How to Improve Pronunciation for the IELTS Speaking Questions? Tips to Boost Your Preparation
How many times have you heard ‘bedseeet’ instead of ‘bedsheet’ or ‘braid’ instead of bread? You may, in fact, be unaware that you are doing the same as we live in a country where commonly mispronounced words in the English language are often overlooked.
In fact, each native language speaker has a version of pronouncing a word, lending each English word a unique twang depending on which native language they speak at home. All of this may be fun to hear and help you guess which place the person belongs to but it, unfortunately, doesn’t help you score well in the IELTS speaking topics in 2020.
To be able to score well in the IELTS speaking questions 2020 where you have to answer in an interview-like scenario with the examiner, your pronunciation will be under the microscope.
The good thing about pronunciation is it can be learned rather quickly if you follow these 9 simple speaking tips for IELTS:
1. Don’t be afraid, Speak!
The first step towards improving your pronunciation and gaining better marks at the IELTS speaking topics is to hear yourself speak either alone or with a personal trainer. If you feel that you want to hear the word first and just imitate the sound you probably won’t register it as strongly as correcting your own mistake.
See how you read an English language word; see how you read a certain combination of letters. This will tell you whether you need to correct the way you read the word because that will directly impact your pronunciation. Communicating is one of the best ways to score well in IELTS speaking questions.
2. Listen to Native English Language Speakers
Listening to an expert or a native English language speaker can help you immensely as they have a generally relaxed pace of speaking and they stress and intonate on pronouncing words. This can help you not just learn new words but also teach you to correct your intonations and eventually will help you in the IELTS speaking topics.
You may also use a combination of YouTube, podcasts and radio to help you listen to more and more English that will be beneficial for you to score well in the IELTS speaking questions in 2020.
3. Learn Each Word Slowly
Many people think that speaking fast makes them better English language speakers but that is not true, speaking clearly and slowly shows thought and confidence in your speech. Slow down when you need to think clearly, sometimes giving yourself a moment can help you rephrase your sentences according to the lessons you have learnt.
Pronunciations can also be googled from time to time as online dictionaries like oxforddictionary.com or dictionary.com break down the word as per the pronunciation of the word. Consider it as one of the best speaking tips for IELTS and use these sources wisely whenever confused.
4. Lips, Tongue, Teeth – Everything Matters
When trying to pronounce new English language words check yourself in the mirror to see how your mouth moves. This can help you get the often-elusive intonation in place. Not stressing on your r’s and stressing just enough on your ‘th’s is crucial and this can only improve when you see and hear a native speaker and try to imitate the same facial muscle movements. To enhance your skills in the English language, you can either record an audio file or a video on your phone or computer to help you.
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