ClearEnglishCoach.com with Donna Durbin - Clear English Coach Blog

Have you "lost" your voice?

2/2/2025

Having laryngitis physically took away my voice. I couldn't talk. Do you sit silent rather than speak up because of your accent? Your voice is important. You are important. I'm here to help you refine your English so you speak clearly and confidently.

ABCs of an American Accent new 8 week group coaching starts Wed. Feb. 5, 2025. Learn everything about English articulation, intonation and vowels. Enroll TODAY.

Vowels for Spanish Speakers

11/1/2023

Do the vowels in these words confuse you?
bay, bat, bee, bet, bite, bit, boat, bot, buy, boy, bow, but.....????

Spanish speakers have 5 vowels and 5 consistent sounds. BUT English has 5 vowels and 17 sounds. CRAZY right?

I can replace your confusion with confidence with some simple techniques.
You can pronounce English vowels easily once you understand the difference between them. Overcome your fear of those crazy American Vowels.

Enroll NOW:
Vowels and Phonics Course w/ 3 Hours of Live Coaching
Starts Monday, November 13, 2023

Vowels for Spanish Speakers

1st Monday Group Coaching Call

9/1/2023

Monday, Sept. 4, 7:00 pm CST on Zoom
Join me on the 1st Monday of each month at 7:00 pm CST for a live group coaching call on Zoom to improve your English pronunciation.Register HERE to attend: https://bit.ly/MondayZoomCall

English pronunciation made easy. Techniques to reduce strong native accents and speak American English to be understood in all your conversations. Private and group coaching courses are available.
Schedule a Discovery Call

Pronunciation Courses:
1st Monday Group Coaching All Replays & Reminders
5-Day Accent Reduction Challenge - important changes to start immediately
Vowels and Phonics Crash Course: American Vowels made easy

Boo! Happy Halloween. The two double /OO/ vowel sounds

10/27/2021

English word pronunciation can be confusing, especially when words have the similar spelling. The two double /OO/ sounds are a good example because they can be pronounced differently.

Watch this video on the tense and relaxed double /OO/ sounds in American English.
The TENSE double /OO/ vowel sound uses more facial muscles for words like food, boot, two, BOO!
The RELAXED double /oo/ vowel sound is more neutral in words like foot, book, good.

Do you have trouble with these vowel sounds? Let me know in the comments.

Do you have a good lip pucker?

10/13/2021

/Ch/ & /W/ sounds in English need a strong lip "pucker"

Tongue Twisters are great coordination lip and tongue muscle exercises for English pronunciation.

Watch this Video for the /Ch/ & /W/ sounds of English. You must pucker your lips into a circle to pronounce them correctly. Your muscles must be strong to clearly articulate the words to be easily understood when you speak English.

/Ch/ is voiceless - quick burst of Air only - it can be at the beginning, middle or end of a word
/W/ lips are in a pucker with a little “whuh” sound at the beginning

/W/ & /Ch/: How much wood, would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
/Ch/: I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.

Memorize and REPEAT 3-5 times each day. See if your brain and lips cooperate together. It may take some time. Have FUN!

Many of my pronunciation students from India and China have trouble with the /W/ sound. What about you? Leave me a comment.

Did you think after living in America your accent would disappear? Or you could change it yourself? If you still need help, my hybrid course, the ABC's of an American Accent, combines live coaching calls and self-study video lessons to neutralize your foreign accent.
Take action today. Schedule a Call

http://www.ClearEnglishCoach.com

September 21st, 2021

9/21/2021

P_F_B_V Tongue Twisters are great coordination exercises to improve your English pronunciation to speak clearly.

/B/ and /V/ are tricky sounds for Spanish speakers because their language doesn't use a different sound for /V/. English words with /V/ need a different lip position to correctly pronounce the word.

Make sure to put your lips in the correct place for each Tongue Twister. Your muscles must be strong to clearly articulate the words to be easily understood when you speak English.

/P/ and /B/ use both lips to create the sound, the only difference is in the air.
/P/ is voiceless - Air only
/B/ is voiced - vibration
/F/ and /V/ use the same lip movement, BUT
F/ is voiceless - Air only
/V/ is voiced - vibration

CAPS are for stressed syllables/words

/P/ & /F/: PEter phoned PHIL to find FOUR fine phoTOgraphers.
/B/ & /V/: There's a BAN on VANS at the CURB by the CURVE.
I'm VEry bad at VOLleyball, but VEry FINE at BASketball.

REPEAT these 3-5 times a day. Speak each sound with the correct tongue, lip and mouth placement. Start slowly, then build speed to improve your fluency of movement between alphabet sounds.
Remember to use the STAIR step intonation.
● Stress content words and correct syllables with a higher pitch & hold a fraction of a second longer ● Quick unstressed function words are linked to the next word

Schedule a Call with me: https://bit.ly/3xq0zI6IntroZoomcall to learn about my pronunciation course, the ABC's of an American Accent.
http://www.ClearEnglishCoach.com

Tongue Twister Pronunciation Practice

9/14/2021

Tongue Twisters are a fun way to improve your lip and tongue coordination to pronounce English. REPEAT them 3-5 times a day. Speak each sound with the correct tongue, lip and mouth placement.
Start slowly, then build speed. Can you do them? Leave me a comment.

Practice with this Video for the P & B Sounds of English. Both use sounds use "closed lips" in the same movement, however the difference is in the air.
/P/ is voiceless - only air
/B/ is voiced - engages the vocal chords

CAPS are for intonation/pitch change to create the rhythm of stressed syllables/words.

/P/ & /B/ -
PApa BAba buys PINEapple bubble GUM-balls.
PEter PIper picked a PECK of PICKled PEPpers.
BARney BABbitt bagged a BUSHel of big BLUE berries.
A big black BUG, bit a big black DOG, on his big black NOSE.

5 Day Accent Reduction Challenge

I know how important it is to be understood when you speak English. This mini-course, 5 Day Accent Reduction Challenge, delivers new accent reduction lessons to your inbox for 5 days to remind you to build your pronunciation skills. Use these techniques each day and listen to the improvement. Cheers, Donna

1st Monday Coaching Call

8/4/2021

I offer a free pronunciation coaching call on the 1st Monday of each month on Zoom at 7:00 p.m. I'm always delighted to meet new people from around the world. Our group on Monday was so enthusiastic. Thanks to everyone who attended. Here's a link to join 1st Monday Coaching Call.

We practiced the correct tongue and lip position for the English alphabet. Correct placement for articulation is one of the most important changes a non-native speaker must learn to improve their pronunciation.

The common mistake is using your language's alphabet for the English alphabet. Not all the sounds are said the same way. For example, Spanish speakers have trouble with B/V because, Spanish doesn't have a different sound for /V/. In English, we do. Chinese speakers don't pronounce the /N/ on the end of a word, because in Chinese, no words end in /N/.

In fact, in English saying the last sound of each word is required to be understood. You can learn to do this. To improve your speaking, you want the fastest, most effective way to make the biggest change in your accent, so everyone understands you. That's my goal, for my clients.

Tell me what alphabet sounds you have trouble with? Do you know how to change them?
Please add your comments below.

Vote your favorite: PRONUNCIATION MINI-COURSE POLL

I am creating some PRONUNCIATION MINI-COURSES;

Mouth and Tongue Exercises
Tongue Twisters
Past Tense "ed" pronunciation rules

I want to know your favorite.
Please vote on your 1st, 2nd, 3rd Choice in this MINI-COURSE POLL.
I'll release the most popular one first. Thanks for your help.

Will 2021 be your best year?

1/11/2021

Do you set goals for yourself? For the past 25 years, I've been in a Master Mind group with link-minded friends. Which means I write my goals down, create an action plan, check in daily with my progress and weekly share my progress with my group.

In 1995, the first year, I participated in Master Mind, one of my biggest dreams was to go to Indonesia. At that time, I was recently divorced and had never traveled outside of the US, or by myself.

In 1997, reviewing my 1996 accomplished goals, I realized that I had done it. I had gone to Bali, Indonesia for 6 weeks. It was a miracle. That experience changed my life. I took a risk. It took courage, all my money and the desire to step outside of my comfort zone. I learned to speak Bahasa Indonesia, a few words at a time, by speaking everyday to the people. My love for foreign cultures and the people who speak different languages continue to grow.

Happy New Year. What dreams do you have for your life? What baby steps can you take to make them come real? Let me know in the comments below.

Here's a way to start a new habit. Check out the 10 minute YouTube video below.

Boo!! Belated Halloween greeting

11/11/2020

I hope you had a Happy Halloween. Mine was very quiet at home. Here's a belated Halloween lesson on the 2 double "oo" sounds of English. Many of my clients have trouble with the relaxed "oo" for book, would, cook, took. Leave me a comment and let me know if this video helps you with these two different sounds.

About Me:

I coach non-native speakers to speak with clarity and confidence. My speciality is accent reduction and American Pronunciation.

As a world traveler, l enjoy people from other cultures and want them to succeed in life.
The purpose of this blog is to provide tips to sound more "American," be understood, effectively communicate and build your self confidence.

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