Cherry trees are in bloom during the spring in some parts of the U.S., displaying beautiful blossoms. “Cherry blossom” is a compound noun. Compound nouns are usually stressed on the first base word. A compound noun often means something different than just the individual words put together. For example, a GREENhouse isn’t a green-colored house […]
The vowel sound in “showers” and “flowers” is “ow”, as in “Ow! I stubbed my toe!” This is the sound in several common words, such as “about” and “how”. Some non-native speakers say this sound a little like “o”. The “ow” sound is like a combination of “ae” as in “cat” and “o” as in […]
In American English, the “r” sound is made with the tongue still and not touching the roof of the mouth. Think of a dog growling, “errr”. In the word “spring”, it can help to stretch out the word in practicing this sound, as in “sperring”.
Have you ever noticed that American speakers don’t move their mouths much when they talk? We use a lot of neutral vowel sounds and don’t round our lips much. Non-native speakers often sound like they are over-pronouncing. So, use less mouth opening and mouth movements. It will likely reduce your accent! Try it with the […]