English pronunciation can be maddening, because just when you have matched a sound to a spelling pattern – another word comes along that doesn’t follow the rule!
Do you know the difference in pronunciation between say and says? In this video I show you the difference, as well as the difference in pronunciation for …
student – study
create – creature
treat – threat
please – pleasant
dream / dreamed – dreamt
politics – political – politician
photograph – photography – photographer
economy – economic
Happy studying!
Melanie is a TESL-certified English teacher. She lives near Toronto, Canada. Through her blog, videos, podcasts, and social media, she helps thousands of people around the world improve their English. She makes English a little less confusing and a little more fun! She also helps people understand Canadian and American culture. She believes that natural interaction with a native speaker helps people practice what they have learned and builds their confidence with English!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
HAPPY 2012..!!!
curious..
Hi, Chico!
'Curious' is a very difficult word for a lot of English learners to pronounce. It's hard to remember that there is also a consonant 'y' sound in the first syllable. It's pronounced: 'kyer-ee-us.' I think I will add this word to a video in the future!
Thanks,
Melanie
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My class here in Saudi Arabia have difficulty with “reference”. Thank you Melanie. I use your videos in my class. Brilliant
Hi, Daoud! Thank you for using my videos in your class! I hope they are useful to your students. I can imagine that ‘reference’ is a difficult word for Arabic speakers because of the /r/ sounds. I will try to include this word in a future video.
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