We learn foreign languages with the purpose sometimes being to simply study it or for work requirements. It's natural for some people to feel shy because of their accent and they may want to sound more like a native or vice versa; they like their accent but want to sound better to pass exams like IELTS, TOEFL, and SAT.
So, let's get the tips started!
1. Watch Youtube videos about pronunciation
When working on accents you need to realize that there is also a possibility that you may not spell some words correctly. Study the phonemes, rules, exceptions, do some training for 15-30 minutes per day, and write down your point A and point B! By writing everything up as a recap of the day, you can analyze your way straight forward to your goal and see the result at the end!
2. Do the shadowing exercise
When I was intensely studying English 6 years ago, I saw a youtube video of my acquaintance who gave tips on how to improve your English accent for her university assignment. I wanted to support her, so I watched her video and learnt what shadowing was and how it helps. The technique is all about watching a video and repeating exactly what the speaker has said. At the time, I was a huge fan of the TV show "Once upon a time" and I adored the actress who played the Evil Queen. So I watched moments of her and repeated everything she would say. Sometimes I would try to read the transcript to understand how words are spelt. By doing this activity almost once a day for 1 month and practising speaking, I was able to improve my accent.
For shadowing, you can choose any sort of video that you like. You can also take up video interviews with your favourite speaker.
3. Try some tongue twisters
Tongue twisters can warm up your mouth, and tongue muscles and encourage you to leave your comfort zone. Some hard sentences are difficult to pronounce fluently within the first couple of tries. Tongue Twisters can also show you what words and sounds you have trouble pronouncing. You can google any tongue twisters and read them out loud in your free time!
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