Ah, the bane of every non-native speaker’s existence! The dreaded “can” and “can’t.” In American English, you need to use contractions in order to sound natural. Unless you are trying to emphasize your point (along the lines of “I can NOT believe she just did...
Have you ever had to repeat yourself when saying “fourteen” or “forty,” “seventeen” or “seventy”? Here are some pointers that may help people understand these numbers more easily when you speak. The differences… Stress (sometimes) When you pronounce the word “forty,” primary stress, or emphasis, is placed...
Pronunciation of “con” and “com” can seem tricky in words like “complete,” “concert,” and “condition.” When do you use /ə/ (“uh”) and when do you use /ɑ/ (“ah”)? Why is the pronunciation different in words with the same spelling pattern? The answer is actually pretty simple. ...
If you think getting kids to do their homework is challenging, try convincing a 40-year-old to do theirs! Some people mistakenly assume it is easier to get adults to practice because they are motivated. They signed up for the training course on their own, didn’t...
People with foreign accents, people without… They all ask me the same question: “What’s the WORST accent?” To start, let’s go ahead and scratch the term “worst” from our discussion. People who ask me this question don’t mean any harm, but this word rubs me the wrong...