to facilitate this, our own recent moving experience, and what you want to watch out for in your own move! Follow along with these phrasal verbs: Load up - Fill a vehicle Pack up - Put something in a package Unload - Removing cargo from a vehi...

The Long A and the R sounds combine, and are pronounced clearer in the American accent than in other languages. Listen on in to get a feel for just how you can stretch out the A vowel before R's, and get a distinct American sound. Listen for the Long A and R sounds in the following sentences to practice along: I can barely see if they’re there.  Losing hair is a very scary affair. January isn...

English vowel sounds are difficult considering each vowel letter has multiple vowel sounds. Today's episode considers the Long A sound, and how you can make it to have a clearer spoken English. The long "A" makes the sound of the letter itself. This is heard in words like "Day", "Make", "Able".   Learn to use a clear Long A sound is not a terribly diffi...

Dr. Solis is a medical doctor specialized in integrative medicine, and a professor at the University Tecnologico de Monterrey, and a skilled English speaker. Tune in to hear what tips she has for both your physical health, and language learning capabilities! COACH WITH ME 1 ON 1

The letters CH and SH are difficult if you don't have an ear for each individual sound. Listen in and follow along with the phrases below to get the hang of the CH and SH sounds! Practice with these phrases here: The beaches are finally open! I’ll send my truck to the chop shop. Give the dog on the chain water to quench her thirst. And these tongue twisters: Irish wristwatch If Charlie chews...

Today I bring on Estefania, my wife and a talented singer, to discuss music. Learn how you can listen to American songs to see changes in your accent, and what songs to listen to! We listen to three songs, and discuss each of them here. Links to YouTube videos of each song with lyrics can be found below: California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas Seasons of Love - Rent Hotel California -...

Some consonants in the American accent combine together to make a sound that flows, rather than pronouncing each letter individually. Today, we consider the combination of the letters T and R, and what you can do to pronounce it the American sounding way. Practice with these sentences: Local transit Interest payments Trip to Toronto A tractor trailer is a transport truck.   Practice these idioms i...

Work on more than just your pronunciation of certain words. Enhancing your muscle memory is our goal, so repeat these phrases regularly! Considering the lip movement to make a W, and the movement to make a Stressed R are the same, stretching them out in these sentences will help improve the uses of BOTH sounds.  Follow along with the example sentences here: We were right!  |  When were we wrong? ...

The Stressed R is found when R begins a word, or follows a consonant. This is a difficult one to pick up, because it employs your entire mouth to produce it. You are totally capable of doing it, however, you just need some time to focus on your lip movements! Practice along with me reading the text below: Practice These Phrases to get a clear Stressed R Road trip to Rhode Island. Bring Rob’s red b...

Today's episode considers 4 components of your speech development which made learning an accent particularly difficult. We also consider just HOW you might get started at overcoming these difficulties, and retraining your speech.  Listen on in for some great tips! COACH WITH ME 1 ON 1

Today, I give a few tips on how the R sound can be enhanced, and the muscle memory practiced effectively. The R sound is by far the most difficult in the English language, and will require MUCH practice and patience to get clearly. Practice by reading the story on the following link, and stressing each R with extreme exaggeration. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DV4U0jCL0Yc790CLLfg699YrrHCItWt...

Today, listen in while I have a fascinating chat with a friend of mine from the U.K, Lorraine. Lorraine is an English teacher, entrepreneur, podcaster, writer, and linguist. She is the founder of the British English school , Intrepid English , and the host of the Intrepid English Podcast .  Here we get into a good chat about our professions, we learn a few tips about word stress, and consider some...