The Rhythm of English

The American Accent: How to Sound as Smooth as a Native Speaker

What you'll learn:

• the native rhythm of American English

Maybe you've worked on your vowels and consonants, but you still don't sound as smooth as a native speaker? Sounding choppy and stressing every word is the surest way to have people tune you out. Learn the secrets of smooth English, in detail, from this passionate instructor. This course is her labor of love. Learn the nature of English stress, how to energize and de-energize a syllable, which words to stress, how to stress them, what do do with words we don't stress and all sorts of tools for de-stressing a word, including reductions, contractions, linking and blending. You'll even learn how to identify and produce the different types of T, which can make or break your rhythm. This course has more detail than any other course on rhythm. You'll learn how to connect past tense words to the next word and how to make "an" sound natural in front of a noun. You'll learn the pronunciation difference between "built in 1990" and "built-in hot tub." Lessons are varied so you won't get bored. Pictures, stories and poems help illustrate the lessons. Practice the lessons by listening to and repeating sentences over and over with the repetition audio recordings in the resource sections. Repetition practice improves your listening and observation skills while it hones your muscle memory. Print out the written material for note taking and guiding yourself through the practice audio. Free monthly live Zoom office hour for students who have completed at least 50% of the course. This course can be taken in conjunction with Word Stress and either of the courses on vowels or consonants. What are you waiting for? Learn the ins and outs of the American accent.