Here is a link to a lesson on the 2 ‘th’ sounds. At the end of the lesson is an audio practice activity that you can use to practice.
American English Audio Lesson-The TH Sounds

If you like the lesson, be sure to sign up for my free four week accent reduction course on the page. This is a free introductory course with no obligations!

Here is an example. When I say my name, Susan, the first syllable is stressed so the vowel has a long high sound. The second syllable is reduced so the vowel has a schwa (uh) sound. Spelling using phonetic symbols my name would look like: ‘su:-zən.

The most commonly spoken English word is the and it is frequently mispronounced by non-native speakers because it starts with the troublesome voiced th sound. The phonetic symbol for the voiced th is /ð/. Using phonetic symbols it would look like ðə.

You  simply must learn to use the schwa vowel sound in order to reduce your accent!

One accent training book that provides lots of lessons on the schwa vowel sound is Mastering the American Accent. You can see the details and reviews at this link.
Mastering the American Accent with Audio CDs

Compound nouns are stressed on the first word in the compound.

• bedroom
• someone

Compound verbs are stressed on the second word in the compound.

• outsmart
• overdue

In compound adjectives the stress is on the second part of the compound.

• bad-tempered
• old-fashioned

Hyphenated compound words often have short words in the middle. Some of these are stressed on the first part of the compound such as:

• mother-in-law
• free-for-all

Click here to read more about syllable stress in American English.

One of these is the tendency to delete the /h/ sound at the beginning of words. Word initial /h/ is almost always pronounced in American English. That means that the /h/ must be articulated clearly in words such as: hat, here, hot, host, half, hair, hungry & husband. Exceptions to this rule include the words honest, honor and herb.

Speakers of Haitian Creole also have a tendency to pronounce words with the lax vowel sound /I/ using the tense vowel sound /iy/. That means that the word sit sounds like seat, the word live sounds like leave and the word chip sounds like cheap.

One way that non-native English speakers can improve their accent is to learn to use the rhythms of spoken English. In my accent reduction classes and coaching sessions I spend significant time working with stress and rhythm because these features of English are key to comprehensibility.

Here are a few tips to remember:

In every word with two or more syllables, one syllable is stressed or emphasized.

1. The vowels in stressed syllables are pronounced with a higher pitch and longer duration than the other vowels in a word.
2. The vowel sounds in unstressed syllables often have a schwa sound.
3. The stressed syllables of content and focus words create stress within a phrase or thought group.

If you are interested in learning more about my accent reduction classes click on the Contact Me tab above and send me a question.

Here is some more information and a syllable stress practice activity.

1. Pronounce S at the end of English words.

Word final s is always pronounced in English. Word final S often has a /z/ sound as in the words: boys, girls & dogs.

The S may also have a /s/ sound as in the words: likes, cats & maps.

Don’t forget to say word final S because doing so will both contribute to your accent and cause grammatical errors.

2. Pronounce the letter H in English words.

The letter H is usually pronounced in English. American English speakers say the /h/ in words such as: happy, hill, him, her, help, hair, hear, hard & hole.

Some exceptions include the words: hour, honest, honor, herb, heir & exhaust. The H is silent in these words.

The IPA symbol for the voiced th sound looks like this /ð/.

The IPA symbol for the voiceless th sound looks like this /θ/.

While both of these sounds cause problems for non native speakers of American English, the /ð/seems to be the most problematic.

The /ð/ is the sound you hear at the beginning of frequently used words such as the, this, that, those. You also hear this sound in the middle of many common words such as: mother, father, brother and rather.

To make the /ð/ sound place your tongue slightly between your teeth. Your tongue and teeth should be touching. Since this is a voiced sound you should feel your vocal chords vibrate when you make the sound. That vibration will extend all the way to your tongue.

Most people find that the /ð/ is not comfortable sound to make and it takes a lot of practice to get it right!

To make the/θ/ sound place your tongue slightly between your teeth. Your tongue and teeth should be touching lightly. When the air flows out of your mouth it should feel gentle.

The /θ/ is the sound you hear in words such as: thanks, Thursday, birthday and month.

To see a detailed articulation model for these sounds click below and choose Consonants–>Fricatives

American English Pronunciation: The Voiced & Voiceless Th Sounds

Spoken French does not employ syllable stress in this way. French syllables are evenly stressed until you reach the last syllable in a phrase or thought group. The last word in a phrase or thought group will be stressed.

Given that correct syllable stress is key to a good American English accent, how can you learn to use it?

There are some rules or patterns you can use to determine which syllable to stress in American English words.

Here are the two “rules” that students find easy to remember:

1. 90% of two syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable (STU-dənt, NOTEbook, COF-fee)

2. 60% of two syllable verbs are stressed on the second syllable (rə-TURN, də-LAY, əf-FEND)

Also, remember that the vowel sound in unstressed syllables is frequently reduced to schwa.

Here is a Syllable Stress Chart that you can use to practice syllable stress in 2 syllable, 3 syllable and 4 syllable English words.

Most two syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable. Other two syllable words including many verbs, reflexive pronouns and prepositions are stressed on the second syllable.

Here is a video from Charles Kelly that you can use to practice pronouncing words with second syllable stress.

Note-Charles does not always use the schwa sound for the unstressed “e” in words such as between. Keep in mind that many American English speakers use the schwa sound for these vowels. You can read more about the schwa sound here-

Also, instead of listening and repeating each word after Charles, say it along with him. That way you’ll really feel the stress pattern!

American English syllable stress video

One difference between American English pronunciation and French pronunciation is that in English we always pronounce s at the end of a word. French students learning English often forget to say that sound.

You must pronounce word final s when you are speaking English. Failure to do so will cause you to make both a pronunciation and a grammatical mistake!

Keep in mind that word final s has three different sounds in spoken English. These are: /s/ as in pets, /z/ as in kids, and /əz/ as in bunches.

Click here to read more about about how to pronounce the s sound in American English.