More practice: https://youtu.be/rBm6rz93wRgThe problem with consonants is that they block breath.The solution?Make consonants into vowels.“didn’t” “that” “about” “really”Wait wait wait, how do we make consonants into vowels?Let’s start with the letter L, which makes an LLLL sound.You might be doing that with the tip of your tongue touching up here.BUT! That’s really stopping air. LLL / LLLHow about we make a dark L: press the tip of your tongue against your bottom front toothLLLLLL / LLLHear the difference? It’s because that lower tongue position allows so much air to move through.Breath is one of the 4 most important concepts for American English—it’s a central part of our 4-Step American accent course.When we keep air flowing, we are able to link sounds more.Really can become “really”. “The last was really a little low.”So what have you discovered Captain Accent?Well, all those consonants you make with the tip of your tongue up here….can also be made with the tip of your tongue down here.Nine. Nine. Tight. Tight. Think. Think. Sis. Sis. Rare. Rare. Dead. Dead. Why would you want to do this?Well, it’s going to help words flow more.World. World. Regularly. Regularly. And sentences can flow more too.I didn't really think that much about itIn fact, these lower positions are going to help you link words together the way native speakers do.For instance, have you heard of a fast D/flap t sound? It’s why we say “I dis” instead of “it is”Part of the reason for this is that the T can become more of a vowel sound and let air pass. “it is” “it is” “it is”. My tongue doesn’t even have to touch anything at all. “What are” “that’ll” “write up”Same thing with the silent t; if you pronounce a T in “center” and “interview” you block air. But, by removing the T before an N, you get a much smoother sound. “center” “interview”And held Ts, Stop Ts, and other held sounds? Again, you won’t hear the consonant, but you WILL hear the breath keep flowing. “can’t go”/”can’t go” “not cool” “that works”Even TH wants to become a vowel sound with more breath; often, it can completely disappear, like after the letter N “and then” “an nen” “send the” “sen ne” The R sound is similar to that too. I know, a lot of people have learned R is a strong consonant, but it actually wants to be weaker than the vowels around it.Rare. Rural. Rear. If your contact with your tongue and mouth is too firm, you block breath. But if we treat R more like a vowel and let air through more easily, we get a much more natural Rare. Rural. Rear.Don’t just take my word for all this though. Listen to these native speakers say these sentences with a and try to copy them as they dramatically weaken consonant sounds.It wasn’t a big deal to meWhere did you get it?Can we afford it?The easiest way to weaken consonants and sound natural is increasing breath, like we learn in this video here.❗❗❗❗❗❗JOIN our channel to get access to our Pronunciation Group on Telegram, where you receive feedback and suggestions for YOUR pronunciation every day. See what it is like here: https://youtu.be/FDwPuwstUEoWho am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.Want to know what classes with me are like? Check out our Mission: English program, where we do livestreams that YOU can join Monday through Friday! It'd be great to do pronunciation exercises with you, answer your American English accent questions, and improve together in our supportive community; see what a Mission: English class is like here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlZ0dlSbrSXhxuga9nOujvx6FL9LU22h7#fluentamerican #vowels #consonants

Join the free group to share audio files on streams: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMxDownload a free podcast/audio/mp3 at www.fluentamerican.com/podcastOne immediate way to start sounding natural is to watch how you use speed in American English. The reality is many American English learners are not saying words in a way that sounds natural, often creating a rhythm that does sound natural because it has little to no variation in speed. Let's show you some quick techniques will have you start sounding natural in American English pronunciation.❗❗❗❗❗❗JOIN our channel to get access to our Pronunciation Group on Telegram, where you receive feedback and suggestions for YOUR pronunciation every day. See what it is like here: https://youtu.be/FDwPuwstUEoWho am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.Want to know what classes with me are like? Check out our Mission: English program, where we do livestreams that YOU can join Monday through Friday! It'd be great to do pronunciation exercises with you, answer your American English accent questions, and improve together in our supportive community; see what a Mission: English class is like here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlZ0dlSbrSXhxuga9nOujvx6FL9LU22h7

Get accent feedback every day in our Telegram group at www.fluentamerican.com/telegramDownload a free podcast/audio/mp3 at www.fluentamerican.com/podcastOne immediate way to start sounding natural is to watch how you use stress in American English. The reality is many American English learners are not stressing words in a way that sounds natural, often stressing words unintentionally and creating a rhythm that does sound natural either. Let's show you some quick techniques will have you start sounding natural in American English pronunciation.❗❗❗❗❗❗JOIN our channel to get access to our Pronunciation Group on Telegram, where you receive feedback and suggestions for YOUR pronunciation every day. See what it is like here: https://youtu.be/FDwPuwstUEoWho am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.Want to know what classes with me are like? Check out our Mission: English program, where we do livestreams that YOU can join Monday through Friday! It'd be great to do pronunciation exercises with you, answer your American English accent questions, and improve together in our supportive community; see what a Mission: English class is like here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlZ0dlSbrSXhxuga9nOujvx6FL9LU22h7#wakeupamerican #fluentamerican #americanenglish

American English shadowing exercises are for people interested in expanding their American English accents, whether you are located in the US, North America, or other areas around the world. For the best use of shadowing exercises in American English, listen to a section of audio, pause, and repeat what you hear. Try to use the same pronunciation, intonation, stress, pitch patterns, and linking that you find native English speakers use; record yourself and compare the differences.

Your tongue, lips, and mouth may not actually be the biggest reasons why you have an accent in a second language. Instead, it could be you aren't adding enough contrast when you go from word to word or syllable to syllable. Let's explore the importance of authentic communication in a second language with contrast.I'm thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of Magnet Lab, a program for using communication for change in others and ourselves. It consists of daily sessions where we analyze videos/audio files of members to give feedback, suggestions, and praise to become more effective speakers in conversations, when giving talks, and when performing. For more info and to register, visit www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlabDownload a free podcast/audio/mp3 at www.fluentamerican.com/podcast

Get accent feedback every day in our Telegram group at www.fluentamerican.com/telegramOne immediate way to start sounding natural is to watch how you use stress in American English. The reality is many American English learners are missing the most common American English patterns for stress, often stressing words unintentionally and creating a rhythm that does sound natural. Let's show you some quick techniques will have you start sounding natural in American English pronunciation.❗❗❗❗❗❗JOIN our channel to get access to our Pronunciation Group on Telegram, where you receive feedback and suggestions for YOUR pronunciation every day. See what it is like here: https://youtu.be/FDwPuwstUEoWho am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.Want to know what classes with me are like? Check out our Mission: English program, where we do livestreams that YOU can join Monday through Friday! It'd be great to do pronunciation exercises with you, answer your American English accent questions, and improve together in our supportive community; see what a Mission: English class is like here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlZ0dlSbrSXhxuga9nOujvx6FL9LU22h7

Get accent feedback every day in our Telegram group at www.fluentamerican.com/telegramOne immediate way to start sounding natural is to watch how you use consonant sounds in American English, which we'll discuss with a look words that could have potentially heavy consonant sounds. The reality is many American English learners are missing the most common American English ways to pronounce consonants in their own speech. Let's show you some quick techniques will have you start sounding natural in American English pronunciation.❗❗❗❗❗❗JOIN our channel to get access to our Pronunciation Group on Telegram, where you receive feedback and suggestions for YOUR pronunciation every day. See what it is like here: https://youtu.be/FDwPuwstUEoWho am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.Want to know what classes with me are like? Check out our Mission: English program, where we do livestreams that YOU can join Monday through Friday! It'd be great to do pronunciation exercises with you, answer your American English accent questions, and improve together in our supportive community; see what a Mission: English class is like here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlZ0dlSbrSXhxuga9nOujvx6FL9LU22h7#wakeupamerican #fluentamerican #americanenglish

More L Practice: https://youtu.be/0W2r-E3hGwgGet accent feedback every day in our Telegram group at www.fluentamerican.com/telegramDownload a free podcast/audio/mp3 at www.fluentamerican.com/podcastOne immediate way to start sounding natural is to watch how you use L sounds in American English, which we'll discuss with a look at light L and dark L. The reality is many American English learners are missing the most common American English ways to pronounce the L in their own speech. Let's show you some quick techniques will have you start sounding natural in American English pronunciation.❗❗❗❗❗❗JOIN our channel to get access to our Pronunciation Group on Telegram, where you receive feedback and suggestions for YOUR pronunciation every day. See what it is like here: https://youtu.be/FDwPuwstUEoWho am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.Want to know what classes with me are like? Check out our Mission: English program, where we do livestreams that YOU can join Monday through Friday! It'd be great to do pronunciation exercises with you, answer your American English accent questions, and improve together in our supportive community; see what a Mission: English class is like here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlZ0dlSbrSXhxuga9nOujvx6FL9LU22h7

Your tongue, lips, and mouth may not actually be the biggest reasons why you have an accent in a second language. Instead, it could be how you're conveying emotions and expressing how you genuinely feel. Let's explore the importance of authentic communication in a second languageI'm thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of Magnet Lab, a program for using communication for change in others and ourselves. It consists of daily sessions where we analyze videos/audio files of members to give feedback, suggestions, and praise to become more effective speakers in conversations, when giving talks, and when performing. For more info and to register, visit www.fluentamerican.com/magnetlabDownload a free podcast/audio/mp3 at www.fluentamerican.com/podcast

Video: https://youtu.be/_MEC67CiKEkAmerican English shadowing exercises are for people interested in expanding their American English accents, whether you are located in the US, North America, or other areas around the world. For the best use of shadowing exercises in American English, listen to a section of audio, pause, and repeat what you hear. Try to use the same pronunciation, intonation, stress, pitch patterns, and linking that you find native English speakers use; record yourself and compare the differences.#fluentamerican #shadowing #americanaccent