Objective: Setting a goal for yourself and making a plan to achieve this goal.
First of all, whether you want to improve your pronunciation, reduce your accent, or just want to learn English, you will need to set a goal and plans to achive the goal. For example, you want to set a goal that you want to have a perfect pronunciation within 1 year. To achieve this goal, you will need to a specific plan for you to accomplish this goal. Our daily lessons is the plan to help you achieve this particular goal.

Before you start doing anything, you need to ask yourself some questions to learn why speaking English is hard for you. By doing so, you will be able to focus on your weakness and to improve your speaking skills in a short time.

1. Are you afraid of speaking English because of your poor pronunciation?
Solution: You will need to develop a thick skin by talking to your native English speaking friends. At the same time, you will need to practice your pronunciation with Pronunciation Patterns to help you build up your confidence.

2. Do you have trouble remembering the sounds or phonetic spellings of the words?
Solution: Learn the rules and patterns in Pronunciation Patterns to help you remember the phonetic spellings of the words. The pronunciation of eighty percent of English words follows the rules and patterns in the program. Unfortunately, you will have to memorize the rest twenty percent by rote.

3. Do you have trouble remembering the phonetic symbols (IPA or APA)?
Solution: Phonetic symbols are designed to represent the sounds in writing. Almost all of English learners rely them to remember the pronunciation of English words but native speakers don't. The main reason is that Americans use phonics, the patterns and rules in the program, to help them sound our words in most time. Nevertheless, they use APA (American Phonetic Alphabet) instead of IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) to help them spell out the pronunciation of words. You will learn what the APA looks like in the future lessons.

4. Do you have trouble pronouncing some sounds?
Solution: It is important to know the correct way to pronounce the sounds. For example, you will have to put your tongue between your teeth to pronounce the TH sound and the DH sound. Otherwise, native speakers won't be able to know whether you want to thank them or sank them. Pronunciation Patterns has video clips to show you how to say each sound correctly.

5. Do you just have a strong accent that people can't understand you?
Solution: Slow your speaking down when you speak and check out our accent tips to help you speak like Americans.

6. Do you find yourself speaking too fast that people can't follow you?
Solution: Pronunciation Patterns Network Edition can play mp3 files in slow speeds. With this feature, you can follow the program to help you slow down your speaking.

7. Do you have trouble understanding people?
Solution: Being able to distinguish the subtle differences in pronunciation and learning how Americans actually speak can help you understand people. Pronunciation Patterns lists all the similar words such as bake, back, book, and buck, to help you improve your listening. Our online accent tips give you the insights why Americans actually speak differently from you do.

8. Do you stress some words on wrong syllables?
Solution: Learning and understanding the importance of the schwa sound will help you stress the correct syllables. Pronunciation Patterns colors the schwa letter in blue to help you see which vowels need to be stressed.

9. Do you speak without pausing?
Solution: It is very important to pause correctly when you speak. See our accent tips on pausing.

10. Do you find your speaking too choppy? (Stop saying the words suddenly)
Solution: It is very important to link words together when you speak to help you improve your fluency. See our accent tips on linking and use online sample sentences to help you improve your fluency.

 Now, let us start the program by going to Start/Programs/Pronunciation Patterns.

Take 15 to 30 minutes a day to learn one lesson only!