このコースでは、発音（上級レベル）を学習します。
- 英語におけるアクセント
- 強調
- コミュニケーションの取り方
- 会話の導き方
- フォーマルな場面での発音
流暢なコミュニケーションをとるために、イントネーション、スピーチのつなぎ、効果的な間の取り方を、どのように習得するかを６０ユニットから学びます。
友人と会話をするような普段使いのものから、ビジネスシーンなどにおけるフォーマルな場面においての発音を習得し、使い分けができるようになることを目指します。シリアスなビジネスシーンにおいても英語で堂々と話す事が出来る自信がつきます。
特定の音（発音）に自信がない場合は、中級コースを受講しましょう。こちらの上級コースでは、英語でのコミュニケーションは取れるが、ニュアンスと流暢さをさらに向上させたい方におすすめです。
Time to complete
Lessons 1-4 can be breezed over, skipped, or done for homework. They introduce study strategies without applying actual content and they are full of dead website links.
Lessons 5 and 6 have useful information about fast speech.
From lesson 7, the actual pronunciation instruction starts.
Intermediate vs. Advanced
Do Intermediate first.
Pronunciation In Use Intermediate is challenging. Even advanced speakers will find elements difficult. Intermediate lessons typically offer general rules that are broadly useful.
Pronunciation In Use Advanced builds on the general concepts of the Intermediate book, but this Advanced one typically offers specific cases. The Advanced book also has metalanguage and jargon that can obscure a relatively simple concept.
How to teach this book to Japanese speakers of English
You can use this TFCS pronunciation webpage as a guide. Send it to the student if you feel they would benefit from it.
- Japanese has almost no consonant clusters—so lessons 7–9 are very important, as is E2 (pp.132–135).
- Intonation is often subtle in Japanese. Spend time modelling English tone. You may have to say, "No, more. Bigger. Higher. Lower."
- The Clear Speech trial lesson covers unstressed syllables (schwa, et.al.) better than Pronunciation In Use.
- Pay special attention to hard word endings, words that end in consonants ("but" rather than "butu", "beer" rather than "beeru"). Japanese doesn't have consonant endings.
The "In Use" series
Books in the "In Use" series all follow the same structure. They are divided into units grouped by topic. Each unit consists of a page of explanation and a page of exercises. They are designed for self-study, but can be used in a classroom setting, too. They are very easy to teach from. The explanation covers everything you need, and the exercises are simple with answers provided.
- Work through the explanations together with your student, making sure that they understand and answering any questions they may have.
- Do the exercises together.
- Set homework each class based on the material covered.
Teaching strategies
When you teach pronunciation, make sure you do some or all of the following:
- Give plenty of examples.
- Repeat 4 times, 10 times. Do the reps (as with any physical exercise).
- Go back and forth. You say it, they say it, you say it again, they say it again.
- Be strict—keep hacking away at errors over time.
- Fluency isn't achieved in one lesson. Keep working on key problems.
- Assign homework.
- Say tongue-twisters every day. (Here is a good list: "50 Tongue Twisters to improve pronunciation in English".)
- Choose tongue-twisters that focus on the target sounds, but work on clarity and accuracy, not speed.
- Train the student's ear.
- Help them hear their own speech and critically evaluate their accuracy for themselves.
- Talk a bit about spelling, reading and reading strategies.
- Have the student read aloud.
Note: You'll find answers to the exercises in a separate attached file (and at the end of the book).