What should you expect?
Our Pronunciation and Accent Development classes follow a structured but flexible plan, adjustable as per the student’s needs. Firstly, your teacher will introduce you to the phonemic system of all the individual phonemes (sounds) that are present in RP. You’ll work with your teacher to improve the pronunciation of these phonemes and phoneme clusters, where there are sounds that are difficult to produce next to one another. This is generally adapted so that the student practices vocabulary that is relevant to their work or interests, thus increasing efficiency.
Parallel to this is an identification of problem sounds, which you and your teacher will focus on together. Alongside phonemes, you will work on correct intonation patterns with your teacher, as well as other phonetic concepts such as pitch and tone, stress and rhythm, connected speech, and breath.
Some students also like to dive into connected topics, such as idiomatic expressions, stylistic expressions, and even British humour. All of these are connected to the delivery of speech, and as such can be integrated into classes.
Materials and Resources
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All materials that are used are generally produced by the school and/or your teacher, so you get a wholly tailored experience. These will generally come in the form of documents and recordings for you to shadow.
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We can also recommend and use various online sources for shadowing specific individuals, or using specific pieces of text.
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Assessment and Feedback
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Feedback and assessment is possible through analysing the differences in recordings over time. This is important as you will likely make small and consistent steps toward clearer accent and pronunciation, which is sometimes difficult to detect week-to-week. This will keep your motivation up!
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Classroom Environment
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Understanding that learning any language requires a lot of time, energy, and effort, we strive to create a learning environment that is conducive to both progress and enjoyment. We do this by getting to know our students and caring about them and their lives, asking good questions and sharing interesting stories. Reading our reviews is perhaps the best way to understand what we mean!
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Please think about what might be best for you, and speak to your teacher for ideas!
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Your Teacher
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Your teacher will be a TEFL-qualified, professional, friendly and caring individual who is invested in you and your progress and experienced in teaching pronunciation. All of our teachers are native English-speakers and are learning or have learned a foreign language. This way, they understand your challenges and your journey!
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We’re really proud of the quality of our teachers and the connections built in-class. This is a core part of our philosophy - that you feel cared for.
Student Examples
Yihan, Philosophy Student, China
Pronunciation and Accent Development
Yihan’s classes had multiple goals, one of which being the development of his British RP accent. He had a slight mixture of a Chinese/American accent given he had grown up in China, generally consuming American content.
Balancing between multiple goals, we were sure to maintain focus on pronunciation over time. This consisted of readings and vocabulary related to Yihan’s interests of political philosophy and philosophy, alongside specific phoneme work.
“Long story short, Rohan is the best English tutor I've ever met! I started my English lesson with Rohan on Preply during my last year of high school and my goal was to prepare for university in terms of academic English as well as to improve my British accent. Frankly speaking, I learnt way more than what I had expected. For pronunciation, I would read passages out loud in class or for homework, and Rohan would listen to it extremely carefully and then point out where I could improve; he also recorded his reading for me to listen to and mimic, which was extremely helpful. We only had lessons for a relatively short period, but my accent and confidence of speaking has definitely improved significantly…”
Request a Trial
What is the process from now until classes?
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1. Request a trial
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2. Meet one of our teachers
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3. Decide on a payment plan and a learning strategy with your teacher
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4. Get started!
