Welcome to my Sprint. A Sprint is a 10-minute exercise that I’ve come up with, that is comprised of a sequence of pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary drills, aimed at boosting your fluency from the outside in through building Pronunciation Confidence.
Pronunciation Confidence is a technique that I’ve developed and I’ve been using it in my programs and courses, and it has helped hundreds of students transform their English. Are you ready? Let’s get started.
buh x3, puh x3, muh x3
tuh, duh, nuh, luh
tuh x3, duh x3, nuh x3, luh x3
ee /i/, I /ɪ/, ei /eɪ/, a /æ/, ai /aɪ/
bee, bi, bei, ba, bai
uw-u-ow-aw-aa
buw, bu, bow, baw, baa
S – Z
F – V
S – Z
F – V
N – TH
S – TH
n-th
in the
on the
in the, on the
in this, in that
cup-cop [kuhp – kaap] IPA: kʌp – kɑːp
run-Ron [ruhn – raan] IPA: rʌn – rɑːn
bus-boss [buhs – baas] IPA: bʌs – bɑːs
color-collar [kuhl’r – kaal’r] IPA: ˈkʌlər – ˈkɑːlər
bet-bait [bet – beit] IPA: bet – beɪt
sell-sale [sel – seil] IPA: sel – seɪl
stare-stir [ster – st’r] IPA: steər – stɜːr
hair-her [her – h’r] IPA: heər -hɜːr
fair-fur [fer – f’r] IPA: feər -fɜːr
Same words – nouns versus verbs. The difference is in the stress.
PREsent-preSENT [pre-z’nt – pruh-zent]
REcord-reCORD [re-k’rd – ruh-kord]
PERmit-perMIT [pur-mit – p’r-mit]
CONtrast-conTRAST [kaan-trast – k’n-trast]
INsult-inSULT [in-suhlt – in-suhlt]
That was an INsult.
He inSULTed me.
That was an INsult.
He inSULTed me.
INsult-inSULT
Convenient [k’n-VEEN-y’nt]. ‘Convenient’ is fitting well with a person’s needs, activities and plans. Convenient [k’n-VEEN-y’nt]. It’s so convenient. Do whatever is convenient for you. Oh, how convenient! It’s the most convenient place for shopping.
Drills of conditionals. Conditional number one. Things that are likely to happen: Present – Simple Future.
If he calls, you’ll pick up the phone. If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the bus. If I have time, I’ll finish that task. If you spill it, you’ll get wet.
Conditional 2. Unlikely or hypothetical situations. Past – Would. Simple Past – Would.
If I won the lottery, I’d travel the world. If I lived in the center, I’d see her more often. If the boys were older, I would take them with me. If the boys were older, I’d take them with me.
‘Take over’ – to begin to do something that someone else was doing, or to take control over the situation. Take over /teɪk oʊvəɹ/.
Can you take over the cooking while I walk the dog? Andrea took over as the CEO after Martha retired.
I go with her to the market every Saturday. Focal intonation. ‘I’ go with her to the market every Saturday, not her. I go with HER to the market every Saturday. I go with her to the MARKET every Saturday. Not to the beach. I go with her to the market every Saturday.
I go with her to the MARKET every Saturday. I go with her to the market EVERY Saturday, not once a month. I go with her to the market EVERY Saturday. I go with her to the market every SATURDAY, not Sunday. I go with her to the market every SATURDAY. And again, neutral intonation: I go with her to the market every Saturday.
OK, that’s it. You did it. Now put your hand on your belly and take a deep breath in. Breathe out. Take a deep breath again, breathe out. That’s it. Great.
Now, if you like this Sprint and you’d like to see more of those Sprints on my channel, then write the word more in the comments. And let me tell you this. The reason why it works is because we’re working from the outside in. So doing those drills, those grammar drills and pronunciation drills, and drilling words, and phrases, and phrasal verbs helps you remember it through your muscles, through the act of doing it again and again and again.
My students report that they start using these structures and start using these words and phrasal verbs without thinking about them. It just comes up in the middle of a conversation or in the middle of the sentence, and then they say that it actually works.
Now, if you want to find out more about Beyond – my secret program for English learners, where we share a different sprint every single weekday, then click on the link below and get on the list to find out when we open doors again.
Thank you so much for doing this. And have a beautiful, beautiful day. And I’ll see you in the next Sprint.
