Let’s be honest. There is no easy way to master pronunciation in a day or a week. But if you apply these powerful tips you can definitely improve your pronunciation within a month or two.
Here’s How to Improve Your Pronunciation
Analyse Yourself
The first thing you want to do is become aware that your pronunciation is not as good as it could be. Once you become aware of this fact… improving your pronunciation suddenly becomes easy.
To become aware, I want you to record yourself when you are reading a book or speaking in front of a mirror. When you do that, you will have a reference point at which to look at.
After you record yourself speaking, listen to it… and you will immediately know where your pronunciation went wrong.
The next step is to look-up for the pronunciation of your word online and get a feel of how the word is pronounced.
Then, all you need to do is record yourself speaking again and try a next time.
Do this consistently and you will see a drastic improvement in your pronunciation.
Break Word Into Syllables
After you are done recording… you will notice that you have omitted certain sounds from words. What you need to do next is, you need to break those words down into syllables. Use the website “How Many Syllables” to find out how many syllables a word has. The website will also help you listen to and see how a word is pronounced and which words to put the stress on.
Let us take the word “syllable” as an example.
syllable – syl/la/ble
That’s 3 syllables.
Let’s take another example-
Pronunciation— pro/nun/ci/a/tion
That’s 5 syllables.
Now, when you do that you instantly see how the word is formed and which part of the word to pronounce and with practice, you will learn to pronounce each syllable properly, improving your pronunciation.
Practice Tongue Twisters
Okay, this one is tricky. Literally.
What you need to do is, practice reading out the tongue twisters.
Try these two tongue-twisters right now.
“How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if the woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
And chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would,
If a woodchuck could chuck wood.”
AND
“If one doctor doctors another doctor,
Then which doctor is doctoring the doctored doctor?
Does the doctor who doctors the doctor, doctor the doctor the way the doctor he is doctoring doctors?
Or does he doctor the doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors?”
Feels impossible?
Yeah… for me too… when I first tried it.
But keep trying… because tongue-twisters are a great way to work your speech muscles and that will improve your pronunciation.
Keep practicing your tongue twisters at least once every day and you’ll see the difference it makes in your pronunciation score in PTE.
Watch a lot of movies
Seriously!! Watch a lot of English movies or listen to English programs or songs.
When you watch an English movie, or listen to an English program, or English songs… what is happening is… subconsciously, your brain is picking up the “subtleties” in the English language. And the more your watch and listen and speak… the better your pronunciation get.
And when you consistently practice what you hear with your friends and co-workers… you are bound to improve your pronunciation and your score in PTE.
So… go out there… treat yourself with a good English movie and improve your pronunciation.
Speed of Your Speech Matters
Just like in oral fluency, the speed of your speech matters. Faster doesn’t mean better when it comes to oral fluency and pronunciation.
Rather what you need to do to improve your PTE score is speak in a natural speed. Don’t try to rush your speech… otherwise the computer will detect it as mispronunciation and you will score lower.
I don’t want you to do that… so… keep speaking like you would to your friend. And if your friend says you speak too fast… slow down!!
That’s all!! Follow the tips and practice every day… and you will definitely improve your pronunciation in coming months.