At the outset let’s understand the difference between accent and mispronunciation.
Accent is the sounds of your mother tongue in your new language. As adult learners we all have traces of our mother tongue in our second, third languages. This is completely normal.
Mispronunciation is getting the pronunciation wrong. For example, many French learners have difficulty with the “I” …. Is it private (pr “eye” vate) or pri “e” vate ?
Don’t despair! In the 21st century we have the benefit of technology to help us.
I recommend using Google translate, your mobile phone and even Siri to put you on the right path.
Try keeping a pronunciation diary.
Practice saying these words and sentences into Google translate, your mobile phone or have a conversation with Siri, and see if these technological tools accept the way you pronounce these sentences.
This Pronunciation Diary is also downloadable for ease of use.
| Date | Sentence | How many times did it take to get it right. | Make your own sentence with tricky word(s) |
| I’m leaving in half an hour. | |||
| I live an hour away from Toulouse. | |||
| Have you seen the presence sheet? | |||
| The director’s office is locked. | |||
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This area is private.
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Where were you yesterday?
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| Were you late for the appointment? | |||
| We started half an hour ago. | |||
| I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it tomorrow. | |||
| Sorry for being late. | |||
| I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. | |||
| I’ll begin the work when I have time, maybe tomorrow. | |||
| The client isn’t happy. | |||
| The deadline is planned for April. | |||
| What is your mobilenumber? | |||
| The user guide is writtenin Chinese. | |||
| We need to iron out a few problems. | |||
| Our focus is on the environmental impact of the project. | |||
| The campaign will be launched in July. | |||
| I like salmon and rice. | |||
| Please put your things back in the cupboard. | |||
| I’ve got a headache coming on, have you got an aspirin? | |||
| Would you happen to know what the password is? | |||
| We’ll be starting in 20 minutes. | |||
| It’ll be great to work together on this project. | |||
| I’d love to spend a month travelling around South America. | |||
| It took me 6 months to finish the report. | |||
| Hi Harry, how are you today? | |||
| I didn’t agree to this. | |||
| Have you seen these plans? | |||
| Let’s have a cup of coffee? | |||
| Do you fancy a cuppa ? | |||
| How much longer do we have to wait? | |||
| My neighbours are pretty noisy. | |||
| The Eiffel tower is theiconic symbol of Paris. |