Exercise:

1. Listen to the recording and repeat each word or sentence in the same way as the speaker.

   (Do your best to imitate them!)

2. Voice-record yourself reading the words out loud

3. Play your voice recording audio and listen to your pronunciation

4. Compare with the original audio and Imitate the speaker

5. Send your voice recording to your language coach.

ACCENT INITIATION — LESSON 2 OF 4

Vowel Precision

Goal: Pronounce English vowels more clearly by distinguishing similar sounds, controlling vowel length and using natural unstressed vowels.

Accent reference: Modern British English.

1. Short /ɪ/ vs Long /iː/

Instructions: Say each pair slowly, then repeat at normal speed. Keep /iː/ longer and tenser.

• ship — sheep

• sit — seat

• live — leave

• fill — feel

• bit — beat

• slip — sleep

Practise these sentences:

• Please leave the green sheet on the seat.

• I think we should sit here and eat.

• She feels sick when she misses sleep.

• He slipped on the floor but didn't hurt his feet.

• We need to fill in these details before we leave.

2. Short /ʊ/ vs Long /uː/

Instructions: Keep /ʊ/ short and relaxed. Make /uː/ longer.

• full — fool

• pull — pool

• look — Luke

• foot — food

• could — cooed

• soot — suit

Practise these sentences:

• Could you put the food in the kitchen?

• Look at the blue book on the table.

• He pulled his foot away from the pool.

• Would you like some fruit with your lunch?

• I should have understood the instructions sooner.

3. /æ/ vs /ʌ/

Instructions: Open your mouth more for /æ/. For /ʌ/, relax your mouth and keep the sound shorter.

• cat — cut

• bad — bud

• hat — hut

• ran — run

• sack — suck

• cap — cup

Practise these sentences:

• The man ran back to the van.

• I had to cut the grass in the garden.

• That bag has been under the table.

• My dad had lunch before the bus arrived.

• The cat sat beside a cup on the black mat.

4. /e/ vs /æ/

Instructions: Keep /e/ as in bed slightly closer and less open than /æ/ as in bad.

• bed — bad

• pen — pan

• men — man

• said — sad

• send — sand

• gem — jam

Practise these sentences:

• The man left his pen beside the bed.

• Ben said the plan was better than expected.

• Can you send that message again?

• The manager said the deadline had changed.

• She packed ten black pens in her bag.

5. /ɒ/ vs /ɔː/

Instructions: In this British accent model, /ɒ/ is short, as in hot, while /ɔː/ is longer, as in thought. Some British accents merge or change these sounds.

• cot — caught

• not — nought

• stock — stalk

• shot — short

• cod — cord

Practise these sentences:

• I thought the coffee was too hot.

• The shop closes at four o'clock.

• Paul bought a small box of chocolates.

• We walked along the short road to the office.

• I thought I'd lost my wallet, but it was in my pocket.

6. The Schwa /ə/

Instructions: The schwa is a short, relaxed sound in unstressed syllables. Do not pronounce every vowel strongly.

• about

• teacher

• support

• today

• computer

• banana

• different

• comfortable

Practise these sentences:

• I need a little more information about the project.

• The teacher explained the problem to us.

• We can discuss it again tomorrow.

• It's important to develop a regular practice routine.

• I was surprised by how comfortable the new computer was.

7. Mixed Vowel Activation

Instructions: Read each sentence three times: slowly, at normal speed, then without looking at the text.

• I need to leave the building before six.

• Could you put the blue book beside the black bag?

• The manager said the plan had to change.

• I thought the food was good, but the coffee was too hot.

• She missed the train because she couldn't find her ticket.

• We discussed the different options before making a decision.

• The teacher asked the students to complete the task again.

• I usually practise speaking English before I start work.

8. Independent Speaking

Instructions:

• Record yourself speaking for two minutes about your typical working day.

• Include at least five words from today's lesson.

• Listen back and identify three words whose vowel sounds were unclear.

• Repeat each word five times, then practise it in a complete sentence.

• Record yourself again and compare both versions.

9. Final Challenge

Instructions: Read the paragraph aloud twice. Then cover it and explain the same ideas in your own words.

I usually get up early and prepare for the day ahead. I make a cup of coffee, check my messages and organise my tasks. Sometimes I feel tired, but I try to keep a regular routine. I believe small improvements in pronunciation can make a big difference to how clearly I communicate.