When you’re preparing for your IELTS* exam, you are often surrounded by native speakers of English who are in a position to help with your pronunciation.
But who is genuinely interested in helping you?
How can you tell?
How do you spot your true IELTS friend?
Your true IELTS friend will help you improve your English pronunciation without embarrassing you in front of others. There are three ways she will do this:
1.She will wait until you are alone together and simply tell you which word you are consistently mis pronouncing. She will give you the correct pronunciation slowly and clearly. Imitate her pronunciation. Ask her if you now have the correct pronunciation. Stick with it until you have it right. Some English words are really difficult to pronounce, especially technical terms.
Most difficult of all are the words you were taught incorrectly as a child and have pronounced incorrectly for years. An example of that is the word “monkey”. Many ESL** speakers pronounce the word so that it rhymes with “donkey”. Of course it is totally illogical that the two words don’t rhyme, but English is frankly an illogical language. The correct pronunciation of the “mon” in “monkey” is “mun”. Exactly the same as the “Mon” in “Monday”.
2.The second clue to identifying your true IELTS friend is this: While you are in conversation, either alone or with others, she will gently correct your pronunciation in a way that most people will not even notice.
For example, you may have been using the incorrect pronunciation for the word “monkey”. Here is how such a conversation with your “true IELTS friend” might go:
You: “I read in today’s paper that a monkey had escaped from the zoo.”
Friend: “A monkey? Do you know what kind of monkey?”
Can you see how she has corrected your pronunciation without interrupting the flow of the conversation?
3.The third way your friend will help you is this: when you do use the improved pronunciation, she will notice your effort and let you know that she has noticed. If you are alone together, she may comment on your improvement. If you are with other people, she may quietly acknowledge your achievement with a smile or a nod.
When you discover someone who is making this kind of effort for you, do make a note of it. From now on, when she corrects your pronunciation in this way, thank her. Encourage her to keep helping you. Hers is valuable help which will pay off in your IELTS speaking test and in your future career.
Perhaps you think that your thanking her be an interruption of the conversation? Not necessarily. A smile or a nod will convey to her that you have picked up her subtle message.
And the best thanks of all that you can offer is always going to be this: that you will remember to use the correct pronunciation in the future. Let her know that you have heard and remembered the correction. This is the reward that will give her the greatest satisfaction and encourage her to continue to help you.
So in the lead up to your IELTS test, remember to stick closely to your “IELTS Best Friend”!
Good luck!
*IELTS – International English Language Teaching System is the world’s leading test of English for higher education, immigration and employment.
**ESL – English as a Second Language
Author Resource:
Do you need help with your IELTS exam preparation? Free help is all around you if you know where to look for it. Barbara Takase has spent more than 20 years co-ordinating a team of professional IELTS teachers. For more free tips and suggestions go to: http://www.ieltspersonaltrainer.com/home .
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