Words.
Pronunciation Studio articles on English words.
Words of 2023
2023 - Words of the Year For the first time since COVID hit in 2020, this year's words of the year aren’t about the pandemic. Instead they are mainly concerned with a different kind [...]
Very Tenable Spoonerisms
Very Tenables and the surreal world of Spoonerisms. I should start this piece by stating that spoonerisms have nothing whatsoever to do with spoons. So nir. Except of course, that both [...]
10 New Words 2016
10 New Words 2016 Every year the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) adds new words, here is our pick from 2016 - 10 words that sum up the year's social developments perfectly, how to pronounce them and what they [...]
Speak – idioms and phrasal verbs.
Speak - idioms & phrasal verbs. Do know your 'speak out' from your 'speak up' and your 'speak volumes'? Here's the Pronunciation Studio guide to a very versatile word: [ssba] 1. “speak volumes” Meaning: represent/display [...]
Sorry
"sorry" - 4 uses [ssba] One of the most overused words in England. Why do English people say sorry so often? Is it a reflex? Do they really mean it? Could it even be a [...]
RIP Prints – The Unlikely Homophone
RIP Prints: the unlikely homophone. Yesterday saw the announcement of Prints’s death. An artist whose work spanned many genres and was loved the world over. He probably won’t be remembered for his name being a homophone, [...]
Cockney Rhyming Slang
Cockney Rhyming Slang Going out for a Ruby Murray this evening? Or perhaps you'll stay in with the trouble and strife because you've got no bees and honey? We're talking cockney rhyming slang of course, [...]
Speech Idioms
Speech Idioms [ssba] We're talking shop this month at Pronunciation Studio. That's right - idioms about speaking. Here are 10 really useful ones that are used to describe speech. I'll stop talking in circles then [...]
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 tell me that they [...]
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 with its own meaning: [...]
