Intonation, innit?
Intonation, ↘innit? Intonation is all about the way we say something, rather than the words we actually say. Every language has a different melody and structure, so what's unique about English? Here [...]
Why is English Spelling So Strange?
Why is English Spelling So Strange? Why do we say ‘dear’ /dɪə/ but then we say ‘pear’ /peə/? Why is /u:/ spelt as ‘few’ but also ‘boot’ and why don't our [...]
Upspeak
Upspeak - the unstoppable rise of rising intonation. You may have noticed that some English speakers use a rising tone on a statement. It almost sounds like a question? This is commonly [...]
OK
How to pronounce 'OK' O.K. okay, ok. Overused by many speakers and meaning anything from “yes” to “average”, “listen” to “really?”. It all depends on when you say it and how [...]
Thai Speakers’ English Pronunciation Errors
10 English Pronunciation Errors by Thai Speakers [ssba] If your mother tongue is Thai, you may find certain sounds in English more difficult than others. Here we present to you [...]
2015 Best Bits
10 best bits from the blog - 2015 2015 was our busiest year yet on the blog. We tackled difficult spellings, confusing words, 'hello' and... the Queen. Here are the 10 [...]
Christmas Guide
A Pronunciation Guide to an English Christmas. What do the English say, eat and do at Christmas? Apart from overindulging in food and drink, there's time for boiling spices, singing, kissing, [...]
Contractions
Contractions and Apostrophes. You might've /maɪtəv/ already guessed that this article looks at how apostrophes indicate sound in contractions (he's, we'd, I'd've etc.) - a key area of connected speech. Students often [...]
Korean Speakers’ English Pronunciation Errors
10 English Pronunciation Errors by Korean Speakers [ssba] What are the main errors for Korean speakers in English pronunciation? Here we have highlighted the top ten experienced by Korean speaking [...]
its
it’s its /ɪts/ [ssba] This month at Pronunciation Studio we’re talking about apostrophes' influence on pronunciation, starting with the word /ɪts/. The pronunciation of /ɪts/ is always the same, regardless how it's [...]
Portuguese Speakers’ English Pronunciation Errors
10 English Pronunciation Errors by Portuguese Speakers [ssba] What are the main errors for Portuguese speakers in English pronunciation? Here we have highlighted some of the common errors experienced by Portuguese and [...]
English Place Name Suffixes
English Place Name Suffixes [ssba] Ever confused about how to pronounce the endings in place names like MIDDLESBOROUGH? There's a trick to pronouncing them - learn which weak form [...]
The Queen’s English
The Queen's English [ssba] Last month Queen Elizabeth II became the longest serving English monarch, so it seems the ideal moment to have a look at one of her most [...]
Greek Speakers’ English Pronunciation Errors
10 English Pronunciation Errors by Greek Speakers [ssba] If your mother tongue is Greek, you may find certain sounds in English more difficult than others. Here we present to [...]
7 Ways to Say “Hello”
7 ways to say "hello". [ssba] The meaning of "hello" can change dramatically from charm to fear, or from attraction to annoyance depending on the intonation used. Here are 7 different ways to say it, each [...]
