Tips to Speak More Clearly, Instantly, with a British Accent

Hi from Speak More Clearly!

We are glad you’re here to learn about a British English Pronunciation tip that can help you speak more clearly in just 3 minutes a day!

By the way, you can also use our 3 minute practise tip if you are learning Australian pronunciation or American pronunciation too! Note: the vowels in the practise sentence are slightly different for the American accent. You can use our online accent training course to learn the American English vowels)

We’ve mentioned this tip in passing in some of our other training videos, but it’s so important that we wanted to devote a whole video to it, and also to give you a fantastic practice tip that will only take you 3 minutes a day.

Have you noticed this when you head people speaking?

Have you ever noticed how much people move and open their mouths when they speak clearly in English? This is especially so for a standard British accent.

Have a look at the newsreaders, or listen to radio announcers who are using a standard British accent. You’ll notice how clear they sound.

What’s the trick? There is no trick. It makes sense that if you move your mouth and open it enough, then the sounds and words can resonate out clearly. You will naturally speak with the correct English rhythm rather than a rhythm that is too fast. This will give you time to form your words and sounds correctly without cutting sounds off or saying vowels too short.

Part of moving your mouth enough to speak clear British English is to make sure you are making the sounds with the right mouth movement.

For example:
The sounds that need a smile movement with your lips, need to have enough of a smile movement.
These are sounds such as: ‘ee’, ‘i’, ‘e’

This also goes For sounds where you need to drop your jaw. For example: ‘u’ or ‘ah’

Make sure that for sounds where you need to put your lips forward, they need to be forward enough.
E.g: short ‘oo’ and long ‘oo’ and the ‘or’ vowel

In a sentence:
“Ben took a seat and looked at some farm tours.”
(Don’t open or move your mouth much.)
Not very clear was it, or expressive for that matter.
Say it again and move your mouth properly for the sounds.
“Ben took a seat and looked at some farm tours.”

If you just say the vowels in the words, you will see the different mouth movements.

“e”  Ben
“oo”  Took
“ee”  Seat
“a”  and
“oo”  Looked
“u”  Some
“ah”  Farm
ooah /ʊər/  Tours

Of course, there are consonants that need to be said clearly as well. When you move and open your mouth enough in English, you are instantly clearer. 

Let’s have a look at that 3-minute Easy Speak More Clearly Practice Tip

1. Speak More Clearly by Practising in the Mirror

Everyday, stand in front of a mirror and read aloud to yourself making sure you overdo moving your mouth for 3 minutes.

If you overdo it, then when you speak to others and aren’t overdoing it, your mouth will be used to moving enough and you’ll be instantly clearer. 

You should already notice a difference at the end of one week if you’re practicing daily.

After 3-4 weeks you should notice that your mouth is beginning to make this clearer way of speaking more habitual.

2. How to Practise Speaking More Clearly

Speak More Clearly – Ideas to practise your clear speech: use a Magazine, Book or use our Dialogs, Narratives and Higher-Level Vocabulary Passages in our British Accent Course to read aloud from.

What is meant by overdoing it?

Read a few lines from one of the narratives in our course overdoing and notice the movement of the mouth.

He’s a balding, pear-shaped man, wearing large glasses. His clothes are baggy, rumpled, mismatched, and damp, as if he has sweated through them several times without taking them to the laundry. In his adolescence, he had no friends to influence his style of dress, he still dresses the way that his mother outfitted him in the third grade.

It looks a bit weird, but you’re only moving your mouth that much in the privacy of your own room. This will lay down new muscle memory so that when you speak to others your mouth will be used to moving more to be clearer. This will also naturally help you speak more slowly and clearly.

3. Practice this consistently for 4 weeks

Practise is the one of the most important things to help you speak more clearly quickly (and to ensure you experience lasting results).

For more British pronunciation tips, check out this video lesson on 5 iconic British words used in everyday speech.

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