English Pronunciation and Speaking Questions

Sound Difference  Could you explain the sound difference between 'bat-rat' and 'mean-clean'?

The Upside Down e   What is the name of the upside down "e" when pronounced in parenthesis?

British vs American Pronunciation  How do you pronounce (you're) in British English :
yu: or yo:? Also, I watch many American films and always notice that the letter (a) is silent when ...

Word Stress  What is the word stress for the following words: "above", "before", "rebel(noun)", "rebel(verb)", "possible"?

Usually an e at the end of a one syllable word means...  Usually an e at the end of a one syllable word in the form C-V-C-e means the first vowel will have a long sound.

Why is that not true of some words ...

I need to find pictures & explanations for pronunciation of English Letters  I need to find pictures to show where to place tongue, lips, etc., along with explanations, for pronunciation of English letters.

Pronunciation rule for 'the'  Are there any rules for pronouncing the article 'the' when used before words like "united, union, used, useful" starting with sound /j/?

Thanks for ...

Pronunciation Software 

Do you know some software to check my pronunciation?
I need to prepare for PET test and it would be necessary to succeed.

Thanks Charles will ...

The sound of phonetic symbol upsidedown of - e  Could you tell me what the sound of the phonetic symbol that looks like upside-down of the letter-e? How should I pronounce this symbol when I get it....

Rules for pronouncing "the"   When do you use the "e" sound as in "bee" and the schwa sound when pronouncing "The"? Is it similar to an and a with vowel sounds in the following noun ...

How can I Speak English Well? 

Hi! my problem is, how can I speak English well because I loose confident and feel shy even I fail to continue speaking in English. Hi Mutoto, Looking ...

Pronouncing Past Tense of Regular Verbs  What are the rules for pronuncing the ending "ed" in the past tense of regular verbs? This is a wonderful question. So many people struggle with this ...

Pronunciation  How do you pronounce the word "Question"?

Hi Fatma, Good question! Charles will answer you shortly. :) Need help improving your Accent? Read why ...

Is English a "Stressed Language" 

It is said that English is a "stressed language" and my friend told that it is an "aspirated language".

Please explain that.

Best ...

What is the Best Way to Improve my Accent? 

Hi Charles,

I want to have a better accent. Mostly, I want to speak clearly and with an American accent. Do you know what I can do to accomplish ...

Improving Fluency 

I would like to ask, how I can improve my fluency in English. I have learned so much basic vocabulary and expressions, but I noticed that I can’...

How to Pronounce 'Singer' and 'direction'  Hello Charles,
I would like to ask you how to pronounce the letter 'G' in the word 'Singer' and how to pronounce the letter 'I' in the word 'direction'...

Changing my Pronunciation 

I can speak English well but I have to change my pronunciation. My pronunciation is mixed with my native language (I'm from India).

How/where ...

English Pronunciation and Syllabic Consonants 

I have been working on building a database of American English words and am developing what I call ease of pronunciation and ease of spelling indexes ...

Pronouncing"asked", "d" or "t" on the end? 

What is the correct ending sound for the word "asked"? This is an interesting question because it is difficult to differentiate between the endings ...

Stress and Reduced Vowels 

Dearest Diana,
Are there specific rules for stressing syllables in English? How do you know where is the stress?
Reduced vowels? Could you explain ...

English Pronunciation 

I have difficulties studying English pronunciation (American/British). One of my friends said that my English sounds Indian or Middle Eastern.

Honestly,...

Pronunciation 

It's difficult to pronounce words which start with /pr/, /dr/, /fr/ like:
"product (stress on first syllable and the second), profession, drink,...

Pronunciation of 'the'  I have always learnt to use the /i/ when pronouncing 'the' if it's before a word starting with a vowel and to use the schwa if the following word starts ...

Reduced have and has pronuciation  How should I correctly pronounce the reduced version of have and has in sentences?

I Mispronounce Too Many
Words in English   I was raised in Canada to immigrant parents.

I've mispronounce words my whole life in English and native tongue. I feel this is effecting me each day ...

Why can't we hear "l" in could or "l" in talk and walk....?  Hi Charles,
My name is Liu and I would like to know if there's a rule which says why we don't pronounce "l" in could or "l" in talk and walk....etc.
Thank ...

Pronunciation of long and difficult words  What steps should one use when pronouncing long words with three or more syllables or words that are new to you?

Consulting the dictionary is not always ...

Do you recieve written or downloadable exercises?  I am helping a coworker with his accent and I was wondering if any of the material in "Pronunciation Power 2" is down-loadable or written up anywhere ...

How to change into the passive voice?  My question is about the use of passive voice. Could you show me how to switch from active to passive speech? For example, how can I change "They will ...

pronunciation  Hi Charles,
Is it bad to have an accent when speaking in English? Thank you very much

How to Stress the Word 'Mermaiden'  On what syllable should I stress the word 'mermaiden'? Is it mErmaiden or mermAIden? Hello, your first option is correct. You should stress the word ...

correct pronunciation....  Hi there! I am an English teacher in Iran and most of my students have problems with (th) words, because there are no words similar to this in the Persian ...

Pronunciation Practice: Skype Classes  I want to know if you have private or semi private lessons (like skype for ex) where I can talk with a tutor to practice my pronunciation and my speaking ...

How can I Improve My English Pronunciation?  How can I improve my English pronunciation and spelling mistakes? Charles will answer your question shortly. :)

Improve my Pronunciation  I want to improve my pronounciation in English that I speak but just listening to them doesn't help me. Most people don't understand me when I speak either....

Silent "k" in "know" or "t" in "listen"?  Hi. Why do we write, for example, know, listen, subtle, etc... but we do not pronounce "k" in know or "t" in listen?

Thanks

Having problem with TH sound? 


I am a non native speaker of English and am finding it difficult to pronounce TH sound, maybe that's because I have slightly crooked teeth (i ...

Pronunciation of Mytek  I would like to know how to pronounce the word Mytek (from the British comic book "Mytek the Mighty", published in 1964). Do you say ma-ee-tek or mee-tek?...

Syllabic Consonants  Could you explain about problems in phonemic analysis that involves syllabic consonants and their non-syllabic counterparts, please?

Charles will answer ...

Pronounce (literature)  What is the difference between the British pronounciation of "literature" and the American pronunciation? * Charles will answer your question shortly Flora ...

What is the Best Way to Improve my English? 

In fact, your site is very useful

^_~

My question is: What are the best means to develop the English language? Movies, Audio, Books, iphone ...

How can I improve my oral English? 

Hi , I can never express my ideas fluently in oral English. Would you give me some advice? Thank you.

Answer: Hi Blair, Thanks for asking your ...

Pronunciation check 

Could help me to find a pronunciation check? Where I can type words and hear the pronunciation; to improve my pronunciation. Hi Perumal, You have ...

IELT Tips 

How can I be confident speaking, improve my pronunciation and easily answer typical IELT questions. How can I maintain good eye contact while responding?...

Speaking English Well 

"How can I speak English well?" - Ahmed Many people ask the same question and the answer is no secret.
In order to speak English well people ...

Frustrated with my
Speaking Skills 

Sometimes I feel somewhat frustrated about stud y ing English, because I do it so much and yet cannot understand, even when it is something ...

How to Make Speaking English Easier. 

I'm Egyptian and speaking in English is hard for me. What can I do to make it easier??? That is a good question. I think many people, when they ...