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From: eslspells
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  • Thank you so much! I was talking to y friend and I said "I have to cut the grass", he looks at me "Glass", to conclude I had to write it down. And it's so embarrassing it's not even funny...

  • @G0DZ0FC0D

    I understand it feels embarrassing, but everyone's got their "quirks". I, personally, think they can be cool. But, again, it's easy for me to say.

    Glad the video helped. Thanks.

  • muy bien gracias

  • When trying to pronounce r's do the top teeth touch the tongue at all?

  • @soctttt

    Good question. No, they don't.

    Hope that helps. : )

  • Thank you very much you have been very helpful for me.

  • Thank you very much for the lesson.

  • Thank you very much for the lesson.

  • I got a hard time saying Other and three, any tips for those?

  • @Ebrech

    Sorry to take so long to respond. To say "other", after you open your mouth for the "o" sound, as you start to close your mouth, that's when you stick your tongue out and blow to make the "th" sound. "Three" is a little difficult because it has both "th" and "r". Try to say "th" as directed in the video. Then, as you bring your tongue back in behind your teeth, push it back a little and slightly tense your lower lip. Don't let your tongue hit the roof of your mouth.

    Good luck!

  • @eslspells thanks for the reply ^^

  • Hello, I have a hard time with my speech. Everytime i say the r sound my tongue doesn't move at all... Should i go to a doctor?

  • @WhatsASubscriber

    You're probably okay. You don't have to move your tongue much, just try pushing it back a little.

    Hope this helps.

  • i still cant say r sound.

  • i still cant say 'r" still.. im always avoiding saying it .

  • @MEPLAYWITHFIRE

    Keep practicing and check out other teachers' videos here.

    What do you think the problem is?

  • I can see my improvement in pronunciation after practicing with you. Thanks a lot.

  • Great tips! I hope that after I practice a bit I would be able to say the two impossible words: Error and Terror :-)

  • THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SOOOO MUCH. My brother keep being annoying to me because I can't say the 'r' sound. but now I can! thank you so much :)

  • @Julieerenalien How long did it take you?

  • Just what I need, thank you. Isabel

  • @mikuhatsune7848

    Hey Miku,

    Yes, you curl your tongue SLIGHTLY. The goal is to not touch the roof of your mouth.

    Hope that helps.

    Signe

  • Esto es una cosa que me confunde. Yo no puedo a diser el W y lo digo como R!

    I'm kidding! I'm American!

  • I definitely needed help with my "r" and "w" words

  • you are sweet <3

  • This practice is the best I've ever listened to.

    Thank you very much.

    Nagoyan

  • You arebamazing. I can even prononce it rightbnow!! I'm so excited! Thanks fornfixing me a problem I've been carrying around for years

  • I love U!

  • it is very hard, but with teaching me.. I will do it..

  • you so sweet, to tech, thank you...

  • can you please make a video of a "V" sound.

  • @sang203

    Hey Sang,

    I have a new channel, eslclick, where I do cover the 'v' sound. Check it out.

    Thanks!

    Signe

  • i actually had a speech pathologist in school, and she had me keep touching my tongue to the roof of my mouth. but as soon as i saw this video, i can already tell the difference. thank you so much!

  • Hi,

    I have funny story about 'r'/'w'. I met one guy from Japan. At the beginning of our conversation, after every my sentences he said: 'why'. He repeted 'why' after all my sentences, and I gave him another answer and another (which was more and more silly). Finally I got that he wasn't say 'why' but 'right', which only sounded like 'why' question :)

  • So the tongue doesn't actually go to the front? I thought the r sound was because it went there without touching the top of the mouth...

  • @JamesTR4

    Nope. Because then it would sound like a 'd'.....which is perfectly normal in other languages, like Spanish and Japanese, but not English. ; )

  • R is a consonant. W is a vowel or, more correctly, a dipthong. This is my pet theory in English: W is NEVER a consonant.

  • @Blogrich55

    Hey,

    I had meaning to respond to your comment. I can understand your theory, since, in a sense, 'w' is similar to 'y', which many people also debate about. However, with the way 'w' is used....I have to go with it being a consonant.

    But this is coming from someone who is not a specialist when it comes to linguistics.

  • @eslspells I am no specialist either...just a nut with a linguistic hobby horse :) To me the word "where" for instance is prounced oo-air and the oo sound coming together with the air makes the w sound. Just my thoughts on it all. Nice discussion.

  • soo soo soo much thanks xD

    it'll take alot of practise but i think it'll suceed :D:D

    i'll tell u the result ~~

  • @doctorminoo

    Cool! : )

  • she's really the excellent trainer

  • can u please give me online lessons or something i still cant pronounce a dark r people say u curl you tongue and i have a lisp so its confusing and i have some complications with the light r too please help!

  • So helpful!!! Many thanks. Pilar

  • Thank you very much. I got this problem as well.

  • Thank you so much for posting this! I'm a 19 year old that had a terrible speech impediment. My mother and also a speech therapist helped me as a child, but I couldn't stop saying w instead of r, which brought on several years of embarrassment. After this, I have much more confidence speaking to people and less misunderstandings.

  • @EasierSmile

    Wow. Comments like that really bring me up. I'm really happy to hear that you've noticed the improvement. But remember: you're the one doing all the hard work. : )

    Signe

  • u're so beautiful i don't know if dong t exersices or just look at u keep up t good work

  • Very nice presentation. You missed tho, that /r/ is not rounded anywhere but word-initially, and in a phrase, not even always then. I'm not sure whether the difference would make it easier or more difficult for students trying to learn to pronounce /wr/, or to distinguish it from /w/.

  • @TShilo12

    Hey Shilo,

    Sorry to take so long to respond. Could you give me an example?

    Thanks,

    Signe

  • my r sounds sound like w's and im in 8th grade and this kinda helped

  • this help me a lot. thank you

  • thank u very much ,god bless u

  • im 15 and have this problem, and i cant say the L sound. it comes out as the W sound, its so embarressing

  • @kingwolfyx

    Hey King,

    Sorry to take so long to respond. Don't be embarrassed, although I'm sure it's frustrating.

    Make sure you touch the roof of your mouth & don't use your lips (relax them).

    Hope this helps. Good luck!

    Signe

  • you are a very sweet teacher. I was looking for some video to improve the pronounciation for my little Thai-English learners and I found you! Thank you!

  • @kollekind85

    Thanks for the very nice comment. I really appreciate it.

    Good luck!

  • How do you speak when there is a W and R in you mouth?

  • DERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!­!

    

  • I love the way you talk, are you married ?

  • @TurkishGeneral

    Nope, but happily in a long term relationship. : )

  • Hey, i'm British (Welsh) and I have ALWAYS had a lot of trouble pronouncing these two letters. Seeing how i'm 15 now, I find it quite embarassing. Having watched your video, I can make the two sounds sound more distinctive which is good, though I still have trouble. One problem I have is where I mean to say something like "wait" which sounds like "rate", and another word is "rank" (i'm sure you can imagine what it would end up sounding like). But yeah, your tutorials and advice is very good :).

  • I feel like Im in Kindergarden

  • Thank You! But You can responding an question? please.

    I Work

    You Work

    He Works

    She Works

    It Works

    We Work

    You Work

    Thay Work

    Is this the correct conjugation?

  • @maquina823

    Hey Maquina!

    Great question. What I tell my students is that when it comes to simple present, remember: He/She/It = s

    Translation: With all verbs, an 's' is used for third person singular when speaking in simple present tense. Sometimes the spelling might be a little different (i.e., irregular verb), but there's always going to be an 's'. Everything else (I, You, They, etc.) is the same as the base/dictionary verb.

    Hope that helps. : )

  • 5 stars.

  • Gracias!!!!!!!!!! la R es la más dificil de pronunciar para mi, la W no, pero la R sí.

    Muy util tus consejos, gracias preciosa, bye bye.

  • You're a sweetheart for making such a nice comment. I really appreciate it. And I'm thrilled you've noticed an improvement.

    Keep it up! : )

  • @eslspells Hi, your SMART videos helps me a lot. I really have problems in the prononciation of 'r', and it indeed sometimes get me into trouble...I will struggle on this AWESOME r...

  • @eslspells i wanna kiss your puffy lips -_-

  • Hi, Do u teach by your self? Can you give me online lessons?

  • I hope this will help, I'll keep practicing. If i cant pronounce my r's and w's would it sound like a British acent? because people ask me if i have a British acent

  • That's interesting. Actually, I do meet some people who sound British, even though they aren't. But I don't think it's the "r" or "w" that might be confusing people. It could be how you're pronouncing the vowels.

  • I think it's a little easier for us Portuguese native speakers to pronounce the "r" and "w" sound. Well maybe..

    Thank you very much and have a great day!

  • i just wanted to play a 'raid' in a game, but everyone says I'm a pervert! :(

  • Hahahaha!

    That's so wrong!

    But, seriously, if you're having a problem, just remember to keep your tongue down. Don't touch the roof of your mouth! Or these kind of "misunderstandings" can happen. ; )

  • cool tip!  thanks

  • i love the way u teach and pronounce. wish knew u 20 years ago

  • thank you very much

  • Thank you. Very helpfull. I never noticed my tongue acctually touches the roof of the mouth a little bit when i say r

  • Fantastic video and the teacher is superb thanks.

    I think R sound is probably the most difficult sound for Spanish speaker.

    I wonder if you offer tutorial course on line?

  • great vid thanks so much

  • Thank you soooooo much! This helped a lot! :)

  • when i pronounce "R", the tip of my tongue is going downward, pointing toward the flesh behind my teeth. During the R, the tongue does not seem to move back at all but the middle rises, it may remain in the same spot, but feel like perhaps it is curling forward a TEENIE TEENIE bit, almost doesnt count. The sides of the tongue are touching the middle two molars on the insides on both sides. The middle of the ridge which is almost touching the roof is NOT touching the roof. hope this helps lol

  • Distinguishing R and WR

    If there was a difference in the sounds in "rite" and "write",

    wouldn't it show up in the dictionary?

    Both are pronounced /'rít/ or /raIt/'.

    depending on the pronunciation guide notation.

    --sbett@lycos.com

    There of course is a difference in English between late and rate,

  • Hi Major,

    "Write" and "right" have the same pronunciation.

    Thanks for the question.

    Signe

  • i love they u speak clear and very imphasize.

  • Best video I have found so far. I'm 17 and my speech impediment is a huge promblem. I either sound like a three year old or someone who has been deaf and is learning to speak.

  • Howdy!

    Thanks for the nice comment. And don't worry about having a so-called impediment. Think of it as adding to your character.

    Okay, yeah, easy for me to say.  But I was born with extra fingers and toes, yet I look at it now as a fun thing to talk about. Forget the haters.

    BTW, excellent taste in music. You totally turned me onto The Films.

  • Hey Chilly!

    Sorry to take so long to respond.

    I'm glad the videos are helping, but I would look at your "impediment" as something that makes you unique (this coming from someone who was born with slightly disfigured hands and feet).

    If anyone treats you negatively because of it, they're just avoiding their own so-called imperfections.

    Good luck! : )

    P.S. - My new channel, eslclick, has more videos you may be interested in. JSYK

  • huacala es basico no itermedio!!1

  • I'm not in an ESL class, infact i'm really good at english. Although, i can't pronounce my "are"s It turns into an "L" sound instead so i go "Aul". Also, when i pronounce my R's when i say "Reed" or "Rake" I say "Weed" and "Wake".

    IMPORTANT: To me, when i hear my own voice, it sounds just fine. To other people, it sounds like i have a lisp on my "R"s. Also when i record my voice.

    I am 12, EVERYONE can pronounce thier words perfectly except me. It would be nice if you replied back. Thanks!

  • Hey Josh.

    Sorry to take so long to get back to you. I have a new account (eslclick), so I don't check here a lot.

    First of all, I don't always pronounce English words correctly, and I'm an English teacher! So don't worry about making mistakes. Everyone does it.

    As for saying the "r" sound, pretend that you're an angry dog and try growling. Try doing that and purse your lips (kind of like for the "w" sound) when you say something with "r".

    Let me know if that helps.

    See ya!

  • realy good i like but how to all alphabet speak perfectly??????

  • Oh my gosh! That would take me a couple of years! : P

    But thanks for the comment.

    Signe

  • you took too long to explain and i got bored :(

  • Sorry, Jokar.

    I'm just trying to make it clear since it's so confusing for some people.

    But I appreciate the comment & will try to make some shorter videos.

    Thanks!

  • I'm relieved to see that enough people must be having trouble with the pronounciation of English r's to put these tutorials on youtube because with ½ my family being American, I'm fed up with being teased for my r's, w's, and th mispronounciation. This makes me speak too fast to try to cover it up.

  • THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO !!!!I

  • Thank you so much! I actually think im able to pronounce it now, I have never been before, english is my second langauge. I can't thank you enough, it was really helpful. Thank you again!

  • Thank you so much! I actually think im able to pronounce it now, I have never been before, english is my second langauge. I can't thank you enough, it was really helpful. Thank you again!

  • This was in my reccomended videos section, I watched the whole thing and I don't know why, since English is my native language, but it's interesting to see how hard it is for people with a different native language. I never would have ever thought there was so much difficulty between these two letters... Then again, I HAVE heard English is the hardest language to learn, what with our silent letters and weird grammar rules X3

  • Yeah, it can be TOTALLY weird and confusing. Even I sometimes wonder if I said something correctly......And I'm an English teacher! :P

  • Thank you so much!

  • thx you...more please...i have trouble pronounce between War-Word and World....

  • Englsh is such an irritating language. When I learn to pronounce, I dun really give a damn about all these keeping your tongue down. right is the same as write and same as ride.

  • Thanks a lot. but i still have a hard time with r sound like READY or TURTLE. can you teach me how pronouce these word clearly?

  • Hi!

    Sorry to take so long to write back. My new account is eslclick, so I don't check here a lot.

    If you can say the color, "red", you should be able to say, "ready". You just need to add the "ee" sound at the end.

    As for "turtle", it sounds like, "ter-dle". So start to make your "r" sound right after you say "t".

    I hope this helps.

    Signe

  • I deff. found the thing I was doing wrong. When I speck reg. I hit the roof of my mouth on the R sounds. I'm 13, and for a long time people will make fun of me cause I can't speak right. So I'm going to keep practicing this untill I get it right without trying. I'm using a toothpick to hold down my tounge. That's REALLY helping. I'm trying to teach myself to keep my thouge down on it's own. Thanks :)

  • i still thinking that everyone has theiir pronuciation itsn't means that nobody can undertand u

  • You're right, Andre. Most Americans are used to people with different accents, especially since we use different dialects, depending on what part of the United States we live in.

    But it's nice to avoid miscommunication by knowing the basics of American English pronunciation.

  • i cant say "error" and "rural"

  • Those are hard to say!

    "Error" kind of sounds like, "air-er". And "rural" sounds like "rrr-ral". Even Americans have difficulty with that word!

    Good luck!

  • You are a very good teacher. Very good!

  • You are a very good teacher. Very good!

  • nice video....l0l

  • Thx alot. But how can i pronoun "written" , "alright" , "hard" and "heart" well. If the "r" is in the middle of the word, I got confuse.

  • Sorry, Questions, to take so long to respond. I have a new account (eslclick) & rarely check here.

    Most of the examples you used can be pronounced using the techniques in my video.  But with words like "hard", you're going to rely more on the sound coming from the back of your throat and not your lips. This is because your mouth is wide open from the vowel sound.

    I hope this helps.

    Good luck!

  • I am native English speaker and I talk to people with accents all the time and I kinda hav a habit of speaking super fast like I'm from Chicago and for some reason it's easy for me to understand accents but people with accents can't understand me. lol

    Well, I'm also Mexican descent and I speak fluent English b'cuz I waz raised in the states. But yea, I never hav a problem with 'R' and 'W' and I can hear the difference between the two. I hav more difficulties speaking Spanish than English. lol

  • cool, it would be nice though if you can post something on how to pronounce the american t like in water, little... etc

  • Gee, THIS is HARD!!!!!! I'm 19 and I still cannot pronounce these two letters, people sometimes tease me cause they say I talk like a baby =(..... BASTARDS!!!!!!

  • Chikero!!

    I'm so sorry to take so long to respond. My new account is eslclick, so I don't check here very often.

    Yeah, these sounds are not easy, but don't let those...ummmm....you-know-what get you down.

    You can do it!

    Signe : )

  • English is my first language, but I grew up hearing multiple languages. For some odd reason, I can't correctly pronounce words that start with R. Such as rabbit, rural, rich,etc. People tell me it comes out as a V sound. So it sounds like vabbit, vural, vich, etc...How do I fix this?

  • Hey Axis!

    I have a new account, so I hardly check here. Sorry!

    It sounds like you might be touching your bottom lip with your upper teeth. Try pursing your lips a little, like when you make the "w" sound. Even is you tense your lower lip for the "r" sound, your lip should be sticking out enough to avoid your teeth.

    Hope that helps.

    Thanks,

    Signe

  • Hi eslspells,

    I´m a non-native speaker

    My quetion is: What is the diference beteween IN and AT? and when should I use ING after infinitive? E.g: I started TO writing.

    Thank you very much!

  • Hi Nigel!

    I have a new account (ESLClick), so I only just saw your message. Sorry!

    In is often used instead of "inside". But you can also use it for cities, countries, etc. At is also for locations, but not necessarily inside a building. Ex. "I'm at school". means one is there, but he/she could be outside of the building.

    Some verbs can use a gerund (-ing) or an infinitive (to + dictionary verb). You can say, "I started to write". OR "I started writing". Both have the same meaning.

  • Greetings from an Eikaiwa teacher in Japan. I'm glad I found your videos just now. I very much hope to be able to help my students with their pronunciation with what I have learnt from your videos.

    Kindest regards: Matthew

  • thanks so much!

    i have a hard time pronouncing my Rs and it might be becuase i was learning 2 languages, english and my native language, while i was growing up. i've had someone who tried to teach me to pronounce my Rs back in elementary, and i recall her telling me to "smile and roll the tip of my tounge and touch the roof of my mouth"... yup, really helped there -.-

    i hope i'll be able to pronounce my Rs without thinking of it soon c: thanks again!

  • Thanks for the comment.

    It's interesting how you were taught. But everyone has their own method. And for the "r" sound, you do sort of touch the roof of your mouth, but in the back, and not with the tip.

  • I find pronouncing "railroad" and "rural" a pain in the-

  • Yeah, I can understand that, especially rural. Try saying "ooral". When you're comfortable saying that, push your tongue back and see if that helps. Don't forget to keep your lips pursed! : )

  • ive spoke english all my life and i can still hardly say rural. makes me feel like beating my head against a wall

  • Hey Jay,

    I just found your post - have a new account, but I have to agree with your comment.

    I'm surprised I can say it....at least I think I can say it......

  • i kind of mess up "l" "n" "r" sound

  • can u teach me how to pronounce walk and work? i cannot pronounce l and r sound clearly

  • Hi Fish,

    Sorry to take so long to respond, but my new channel is ESLClick.

    As for your question, the l in walk is not pronounced. Walk actually sounds like "wok", with your jaw dropping down to say the vowel.  For work, say "er", only opening your mouth a little, then finish with the "k" sound.

    Hope that helps!

  • i speak fluent English and i don't understand how you can over analyze it

  • @stargazer209

    Usually people who speak a certain language all (or even most) of their lives don't understand how difficult it is to learn it. Since I've been teaching pronunciation for several years, I have more of an understanding of the obstacles non-native English learners face.

    As you can see by the comments, the response to my detail has been pretty positive.

    But thanks for the comment.

  • Abosolutely right... Native speakers of English may not be able to understand the difficulty in learning the correct pronunciation. Its my personal experience.. I am here for over an year. However, I find it very difficult to pronounce the words correctly and I found her videos very helpful... She is doing a great job... Thanks again and continue to do the good work..!!

  • @Sanycha I just ask them to say: "Rød grød med fløde". Once they've tried to pronounce Danish r's they don't think it's so strange that I struggle with the English r's.

  • I'm half Danish, & I know what you mean about those Danish "r"s!

    Arrrrrrrgh! :P

  • Thank you soo much Nice video It helped alot 2 understand the difference.. but I 'm having a hard time prctising it.. My tounge still touches at times wen pronouncing r... but the video is very gooood. thanx again..

  • @Sanycha

    Hi,

    I know the tongue-touching part can be really difficult. One suggestion is to tuck your tongue under. It's still not going to sound quite right, but it could get you used to keeping your tongue down.

    Good luck!

  • Thank you so much this video really helps

    thanks again=)

  • Thank you so much this video really helps thanks again=)

  • I'm 20 years old and all there years I was pronouncing "R" wrong! It's only recently that I have discovered this problem!

    While searching for the solution, I landed up in this video! And ,by god, withing 7 minutes you have changed my life!!

    After practicing for an hours I was almost cured!!

    All these years I used to touch my tongue with the roof!!

    Thanks you !!Thanks a million :)

    Really appreciate your video!

  • huh, when i watched this video at first , it didnt make sense to me, but then when it was time to practice AHA, NO WONDER, my accent is strong , now I know the difference thanks alot, I didnt even thought about the difference about this specially the R ..

  • i dont know english :(

  • I wish it work!!!! i really want to pronounce letter R! my all friends laughing of me cuz` when i say Aurora!!! i say Aulola!!!

  • I'm sorry about that.

    It does take practice.

    I'm actually doing a video to show that it's hard for me to do certain sounds, too. It'll be at my new channel: eslclick. Watch for it.

    Good luck! : )

  • Very helpful. Thank you

  • hi miss ..you are VERY beautiful

  • I think American should study good English/accent.

    where would we use "though", can you give an example.

    Mohamed Sonnet Khan/Bahrain

  • Thank you so much for teaching how to pronounce R. i am downloading your videos to try how to pronounce R

  • I need some help, the top of my mouth is higher then most other people.

    I can't seem to get the 'r' sound, not even the french one.

  • Sorry to take so long to respond. I'm at ESLClick now (still on Youtube).

    Is it that you can't touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth?

  • I can touch the roof of my mouth, but not completly. When I was a kid... well, I sucked my thumb. A lot.

    It's a bit, not much, deformed.

  • @RaeleeHill

    Ohhh, I understand. I guess you may need to stretch your tongue a bit for the "d" or "l" sound.

    The good news is that you don't have to worry much about touching the roof of your mouth for the "r" since you want to avoid that anyway.

    Good luck with everything. : )

  • Keep up your good work EslSpells you can teach thousands or maybe millions of people in this world who does not have a speech teacher

    That is very kind of you we all are not perfect but i think personally its nice that you take your

    time to teach these kids who does not have no one there to help them.keep up your work you do a great job :) you are a posotive kind of person and a very great role model you can touch thousands and millions of people.

  • Thanks for the sweet comment. I really do appreciate it.

    If you haven't already noticed, my new Youtube channel is at ESLClick.

    Hope to see you there.

    Signe

  • thank you so much

  • Hi, Could you do the Pronunciation of P sound, I am Askew Lani by the way. I am from Marshall Islands located near the North of the Equator.. I hope you will help me improve my pronounciation better for my future.

  • this was very helpful, but what about words that contain both R and W's such as "world", i cannot pronouce it at all...

  • Good question. The good news is you can keep your lips the same shape as you transition from "w" to "r". Just tense your lower lip a bit more when you get to "r" and then stick your tongue up to say the "l".

    Easier said than done, I know. :P

  • i am hong kong person.

    i think that is very difficult to difference

    if i say "r",i need to use my bottom of lips ?and muscle?

  • You're right, it's not easy.

    With the "r" sound, there's more tension in the tongue, and, yes, you do tense your lower lip more.

    Hope that helps.

    And please look at my new Youtube channel, eslclick, for more videos.

    Thanks!

  • I like your teaching method

    I watched it to the end although I dont have any problems wih sounds.. Thank you

  • Thanks, Fahood.

    You can find more videos at my new channel, eslclick.

    Hope to see you there!

  • are you really a teacher in real life!?

    haha you are good! i like you! :)

    can you teach me english thru the internet :P 

    im chinese , so i have a accent but its not really bad , but i still have to practice more! :(

    thanks for teaching :)

  • your explanation is quite unique!! great!!

  • your explanation about a lower lip is great.

    it solved my question because almost all of teachers usually compare just R and L. thanks a lot.

  • Awesome!  I'm happy to hear that.