Learn GB English sounds, intonation, phonetics and accents in live online group classes.
“It was exciting to study how English pronunciation works – no one would teach that at school. Many new and sometimes unexpected rules to learn, a lot to practice – and you can actually see progress. I started to notice how others speak, what kind of accent natives use, what mistakes non-natives make, and at the same time started to listen to myself – how I can speak English better. Great course with great teachers!”
★★★★★
ANDREY PETROV
Syllabus
– Level 1 (Pronunciation)
– Level 2 (Intonation)
– Level 3 (Phonetics)
– Level 4 (Accents)
PRONUNCIATION
NOW: Tuesdays 18:00-18:45
NEXT: Wednesdays 19:00-19:45
THEN: Wednesdays 14:00-14:45
In Level 1 we learn the 44 sounds of English covering the full phonemic chart. Each week is a different group of sounds:
Vowels
Class 1V:
Introduction
– IPA Chart
– Spelling to Sound
– Articulators
Class 2V:
Schwa
– /ə/
– Function Words
– Weak vs Strong
– ‘er’ Endings
Class 3V:
Short Vowels
– /ɪ,ʊ,ɛ,ʌ,ɒ,a/
– Spelling to Sound
– Unusual Spellings
– Northern /ʌ/
Class 4V:
Long Vowels
– /iː,uː,əː,ɔː,ɛː,ɑː/
– Spelling to Sound
– Reduced Vowels
– TRAP/BATH Split
Class 5V:
Diphthong Vowels
– /ɪə, eɪ, aʊ, əʊ, ʌɪ, ɔɪ/
– Spelling to Sound
– Word Construction
– /ʊə/ (new vs old)
Consonants
Class 1C:
Introduction
– IPA Chart
– Articulators
– Voicing
Class 2C:
Fricatives
– /f,v,θ,ð,s,z,ʃ,ʒ,h/
– /θ/ vs /ð/
– Homophones
– S Endings
– TH Fronting
Class 3C:
Plosives & Affricates
– /p,b,t,d,k,g,tʃ,dʒ/
– /t/ vs [ʔ]- ED Endings
– Silent Letters
Class 4C:
Approximants
– /w,r,j,l/
– Clear vs Dark /l/
– Silent R
– Linking R
Rhoticity
Class 5C:
Nasals & Clusters
– /m,n,ŋ/
– Clusters
– Syllabic Consonants
– G Droppin’
INTONATION
NOW: Tuesdays 12:00-12:45
NEXT: Tuesdays 18:00-18:45
THEN: Wednesdays 19:00-19:45
In Level 2 we learn the rules of stress and how to use intonation patterns (Tone).
Stress
Class 1S:
Stressing
– What is Stress
– Dictionary Stress
– Words, Syllables, Sentences
– Function & Content
Class 2S:
Sentence Stress
– Tonic Syllable (TS)
– Choosing a TS
– Information
– Function Words
Class 3S:
Tone Units
– Onset
– Head
– Pre-head
– Tail
Class 4S:
Choosing Stress
– What’s Stressed?
– Names
– Negatives
– Compounds
Class 5S:
Shifting Stress
– Abbreviations
– Phrasal Verbs
– -teen Numbers
– Syllable-final Stress
Tone
Class 1T:
Basics
– 4 Patterns
– Pitch Diagrams
– Steps & Bends
– Tone & Meaning
Class 2T:
Tones
– Falling
– Rising
– Fall-rising
– Rise-falling
Class 3T:
Questions
– Wh-
– Yes/No
– Tags I
– Tags II
Class 4T:
Statements
– Definitive Fall
– Implication
– Friendly Rise
– High Fall
Class 5T:
Tone Combinations
– Sequences
– Subordinates
– Adverbials
– Lists
PHONETICS
NOW: Wednesdays 14:00-14:45
NEXT: Tuesdays 12:00-12:45
THEN: Tuesdays 18:00-18:45
The syllabus for level 3 follows the same pattern as Level 1, but delves deeper into each group of sounds. We cover phonetic charts, connected speech, phonemic vs phonetic transcription and many other areas of phonetics that are relevant to English pronunciation.
Vowels
Class 1PH:
Vowel Charts
– The grid
– Monophthongs
– Diphthongs
Class 2PH:
Weak Vowels
– [ə,ɪ,i,u]
– Different Schwas
– Phonemic vs Phonetic
– Weak vowel joining
Class 3PH:
Minimal Pairs
– /ɪ,iː/ /ʊ,uː/ /ʌ,a,ɑː/
– Position & Length
– Identifying focus sounds
– Phonemic vs Phonetic
Class 4PH:
Vowel Length
– Pre-fortis clipping
– Vowel length and stress
– Length diacritic [ˑ]
Class 5PH:
Diphthong vs Monophthong
– Centring “Diphthongs” /ɔə,ʊə,eə,ɪə/
– “Monophthongs” /iː,uː/
– Mapping diphthongs
Consonants
Class 6PH:
Consonant Charts
– Place, Manner, Voicing
– GB English Chart
– Full IPA Chart
Class 7PH:
– Elision
– Dental joining
– H Dropping
Class 8PH:
– 10 Pronunciations of /t/
– 3 Uses of the Glottal Stop [ʔ]
– Aspiration [ʰ]
– Devoicing
Class 9PH:
– 5 Pronunciations of /r/
– Vowel/vowel joining
– Vowel assimilations before [ɬ]
– Yod dropping
Class 10PH:
– /n/ assimilations
– NG coalescence
– Nasal diacritic
ACCENTS
NOW: Wednesdays 19:00-19:45
NEXT: Wednesdays 14:00-14:45
THEN: Tuesdays 12:00-12:45
In Level 4 we apply everything we have learnt to using it in accents. Always our reference accent is GB English, so you practise this accent every class, and we compare it to a different accent each class using phonetics. This level has 4 goals:
1) Ear training
2) Phonetic awareness
3) Accent training
4) Explore history of accents
And we have a lot of fun playing with sounds. The class is delivered in the target accent, and we do a different one every week from:
– Cockney
– MLE (Multicultural London English)
– Queen’s English
– Yorkshire
– Scouse
– West Country
– General American
– Northern Irish (Ulster)
– Irish (Dublin)
– Scottish
– Welsh
– Manchester
– Geordie
And we regularly add more to the list (including requests from students).
“The course is absolutely amazing. I have learnt so much and the teacher is really enthusiastic and helped me with any questions. I have learnt to approach English speaking from a new angle, improved my confidence in speaking and understandings not only in the pronunciation but also in the British culture. Definitely recommend it for anyone who want to take their pronunciation to the next level. :)”
★★★★★
HANNAH VU
Weekly Timetable
Each level is 10 classes. You can take multiple levels at the same time, and you can start the cycle at any point. The following are the upcoming start dates of each cycle.
CURRENT COURSES
13/8-15/10 | Level 1: Tuesdays 18:00-18:45
13/8-15/10 | Level 2: Tuesdays 12:00-12:45
14/8-16/10 | Level 3: Wednesdays 14:00-14:45
14/8-16/10 | Level 4: Wednesdays 19:00-19:45
UPCOMING COURSES
22/10-7/1 | Level 3: Tuesdays 12:00-12:45
(No class 24/12 & 31/12)
22/10-7/1 | Level 2: Tuesdays 18:00-18:45
(No class 24/12 & 31/12)
23/10-8/1 | Level 4: Wednesdays 14:00-14:45
(No class 25/12 & 1/1/25)
23/10-8/1 | Level 1: Wednesdays 14:00-14:45
(No class 25/12 & 1/1/25)
If you stay on one time for 40 weeks you will complete the entire cycle.
ENROLMENT
All packages include full access to all group lessons. Choose from monthly, 3 months, 6 months or 12 months options.
Monthly
A monthly subscription is a simple way to spread your payments for the course. You will pay the same amount every month until you cancel.
3 Month Packages
3 months’ access for one (non-recurring) payment.
The individual option indicates the total number of 121 lessons in the 3 months.
6 Month Packages
6 months’ access for one (non-recurring) payment.
The individual option indicates the total number of 121 lessons in the 6 months.
12 Month Packages
12 months’ access for one (non-recurring) payment.
The individual option indicates the total number of 121 lessons in the 12 months.
FAQ