
Teaching Word Stress? Focus on These Two Principles
When teaching our students about word stress, it’s easy to think about all the rules and feel overwhelmed. Luckily, there...
Teaching Word Stress? Focus on These Two Principles
When teaching our students about word stress, it’s easy to think about all the rules and feel overwhelmed. Luckily, there...
Backchaining: How to Get Difficult Words to "Roll off the Tongue"
Have you ever started singing a song and gotten stuck after the first few lines? Or maybe you can remember...
Common Pronunciation Mistakes Japanese Students Make
A student's native language can have a big impact on the things they find easy or difficult when learning a...
What a Viral Tweet Can Teach Us About English Pronunciation
Last year, a tweet from Japan went viral. It featured a picture of a piece of paper that had English...
English Pronunciation: Why Your Students Find It Hard And How You Can Help
Why is it that even after years of study, many English learners still struggle with pronunciation? Today, we’ll explore what...
Loanwords and Romanization: Lesser-Known Culprits Behind Persistent Pronunciation Issues
When I worked as an English teacher in France, the school principal was someone called “Monsieur Lelong.” Can you guess...
Robotic-Sounding Student? Teach Them Some Rhythm!
Students often think “word stress” is the same as emphasis, force, or volume. However, when we stress a syllable, we...
Sloppy Pronunciations That Became Standard English
Have you ever wondered why “Wednesday” is pronounced “wensday” and “comfortable” “comfterble”? Or why Gloucester, Worcester, and Leicester (names of...
What If I Don't Have a "Standard" Accent?
Whether it’s South African, Filipino, or “standard” American, our accents are the local color that we bring to the English...
"Beet" or "Bit"? "Eat" or "It"? — How to Teach the Difference
A tutor once told us about a lesson in which a Korean student was talking about a trip to New...
Common Pronunciation Mistakes Japanese Students Make
A student's native language can have a big impact on the things they find easy or difficult when learning a...
English Pronunciation: Why Your Students Find It Hard And How You Can Help
Why is it that even after years of study, many English learners still struggle with pronunciation? Today, we’ll explore what...
What a Viral Tweet Can Teach Us About English Pronunciation
Last year, a tweet from Japan went viral. It featured a picture of a piece of paper that had English...
R or L? 3 Easy Ways to Teach Students the Difference
It’s common knowledge that many East Asian learners confuse their R’s and L’s. The usual explanation is that these sounds...
Backchaining: How to Get Difficult Words to "Roll off the Tongue"
Have you ever started singing a song and gotten stuck after the first few lines? Or maybe you can remember...
Teaching Word Stress? Focus on These Two Principles
When teaching our students about word stress, it’s easy to think about all the rules and feel overwhelmed. Luckily, there...
Why “Repeat After Me” Doesn't Improve Pronunciation
You’re reading out some expressions for the student to repeat after you. In your opinion, which of the following is...
Loanwords and Romanization: Lesser-Known Culprits Behind Persistent Pronunciation Issues
When I worked as an English teacher in France, the school principal was someone called “Monsieur Lelong.” Can you guess...
How Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese Brains Perceive Word Stress
As you’ve probably noticed, many of our students have a hard time mastering word stress. Some linguists even call this...
Sloppy Pronunciations That Became Standard English
Have you ever wondered why “Wednesday” is pronounced “wensday” and “comfortable” “comfterble”? Or why Gloucester, Worcester, and Leicester (names of...