Tutor Resources: Speaking & Pronunciation

LVCA Produced Materials:

• Speaking & Listening Test Information - Students should be able to answer the questions at the level they last tested into, all those before it, and the next level up that they will hopefully test into. Give them enough practice so that they answer with good grammar and pronunciation.

• Correcting Pronunciation Errors

• Four Guidelines for Teaching Pronunciation 

• Vowel Placement

• Vowel Practice

• Characteristic Difficulties with English for Speakers of Spanish

• Minimal Pairs for Spanish Speakers

• Pronunciation Guide - Bantu

• Pronunciation Guide - Burmese 

• Pronunciation Guide - Central & South Asia

• Pronunciation Guide – South East Asia (Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese)

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Online Resources:

• Activities for ESL Students - This website has useful information for all levels. It includes quizzes on grammar and vocabulary, listening and pronunciation practice, and VOA audio podcasts. It also has crossword puzzles and over 40 quizzes in bilingual languages.

• Interesting Things for ESL Students - This website is full of exercises in grammar, pronunciation, listening, spelling, and vocabulary development for different levels. One heading lists “Easy Things for Beginners.” Other activities and exercises are not specified by levels but are generally intermediate.

• Sounds of English - Good for pronunciation practice. Tips for teachers.

• Speak English Clearly! - The Imitation Technique - Practicing English with the Imitation Technique will help reduce an accent and pronunciation problems quickly. It will also make listening to native speakers easier. Several lessons are available.

• UBC Visible Speech -  Are you curious about what happens inside the mouth during speech? How does the tongue move? How can you improve your pronunciation in a language you are learning? This site will show you the inside of the mouth and the tongue movements and positions for different speech sounds.

• Sounds Of Speech UIOWA (phone app) - The Sounds of Speech provides a comprehensive understanding of how words are formed. It includes animations, videos, and audio samples that describe the essential features of each of the consonants and vowels of these languages. Video explanation of the app.

• Understanding American English Vowels (video) - This video reviews all the vowel sounds of American English. You will go over the vowel chart of American English, learn the IPA symbols (International Phonetic Alphabet) and hear the difference between the different vowels.

• Sounds American (YouTube channel) - Sounds American is a channel created by people who are passionate about American English pronunciation, phonetics, phonic rules, and all things related to American accents.

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LVCA Workshop Presentations/Handouts:

• Pronunciation from Z to A (2018 Tutor Retreat)
  Presented by Holly Dilatush, a former LVCA volunteer
  PowerPoint Presentation

• Correcting Pronunciation - South East Asian Edition (June 2018)
  PowerPoint Presentation

• Pronunciation (2017 Tutor Retreat)
  PowerPoint Presentation
  Strategies for Encouraging Students to Speak Outside Tutoring (handout)