The Disappearing D: Why “Supposed To,” “Used To,” and “Have To” Don’t Sound the Way They’re Spelled
If you’ve ever listened to an American say the phrases supposed to, used to, or have to, you may have noticed that the…
Read More
The Vanishing Ending: Not Dropping Final Consonants in English
Every language has its own rules about how syllables are built. English is remarkably flexible in that words can end in a wide…
Read More
Yeah, Right: The Pitch Pattern That Signals Sarcastic Speech
If you’ve ever heard someone respond to bad news with “Oh, great” or react to an obviously terrible idea with “Yeah, right,” you…
Read More
The Reflexive Pronoun Pattern: Stress the “SELF” in “Myself”
Say this sentence naturally: I did it myself. Where did you place the emphasis? Many non-native speakers will instinctively stress the first syllable:…
Read More
Why Americans Say “Twenny” Instead of “Twenty”: The /nt/ Reduction in American English
The t sound is one of the most confounding sounds in American English. You may have been taught to pronounce every t clearly.…
Read More
Podcast Companion: Mastering Weak Forms in American English
In this week’s episode of The Accent Journey Podcast, we explore how native speakers reduce common grammar words like to, for, of, and…
Read More
Sixths, Twelfths, and Texts: Why Even Native Speakers Simplify These Tricky English Endings
If you’ve ever wondered how Americans pronounce words like sixths, twelfths, or texts and manage to squeeze in all of the consonant sounds,…
Read More
Should “Sounding Like a Native” Be the Ideal Goal for Everyone?
As an accent coach, I have had many clients come to me and say,“I want to sound just like a native speaker.” It’s…
Read More
The Secret to the English /v/ Sound: You Already Know How to Make It
The /v/ sound in English can be surprisingly difficult for many non-native speakers. But you probably already know how to produce every part…
Read More
The Five Different Jobs of “Like” in Casual American English
If you’ve ever listened to a conversation between native American English speakers, you’ve probably noticed that the word “like” pops up regularly. It…
Read MoreLatest Articles