Short answer: you need to practice and work hard!
Long answer:
1) Decide what kind of accent you would like – American or British?
These are the two major accents in English. There are others, like Australian, Irish, or South African, but American and British are the two dominant forms.
American pronunciation and British pronunciation are completely different. Most of the consonant sounds are the same, but the vowel sounds are wildly different.
2) Have your pronunciation professionally assessed
When your pronunciation is assessed by a teacher, he/she can tell you exactly what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. He/She can tell you exactly what sounds you need to work on to sound more like a native speaker.
3) Learn the IPA and the individual sounds of English
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a collection of symbols that represent the different sounds of a language.
British Pronunciation: BBC Learning English
American Pronunciation: Rachel's English
When you know the IPA you can look up any word in a dictionary and know exactly how to pronounce it.
4) Watch YouTube pronunciation videos
JenniferESL – American English
Lisa Mojsin @ Accurage English – American English
Rachel's English – American English
Pronuncian/Seattle Learning Academy – American English
5) Try to imitate spoken English
Rachel (from Rachel's English) has an interesting idea:
Imitation Exercises
You can do this with anything: podcasts, English songs, English TV shows, English movies. Try to imitate the sounds that native speakers make!
6) Listening activity
Before you listen to an English podcast, song, etc. read the words first. Highlight /circle / underline the sound you want to work on. For example, if you have trouble with the /I/ sound, highlight all the words that you think have the /I/ sound. Read the passage out loud to yourself, focusing on the words with /I/. Listen to the podcast (or song, etc.) - can you hear the /I/ sound? Try to imitate what the speaker is saying.
7) Practice for at least 30 minutes a day
There is no way around it – the only way your pronunciation will improve is if you practice, practice, practice.
8) Record yourself
The first thing I do when I work with a new student is record them reading a short passage in English. It’s important to hear what you sound like speaking English so you know what you need to improve!
9) Pronunciation Books
On my Recommended Books page, I describe two books that I have used to understand American English pronunciation. You might find them useful, too!
Long answer:
1) Decide what kind of accent you would like – American or British?
These are the two major accents in English. There are others, like Australian, Irish, or South African, but American and British are the two dominant forms.
American pronunciation and British pronunciation are completely different. Most of the consonant sounds are the same, but the vowel sounds are wildly different.
2) Have your pronunciation professionally assessed
When your pronunciation is assessed by a teacher, he/she can tell you exactly what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. He/She can tell you exactly what sounds you need to work on to sound more like a native speaker.
3) Learn the IPA and the individual sounds of English
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a collection of symbols that represent the different sounds of a language.
British Pronunciation: BBC Learning English
American Pronunciation: Rachel's English
When you know the IPA you can look up any word in a dictionary and know exactly how to pronounce it.
4) Watch YouTube pronunciation videos
JenniferESL – American English
Lisa Mojsin @ Accurage English – American English
Rachel's English – American English
Pronuncian/Seattle Learning Academy – American English
5) Try to imitate spoken English
Rachel (from Rachel's English) has an interesting idea:
Imitation Exercises
You can do this with anything: podcasts, English songs, English TV shows, English movies. Try to imitate the sounds that native speakers make!
6) Listening activity
Before you listen to an English podcast, song, etc. read the words first. Highlight /circle / underline the sound you want to work on. For example, if you have trouble with the /I/ sound, highlight all the words that you think have the /I/ sound. Read the passage out loud to yourself, focusing on the words with /I/. Listen to the podcast (or song, etc.) - can you hear the /I/ sound? Try to imitate what the speaker is saying.
7) Practice for at least 30 minutes a day
There is no way around it – the only way your pronunciation will improve is if you practice, practice, practice.
8) Record yourself
The first thing I do when I work with a new student is record them reading a short passage in English. It’s important to hear what you sound like speaking English so you know what you need to improve!
9) Pronunciation Books
On my Recommended Books page, I describe two books that I have used to understand American English pronunciation. You might find them useful, too!
