Yes, you're in the right place! Clicking on the tab "How to Use" or at least choosing to take a look at this post was the best decision you've made this week! So, to honour this superb decision don't look away, let the food burn in the kitchen, forget the boiler on and continue reading.
If you're planning to use this blog, then you may as well want to use it properly.
In the next three minutes you'll learn how to organise your self-study so as to make the most of the material provided here, as well as your time and effort, and hence accelerate your progress.
What you need
For that purpose, you'll need the items shown in the picture.
- a computer with a good Internet connection
- headphones
- a voice recorder
- some paper and a pen
The computer, Internet connection and the pair of headphones are self-explanatory.
As for the voice recorder, you'll need it to make the most of the oral exercises and your practice time (read why below). If you don't already have a voice recorder or if you don't have the money to buy one (I got mine 3 years ago and it cost me £80; though I'm sure there are cheaper options out there), then you can use a free online recorder, such as this one.
There will be some exercises in the upcoming videos which will be largely oral exercises but some may require you to grab a piece of paper and a pen and jot down a thing or two.
Got all these? Perfect. Let's get started..
Step 1
Click on the 'Received Pronunciation' tab. Read the post 'An Introduction to RP'. I simply cannot stress enough how important it is for you to learn a bit more about the 'tool' you'll be working with throughout your self-study before you make a start.
How to Go Through the Lessons
Step 2
Read the text of the x Lesson and listen to the audio (if any). Listen carefully. We don't want it to go in one ear and out the other, now do we?
Step 3
When you've finished reading, listen to each recording again and repeat until you're satisfied, until your pronunciation resembles or mimics the one in the recording.
Step 4
Find a voice recorder, a voice recording app or website and repeat once more what you've been practising. Record your voice. Listen to it. Found flaws in your pronunciation? You don't like it? Listen to the blog's recordings again and try to spot the differences. Record your voice again. It's all about trial and error really. Time-consuming but incredibly rewarding!
Step 5
Watch the video. (I know I know.. there is no video here whatsoever! The equipment will arrive around mid-July, so by the end of the month I'll have made my first-ever videos. Exciting and scary stuff.)
Step 6
Go through all the exercises of the video. Don't just skip them and watch the video passively. Do the exercises (both oral and written) and practise.
Practice makes perfect; a saying that couldn't be more suitable for pronunciation improvement. Your tongue is just another muscle. The more you practise, the more you train the muscle of your tongue. Eventually, in the middle of a conversation in English you'll find yourself utilising and applying what you've learnt without even realising it and, most importantly, without struggling (thanks to the endless hours you spent training your tongue muscle and your brain).
Step 7
Relax. Sit back and enjoy a nice cup of coffee or tea.. or a nice, cool beer.. or whatever. This step is just as important as the previous steps. You should always treat yourself after a lesson's hard work! :)
Hope this helps.
Take care.
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