Tips for Speaking English with Proper Intonation

Since the English language is now recognized as the standard in international discussions of economics and politics, it is vital for every individual to improve his/her accent. Now, how is that possible?

Tip 1: Improve pronunciation

Practicing intonation and pronunciation can help you substantially improve your spoken English skills.  Pronunciation practice teaches you the correct way to utter a word.

One of the good ways to do this is to watch news in English.  Focus on the newscaster’s lip movements and try to imitate their accent.  This will help your muscles get flexibility.

Tip 2: Best friend = English dictionary

We no longer live in times when one would have to lift a big, heavy dictionary in order to find a specific term or understand its pronunciation.  Technology has made this very simple.

Smart phones give you the opportunity to download the best dictionary applications.  The major benefit of such apps is the fact they enable you to hear audio pronunciation for every word, so one may always refer to them for better guidance.

Tip 3: Practice

Buy yourself some audio English books and listen to them intently.  Get a hard-copy of the same book as well.

Read out the book (hard copy) aloud and record your voice.  Replay and listen to your voice to determine your mistakes and inconsistencies with the original version.

Tip 4: Slow down

Speaking too fast is a common problem among learners of English. How to put a full stop in oral conversations is a tough task especially when one is habitual of speaking fast.

You can always begin with the notion of “breathing more often”.  This will get your voice some strength, make your words clear, and let your tongue muscles pronounce words with ease.  Emphasize particular points or ideas, and make breaks at the end of clauses and phrases.

Tip 5: Have some fun with learning

Listen to English songs and watch movies because this can be of great help to you.  Fictional characters may have different accents but they will help you get an overview of the different ways English is spoken.  Moreover, they will help you get used to native-like intonation and remember correct pronunciation of some complicated English words.