Elocution From Midwinter Tuition

Today we examine the semi-vowel / consonant sound 'W'. We look at words then sentences that use the sound. Listen and repeat to practise the sound.

Today I talk through some examples of how to say 'Well done' or 'really?' type phrases. Listen through then listen with lots of pausing and repeating! Practice copying the intonation until your vocal pattern matches mine.

A simultaneous podcast / vodcast this week! I recorded the audio of my youtube channel video this week, where I examine the CH / DZ sound.

Together we can practice list making using intonation. I give some guidance regarding how to make a list then we examine how to show the items are equally important or related to each other.

A contentious sound - some people pronounce this in slightly different ways so be prepared to practice it and pronounce it differently to your peers!

A simple concept - the Greeting. Get the intonation right and make the best first impression possible. Listen and repeat.

Pauline uses four different resources to explain how to pronounce the two consonants so that they sound different.

In this episode Pauline gives some examples of commonly-used reassuring sentences, taken from Thompson's 'Intonation in Practice'. We look at where the rise and fall occur. Listen to Pauline and repeat slowly. Secondly Pauline gives some examples of how we contradict people, either by disagreeing or correcting them. The intonation pattern is different so listen carefully and repeat. Email for copies of PDFs, for more info or to book an Elocution lesson - info@midwintertuition.co.uk

A brief look at whether a plural should be an s or a z sound...

Using both Thompson's 'Intonation in Practice' and www.home-speech-home.com for a list of wh questions - we look at how the intonation of wh questions really, really, really does have a rule! That rare gem in the English language! For more information on intonation, for copies of the PDF I used or to book a lesson please email me info@midwintertuition.co.uk

To avoid saying 'nothink' instead of 'nothing' listen to this podcast! We talk through actual production of both sounds then try some words and a rhyme or two. Then it is up to you to practice! This week I use the ACE Spelling Dictionary - which I bought second hand.

Using two different sources, we examine the fall in intonation when we give information in a sentence. Several examples are cited and repeated. Try repeating them after me and see how you get on. If you need the texts used, email me info@midwintertuition.co.uk or visit www.midwintertuition.co.uk

This time we use Bell's Standard Elocutionist as our starting point - to examine the neutral sound of 'schwa'. This is most commonly found as the 'e' in 'the'. Then we look at other unstressed sounds using English Pronunciation in Use (Advanced).

We look to internet forums and a fantastic textbook "English Pronunciation in Use: Advanced" for some help with pronunciation of compound nouns - particularly 2 or 3 part nouns.

"Dearest creature in creation, study English pronunciation." For the full text go to www.midwintertuition.co.uk or email info@midwintertuition.co.uk for a copy

Pauline demonstrates how to make and drill the T and the D. She looks at a few examples of past tense regular that use ed and which t/d/id sound it makes. She finished with her favourite rhyme that uses both sounds! Email info@midwintertuition.co.uk for more info or look at www.midwintertuition.co.uk

This episode looks at the minimal difference between the production of certain consonants. If you want the list of consonants email me info@midwintertuition.co.uk

A tricky sound for many of my students - here we create the z sound and use it in some words and a couple of tongue twisters

SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run; To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees, And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, And still more, later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease, For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells. Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind; Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep, Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers: And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep Steady thy laden head across a brook; Or by a cyder-press, with patient look, Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours

So this week I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to speak on radio and television. I was a guest on Monday Matters on a Community radio station in Sittingbourne, SFM, then I was filmed for a slot on an ITN Tonight show which will be aired at the end of this month. For both pieces I was equally nervous. It doesn’t help that I have two more weeks until my periodontal surgery appointment, so I have a lot of pain in my mouth, plus I had the usual cycle of housework, childcare and work issues on my mind. So I thought this week I would talk about taking care of your voice, using your voice and hearing your voice.