Accent Training Podcast

Today we see a list of words that I find people commonly mix-up. Tune in to see what difficulties you may be facing, and how you can overcome them!

Follow along with These Words Here!
Say v Says  | This Tuesday v Next Tuesday  |  World v Word  |   This v These  |  Party v Potty    Can v Can’t | There, Their, They’re

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The internet is full of confusing words, and sometimes communicating even basic vocabulary can be tough. Listen on in to learn how Americans will typically say some common online-related words, and how you can get used to using them as well!


Follow along with these words here:
Internet = In'nerne'
Wifi = WIY fiy
Bandwidth = Bay yuhnd Wi'th
Data = DAH dtuh
Meme = MEE mm
Gif = GIHff

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Do you ever wonder how to pronounce ED when ending a word? There are 3 different sounds used when the letters ED end a word, and each sound has an easy rule for when it is used. If you want to know how ED sounds when ending a word,  tune in to learn these three MUST KNOW rules, along with some examples of how you can put this to work!

Practice regularly with these idiomatic expressions here to get a feel for it!

To be loaded Someone who is wealthy
He always offers to pay, they must be loaded. 

Packed like sardines Many people stuffed into a small space
We were packed like sardines on the subway ride home!

Get carried away To lose control of something / oneself
Don’t get carried away, you might hurt yourself!

Check out my video course on Udemy to kick-start your own AccenTraining!
https://www.udemy.com/course/command-the-american-accents-rhythm-and-pronunciation/?referralCode=C96318A268600601A20F

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Buying a house may be terrifying, but with a few questions prepared, you'll sound like you know what you're doing! Here we consider 7 good questions to ask when buying a house in English, and how these can make your life MUCH easier!

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In English, sounds change depending on the sounds around them. We call this assimilation, and today, I explain how you can get the hang of this yourself by stretching out your vowel sounds for certain words!

Follow along with these words here to get the hang of this:
Got v God  |  Hit v Hid  |  Bat v Bad  |  Plate v Played   |  Wait v Wade  |  Cup v Cub
Back v Bag  |  Pick v Pig  |  Safe v Save  |  Off v Of

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Stop consonants include the letters PB, TD, KG, and are often not released when ending words. Listen in to see how you can make a habit of this yourself, and have better control over your word stress!

Practice along with these idiomatic expressions!
Hit the Sack Go to bed

It’s time to hit the sack and go to bed tonight. 

Go cold turkey To quit a habit through will power
It was hard, but cold turkey was how I quit that habit!

Make ends meet To make enough money to get by
I may not be rich, but I make ends meet.

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Today, I bring on a good friend who explains just how you can call in sick for work, and have NOBODY question it! Making that call is daunting to many people, whether you're genuinely sick or not. Listen on in to learn what you can do, and how you can call your employer and take a day off with ease!

Listen for these idioms here to get a good feel for talking about work culture!
We’re swamped! - We have too much work
What do you do for a living? - What's your job?
Find someone to cover for you - Find someone to work your shift when you cannot
How did you get into this line of work? - How did you get this job?
This job is a good fit for me / This job isn't a good fit for me - This job doesn't suit me

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The A sound in the American accent receives a unique pronunciation when followed by an N or an M. We hear this in words like "Man" or "Banana", but it's difficult to understand exactly what is going on!
Listen on in to get a grasp on this concept, and see how you too can change your pronunciation of  these words!

Practice along with these sentences here:
A plan to trap the wild animal.
Learning Spanish can advance your plans.  
Jan ran behind schedule due to a traffic jam.  
Stan plans on running a scam from his tan van. 

Practice with THESE Tongue Twisters!
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?

How many cans can a cannibal nibble if a cannibal can nibble cans? As many cans as a cannibal can nibble if a cannibal can nibble cans.

Try these idiomatic expressions!
Give (someone) a hand To help someone
I’ll give the man a hand sorting out his plan.  

Having a leg to stand on Proof, or defence for an argument
He doesn’t have a leg to stand on, he doesn’t even know this topic. 

Bury your head in the sand Ignoring unpleasant realities
Don’t just bury your head in the sand, make a plan!  

To hold out an olive branch A gesture of making peace
If you’re fighting with a friend, hold out an olive branch and solve it!

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Moving is common in the summer in the United States, and you want to make sure your English is ready for it! Listen on in to learn about English you can use to facilitate this, our own recent moving experience, and what you want to watch out for in your own move!


Follow along with these phrasal verbs:
Load up - Fill a vehicle
Pack up - Put something in a package
Unload - Removing cargo from a vehicle
Unpack - Removing contents from packaging
Take down - Remove something from a high place
Put up - Put something in a high place
Throw away - Discard something 

And here are some common compound words for moving

Shrink wrap - Plastic that contracts and shrinks whatever it wraps around

A fixer-upper - A project to see a desired improvement with something

Dream home - The home of one's dreams

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The Long A and the R sounds combine, and are pronounced clearer in the American accent than in other languages. Listen on in to get a feel for just how you can stretch out the A vowel before R's, and get a distinct American sound.

Listen for the Long A and R sounds in the following sentences to practice along:
I can barely see if they’re there. 
Losing hair is a very scary affair.
January isn’t as bad as February.
They very rarely do extraordinary things.

Hair Poem (George Carlin)
Listen to their Hair Poem by George Carlin Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpGxsFaQuIM&ab_channel=NikolaJovanovic

I'm aware some stare at my hair. 
In fact, to be fair, 
Some really despair of my hair. 
But I don't care, 
Cause they're not aware, 
Nor are they debonair. 
In fact, they're just square. 

They see hair down to there, 
Say, "Beware" and go off on a tear! 
I say, "No fair!" 
A head that's bare is really nowhere. 
So be like a bear, be fair with your hair! 
Show it you care. 
Wear it to there. 
Or to there. 
Or to there, if you dare! 

My wife bought some hair at a fair, to use as a spare. 
Did I care? 
Au contraire! 
Spare hair is fair! 

In fact, hair can be rare. 
Fred Astaire got no hair, 
Nor does a chair, 
Nor a chocolate eclair, 
And where is the hair on a pear? 
Nowhere, mon frere! 

So now that I've shared this affair of the hair, 
I'm going to repair to my lair and use Nair, do you care?

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