Retain
the vocabulary you’ve learned, to use it again in future
If you learn
a new word but don’t also understand the pronunciation, it’s more difficult for
your brain to remember it. Think about learning pronunciation as giving your
brain a more ‘three-dimensional’ view of a word. It will help commit it to your
long-term memory, so that it’s there again for you to use, with confidence,
when you need to.
Pronunciation
exercise – have a go at this today!
Step 1: Make
a shortlist of words you want to say clearly
Review the
vocabulary you’ve learned recently or words in a book/text you’re reading. Are
some of the words tricky to say? Make a list of 5-10 words that are difficult
for you to pronounce, then use the resources above to help you understand the
sounds in the words, and practice saying them individually.
Step 2:
Practice makes perfect
Write some short phrases or sentences with your target words built into them. I like to give my students a list of vocabulary and challenge them to write a short sentence, however silly, using as many of the words as possible. For example:
Though
she had recovered from her cough, Sally found it tough to get through the
workout.
Then
practice saying the sentence out loud. Say it to yourself while looking in a mirror,
or record yourself on your phone. Or challenge a friend to see who can achieve
the clearest pronunciation. Think of it as training your mouth, ears, and brain
to get comfortable using these words, just like a tennis player or a footballer
practicing over and over – until they know that when they’re in a game, they’ll
hit that shot or score that goal almost without thinking.
Learning
pronunciation for words in English is key to unlocking your fluency and
confidence. So why not try making pronunciation a core part of your study plan
and see how it can help you.