Learning to speak proper English is vital for your personal and professional self. Sometimes, it may even be a matter of life and death. If you have learned English but are still trying to master pronunciation, you are on the doorstep of being truly fluent in the language.
Luckily, there are some steps you can take to bridge the gap to fluency. From at home practice to simple adjustments, here are four steps you can take to improve your English pronunciation online.
1. Record Yourself Speaking
Bridging the gap to fluency is most importantly about learning where the gap exists. By recording yourself speaking, you can play it back and listen to yourself make mistakes so that you know what to target in practicing your pronunciation online.
Much like athletes watching game film, recording yourself speak is a great way to be self-critical. If you’re working through an online pronunciation course like ours, you can compare your recordings to the ones we provide to ensure you’re on the right track.
You can also see where you set yourself apart from native speakers, and you can understand where in your speech your faults lie in order to plan your next steps.
2. Focus On Muscle Memory
Just like a soccer player needs to learn how to kick a ball, speaking is all about learning how to use your muscles correctly. Once you identify the mistakes you make while speaking, spend a day focusing on these mistakes specifically. It helps to look up guides or tips online to ensure that your muscle memory develops correctly without an accent.
For example, if you can’t accurately pronounce the ‘th’ sound, take a day to specifically target that and correctly repeat words with that sound. Eventually, your muscle memory will latch on to your correct practice.
3. Slow Yourself Down
When trying to seem knowledgeable and professional, we may try to speak faster than we actually need to. This leads to many mistakes, especially on tough words. But, there is no need to speak so quickly. In fact, this will ensure that you make more mistakes.
Instead of speaking quickly, make sure to sound out your words and think about what you’re saying. This will decrease the mistakes you make and will ensure that your English is more clear. Practicing online daily exercises slowly will get you into the habit of pacing yourself.
4. Compare English with Your Native Language
The English language was created with influences from many other languages. For that reason, it is likely that your native language has some similarities with English. Finding these similarities through online videos or apps may help you build your confidence and help you understand the tone and other aspects of English.
If you speak a Latin language, for example, you may recognize that some words are directly taken from Latin. If you speak German, you may have an easier time identifying the meaning of some English compound words such as ‘kindergarten’.
How to Improve Your Pronunciation Online
Like anything else, mastering English is all about practice. By working on your pronunciation online, you can truly develop yourself into an English master, and further yourself in both your personal and professional lives. There are thousands of resources out there, just a few clicks away!
If you need additional support when learning English pronunciation and fluency, be sure to check out our services! We can provide you with modules, recordings, and daily tips through our website to enhance pronunciation one step at a time.