Listen to yourself
It"s often difficult to hear pronunciation errors in your own speech because you are concentrating actually communicating rather than the sound you are making. If you can"t hear your pronunciation problems, it"s tough to correct them. Try recording your speech with your smartphone or PC and making a note of specific areas you need to improve on.
Slow down!
Many English learners think that speaking fluently means they need to speak fast. This is wrong. Speaking too fast reinforces bad habits and makes the speaker sound nervous and indecisive. Speaking slowly will give you time to breathe properly and think about what you want to say next. Because it gives you time to think while you are speaking, you"ll feel more relaxed and be able to concentrate on making your English sound fantastic.
Picture it...
Close your eyes and think about how to make a sound before saying it. Visualize the positioning of your mouth and face. If you have studied with the phonemic chart, think about the sound you are making and how it relates to other English phonemes. If you have used diagrams of the mouth and tongue, think about the shape you need to make inside your mouth if you want to make the sound correctly.
Get physical!
Pronunciation is a physical skill. You"re teaching your mouth a new way to move and using different muscles. Focus on difficult sounds each day. Having trouble with ‘th"? Put your tongue between your teeth (don"t bite down) and blow air out of your mouth. Feel the air move over the top of your tongue.
Watch yourself
Stand in front of a mirror to see the placement of your tongue, lips, and shape of your mouth when you make certain sounds. Compare what you see with a video of a native-speaker saying the same thing.
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