How to improve English pronunciation

by funtalk | Jun 16, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Learning to pronounce English words correctly can be one of the most difficult parts of the language, especially if there are sounds that your native language does not have or if you tend to stumble over the pronunciation of complicated vowels.

Just look at how “way”, “weigh” and “whey” are pronounced the same, for example, while “comb”, “bomb” and “tomb” are pronounced differently.

Therefore, in the following article we will tell you how you can improve your pronunciation to sound like a real English speaker.

English pronunciation

English spelling has not evolved much over time, but the way words are pronounced has. This makes pronunciation a real challenge for language learners. But good pronunciation is not just about how words and letters sound.s, but there are other equally important features to consider, such as intonation, accent and connected speech, i.e. how words can sound different when put together in natural speech. All of these characteristics contribute to good pronunciation, but they should not be confused with the accent.

When learning English, you don’t need to sound British or American. Good pronunciation means that you are understood; not necessarily that you sound like you were born in New York or London. In fact, many native speakers love to hear English spoken with a Spanish, Italian or French accent. So how can you work on your pronunciation so that people from all over the world can easily understand you, even if you keep your native accent?

Tips to improve English pronunciation:

1. Learning to listen

In order to be able to pronounce words correctly, you must first be able to hear the differences between the different types of pronunciation. Improve your ability to tell the difference by listening to many native English speakers. Podcasts are excellent for this. You’ll find more ideas for listening activities in our guide on how to create your own English immersion course.

2. Practice moving the mouth in a different way.

An important part of pronunciation involves making the muscles of the mouth work differently than they are used to. The lips, tongue, throat and jaw are involved in the production of sounds.

– Observe yourself pronouncing the words with a mirror.
– Think about your mouth. In English we tend to use a more open mouth position, as opposed to the closed mouth position used in many languages.
– Watch videos that explain the pronunciation.
– Do tongue twisters. They are great for your mouth to practice making sounds.

3. Use podcasts

Podcasts are great for learning English in general and are great when it comes to practicing your English pronunciation. Listening to native speakers gives you a little guidance that you can use for your own pronunciation.

4. Shadowming

Another way to use a podcast to practice pronunciation is to shadowing. It is very effective for practicing the physical aspects of fluency, such as pronunciation, rhythm, pitch, tones and the development of muscle memory in the mouth. We love it.

5. Record yourself

One of the best ways to correct your English pronunciation is to listen to native speakers and compare your pronunciation with them. It is often difficult to hear ourselves well when we speak because we are busy thinking about what to say and how to say it.

This is why it can be very useful to record yourself talking. You will then be able to re-listen to the points where you get stuck or where your pronunciation is very different from that of a native speaker.

6. Practice speaking

One of the best ways to practice pronunciation is to speak, especially through English conversation courses. Ideally, you should find some native speakers to talk to so that you have constant exposure to the accent you want to achieve, as well as instant feedback on whether they understand you, but even talking to non-native speakers is better than not talking at all.

Funtalk open house on May 28th

by funtalk | May 27, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

How to write an essay in English

by funtalk | May 26, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

An essay is a non-fiction piece of writing with a clear structure: an introduction, paragraphs with evidence, and a conclusion. Writing an essay is an important skill in English and allows you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the texts you read and study. It is important to plan the essay before you start writing it, so that you write clearly and thoughtfully about the topic. Let’s see how to write an English essay in a few simple steps.

Steps for writing an essay

• • Read and understand the message: know exactly what is being asked of you. It is a good idea to dissect the message into parts.
  • Plan: brainstorming and organizing your ideas will make your life easier when writing your essay. It is a good idea to network your ideas and supporting details.
  • Use and cite sources: research. Use quotations and paraphrase your sources, but do not plagiarize.
  • Write a draft: drafts are always a good place to get any ideas out and are often required by professors and instructors.
  • Make a strong thesis: the main argument of the essay is the most important thing you are going to write. Make it a strong point.
  • Respond to the topic: once you have solved the problems in your draft, you can start writing the final draft of your essay.
  • Proofread: read your answer carefully to make sure there are no mistakes and that you have not missed anything.

A basic high school or college essay has the following standardized five-paragraph structure:

Introduction

The introduction should focus directly on the question or title of the essay and aim to present the main idea in the answer. Briefly present your main ideas and arguments.

Main body, divided into paragraphs

This is where the ideas are taken and explored in detail in separate paragraphs. You can begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paragraph before introducing the evidence and examples. The topic sentence acts as a short introduction to the paragraph.

Conclusion

The conclusion is the last paragraph of the essay. It should tie up all the loose ends of your argument.

Tips for good writing

Planning pays off

Although it may seem like a waste of time-especially during exams, when time is at a premium-it is almost always best to brainstorm before you start writing. This will allow you to find the best supporting ideas and position them accordingly.

Aim for variety

Sentences and vocabulary of varying complexity are one of the hallmarks of effective writing. When writing, try to avoid using the same words and phrases over and over again. You don’t have to be a walking thesaurus, but a little variety can make the same idea shine.

If you want to continue practicing, do not hesitate to sign up for our private English classes or English courses. We will help you!

Reported speech: what it is and how to use it

by funtalk | May 17, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Reported speech is the grammatical process we use when we tell someone what someone else has said. But how exactly is it used? We tell you all about it in the following article:

What is reported speech?

As we have already mentioned, reported speech is used when we tell a person what another person has told us. Reported speech, or indirect speech, differs from direct speech in that its form changes. Let’s look at an example:

Direct speech: I am tired, said Tommy.

Reported speech: Tommy said that he was tired.

In reported speech, we see that the verb form must be used in the past tense. On the other hand, in the direct style, the present tense is used. There are other aspects that you should take into consideration when using reported speech, as we indicate below:

• All verb tenses change, including modal verbs:

Will you marry me, he asked.

He asked me if I would marry him.

• Adverbs of time also change:

Yesterday – The day before

Tomorrow – The next day

Now – Then

When should the verb not be changed?

• When we use a past tense in direct style, there is no need to change it:

I broke my arm, said John.

John said he broke his arm.

• However, we could change this past for a past perfect:

I broke my arm, said John.

John said he had broken his arm.

Using reported speech for questions

So far we have seen the use of the verb “said” in reported speech. However, when it comes to asking questions, you have to opt for “asked”. Likewise, an interrogative particle (wh – Word) or if/whether must also be used.

What is your name?

John asked me what my name was.

Does he play golf?

John asked if he played golf.

Learning to use reported speech

Although it may seem complicated at first, reported speech is very easy to use, as you only need to understand the dynamics. The best way to do this is to practice with exercises and learn with the help of a teacher, either through private English lessons or English courses.

Ordinal numbers in English

by funtalk | Apr 27, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Ordinal numbers are numbers that represent the position of an object in a sequence. But do you know how to use them correctly in English? We tell you all about it in the following article.

What are ordinal numbers?

Ordinal numbers are a way of counting and indicate the order of the elements in a sequence. In fact, they are the complete opposite of what are known as cardinal numbers, which are those words that designate the number itself.

Ordinal numbers are found in everyday language and contexts. For example, dates are an example of ordinal numbers, since they tell us when something happened. We can also find ordinal numbers used to label elements (for example, the pages of a book).

How are ordinal numbers written in English?

Most ordinal numbers are created by adding a “th” to the end of the ordinal number. Let’s look at an example:

• Four – Fourth
• Ten – Tenth

If we do not add “th” at the end of the word, we add “st” or “nd”. But sometimes the beginning of the word can also change. For example, we use “st” for the first position, we do not say “onest”, as it is an exception to the rule.

Exceptions in ordinal numbers

• One – First
• Two – Second
• Three – Third
• Five – Fifth
• Eight – Eighth
• Nine – Ninth
• Twelve – Twelfth

Tenths after the tenth are written as their cardinal number by replacing the “y” with an “i” at the end of the word.

• Twenty – Twentieth
• Fifty – Fiftieth

When do we use ordinal numbers in English?

• In English we use ordinals to express dates. We also use them to talk about birthdays.

It’s Mary’s 9th Birthday.

• The names of Kings and Queens are often written in English ordinals. These ordinal numbers are usually represented by Roman numerals.

King Henry the Eighth is represented as King Henry VIII.

• The position someone occupies in a race or tournament would use ordinal numbers. We could think of the first three places; first, second and third in the races, but in the big races we could use much larger ordinal numbers.

She is the first one.

• We would also use ordinal numbers to talk about the floors of a building.

Katie lives on the seventh floor.

If you still have doubts about how to use ordinal numbers correctly, don’t hesitate to sign up for one of our English courses for children or English courses for adults. It’s never too late to learn!

Modal verbs in English

by funtalk | Apr 16, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Modal verbs can be tricky, especially when it comes to using them in a sentence. However, once you learn how they work, they are extremely easy to use. In the following article we explain everything you need to know to use modal verbs with ease, as we teach in our English courses.

What are modal verbs?

Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries) are special verbs that behave irregularly in the English language. These are different verbs from those we commonly use such as “work, play or visit”, among others. They give additional information about the function of the main verb that follows and have a wide variety of communicative functions.

How to use modal verbs in a sentence

The great thing about modal verbs is that they all follow three simple rules for making affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences. Let’s take a closer look:

• Affirmative sentences:

Affirmative sentences are the same for all subjects with modal verbs, which means that it is not necessary to add -s to the third person singular.

He must study today. He must study today.

• Negative sentences:

To formulate negative sentences, we only need to add the particle “not” between the subject and the verb.

They cannot study today. They cannot study today.

• Interrogative sentences:

To ask questions, we simply reverse the subject and modal verb:

Will you go? Will you go?

What are modal verbs used for?

Probability

Some things seem likely, but we do not know for sure. In these cases, you can use the modal verbs should and must to show probability without certainty.

• Her parents must be so proud. His parents must be very proud.

Possibility

In situations where something is possible but not certain, use the modal verbs could, may or might.

• She may become the youngest pro soccer player ever. She may become the youngest female professional soccer player in history.

Ability

The modal verb can shows whether the subject is capable of doing something, such as performing an action or demonstrating a skill. Likewise, the negative form, can or can’t, shows that the subject is unable to do something.

• He can speak three languages, but none of them well. He can speak three languages, but none of them well.

Ask for permission

If you want to ask permission to do something, start your question with can, may or could. Traditionally, in the most formal and polite use, may is best for permission. However, in modern usage may and can are both perfectly acceptable options when describing the possibility or permission.

• May I leave early today? Can I leave early today?

Request

Similarly, if you want to ask someone else to do something, start your question with will, would, can or could.

• Will you turn that music down? Do you want to download that music?

Suggestion/advice

What if you want to recommend something, but not order? If you are giving suggestions or advice without giving orders to someone, you can use the modal verb should.

• You should try the lasagna. You should try the lasagna.

Order

On the other hand, if you want to order someone to do something, use the modal verbs must, have to or need to.

• You need to be here before 8:00. You need to be here before 8:00.

Obligation or necessity

Modal verbs can express a necessary action, such as an obligation, duty or requirement. Likewise, the negative form expresses that an action is not necessary. Use the same modal verbs as with commands: must, have to or need to.

• You don’t need to come if you don’t want to. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.

Habit

To show a continuous or habitual action-something the subject does regularly-the modal verb would can be used for the past tense and will for the present and future. The phrase used to is also acceptable if it is a habit that no longer exists.

• I will arrive early and leave late to every meeting. I will arrive early and leave late for all meetings.

As you can see, modal verbs are essential for many functions in English. Now that you have seen how to use them, try to put them into practice when speaking and writing.