The Center for Confident American English Communication

I work on American English pronunciation and accent reduction with Arabic speaking professionals from different parts of the world including Morocco, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. These professionals need to make the following adjustments in order to speak American English more clearly: 1. Slow down and speak using thought groups (phrases) and focus words 2. Learn

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Probably the most common question that I get from my students and clients concerns how to learn to use American English intonation. Intonation is not easy to learn from a book.  You really need to instruction on how to hear it and apply it. There are not always clear cut rules because intonation is related

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North American English speakers speak in phrases. In pronunciation and accent reduction classes you will hear these phrases referred to as thought groups or intonation groups. Thought groups are sequences of words that have one prominent word. This is called a content word or a focus word. Thought groups are set off by short pauses

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When Americans speak they divide longer sentences into sections called thought groups. In each thought group we emphasize the focus word and then briefly pause before the next thought group begins. Many non-native English speakers have never learned to use thought groups when they speak English. For some people this causes their speech too sound

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When Americans speak they divide longer sentences into phrases called “thought groups”. Within each thought group we emphasize the content words, giving special stress to the focus word. After the focus word we pause briefly before the next thought group begins. Many non-native English speakers fail to use thought groups when they speak English. For

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When Americans speak they divide longer sentences into sections called thought groups. The words in a thought group receive different types of stress. The function words, such as articles and prepositions, are usually unstressed. The content words, usually nouns and verbs, are stressed. In each thought group there is also a very important word called

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When you take a pronunciation or accent reduction class your instructor will teach you lots of new vocabulary to explain the pronunciation features that you must learn. Here is a mini pronunciation glossary with words that I taught the students in my accent reduction classes this month. 1. Reduced speech-The relaxed pronunciation of commonly used words and phrases

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