Ultimate Guide To English Fluency - Link

www.englishcoachloretta.
com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 You've Made a Wise Descision
4 How to get the most out of this guide
5 About me
6 What does it mean to sound natural?
7 The importance of clear pronunciation
8 The challenge of clear pronunciation
11 5 key elements to sounding natural
12 Key 1: Vowel sounds
15 Key 2: Stress patterns and guidelines
23 Key 3: Rhythm: Get in the groove
26 Key 4: Intonation: Express your emotions
30 Key 5: Pacing: Capture your audience
33 Congratulations! What Next?
HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH

YOU’VE MADE A WISE DECISION
Why?
Imagine you could...
Open doors to more career opportunities
You will have more opportunities to advance in your

career if you can express yourself clearly without
embarrassing misunderstandings.
Build better relationships
Good pronunciation will improve your social skills and

break down barriers. People will enjoy talking to you
because you can speak confidently and with joy!
Make a good impression
You will be amazing to your audience because you

can express yourself clearly, easily, and dynamically.
Feel more confident
You will feel more confident because your speech is

more natural and clear and people can understand
you easier. No more feeling insecure and worried what
others will think of you. : )
HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 03

HOW TO GET THE MOST
Out of this Guide
I've included audio files and worksheets that go along with this guide
so that you can practice anytime on your own.
Download the audio files and print out the worksheets so that you can
listen and read at the same time. It's most helpful for you to record
yourself and compare your voice to the recordings. Practice 20
minutes per day and you will get amazing results!
ENJOY!!

ABOUT ME
HEY THERE!
Before we dive into this guide, I'd like to introduce myself. : )
My name's Loretta. I'm originally from California and have been helping
people speak better English and gain confidence for over 20 years. My
specialty is the American accent. I’ve worked with countless non-native
English-speaking professionals who have a good command of grammar,
vocabulary, reading, and writing skills but still struggle with speaking
confidently. It's my passion to show them techniques in a fun way that help
them to speak more dynamically and to sound more natural. It's a joy to see
how their eyes light up when they understand and can use the rhythm and
music of English and feel good about their "English voice".
Join my FREE Facebook community:
English Speaking Fluency

for female professionals
info@lorettahuether.com
www.englishcoachloretta.com

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO
Sound Natural?
First, let me say that sounding natural does not mean being free of your accent.
Accents are a part of your identity and culture and show that you know more
than one language!
Even though the correct pronunciation of individual sounds is crucial for good
communication, there are other aspects of English speech that you should be
aware of, learn, and practice if you want to sound natural and be understood
easily by your listener. The goal is not to sound like a native speaker but rather
to train your ears and your voice to speak with the flow of the melody and
rhythm of English.
In this guide, I will show you 5 key elements of spoken English that, if you
practice, will make you sound much more natural, dynamic, and confident!
Let's dig in!

THE IMPORTANCE OF
Clear Pronunciation
As long as your accent does not get in the way of communication and people
understand you easily, it isn't a problem. However, if you need to constantly
repeat yourself, you may be losing out on opportunities to succeed in your
career and life. The goal should be to improve your natural speaking ability so
that communication isn’t a barrier.
I've worked with hundreds of talented non-native English-speaking

professionals who have spent years in school learning English but still feel
insecure and frustrated when speaking. Why is it that even though they have a
rich vocabulary, a good command of English grammar, and can read and write
easily, their speech is hard to understand?

Unfortunately, most traditional teaching systems focus too much on grammar,

listening, and writing and neglect pronunciation and good speaking.

THE CHALLENGE OF
Clear Pronunciation
ENGLISH IS A CRAZY LANGUAGE!
Why do so many non-native English speakers struggle with English

pronunciation even though their English is good? Well, let me tell you, it's not
your fault! English is pretty much a crazy language.
For one thing, it's a mix of many different languages such as Spanish, French,
German, Dutch, Latin, and Greek.
The English language has also gone through many changes in history; Old
English, Middle English, and Modern English. And then there was the "Great
Vowel Shift" that happened between 1400-1700. The vowel sounds changed.
English now has 26 letters but 44 different sounds.
Because of these changes and the influences of other languages, many

words are pronounced very differently than how they're spelled.
For example, a lot of English words are spelled the same, but they are
pronounced differently or spelled differently but sound the same. And, to
make it even crazier, some letters are not pronounced at all!
Let's have a look at some examples.

THE CHALLENGE OF
Clear Pronunciation
EXAMPLES:
Let's start with "Homophones". These are words that are spelled
differently and have different meanings but are pronounced the
same. Here are some examples:
Homophones
beet beat
flour flower
Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings
and pronunciation are called "Heteronymes". Here are some
examples:
Heteronyms
bass bass
(as in "fast") (as in "face")
wind wind
(as in "win") (as in "wine")

THE CHALLENGE OF
Clear Pronunciation
EXAMPLES:
Some words are spelled the same but depending on which part
of the word is stressed, it is either a noun or a verb. These are
called "Homographs". Here are some examples:
Homographs
OBject obJECT
PREsent preSENT
Many words have letters that are not pronounced at all. These are
what we call, "Silent letters". Here are some examples
Silent Letters
climb
Silent "B" comb
Silent "W" wrist wrinkle

1 - VOWEL SOUNDS
5 KEY ELEMENTS TO In English, there are 5 vowel letters, but
44 sounds. Training your tongue, lips,
mouth, and jaw muscles is the key to
mastering these sounds.
Sound 2 -STRESS PATTERNS

The magic key to clear communication
and avoiding misunderstandings is
more natural knowing where to put the stress in words

and sentences.
3 -RHYTHM
speaking Learning the unique rhythm of English

will help you express yourself more
smoothly and naturally. It will also be
English easier for you to understand native

speakers.
4 - INTONATION
It's not just what you say, it's how you say
it!
When you speak English, your voice has
to go up and down in the right places or
else you will sound unfriendly or boring!
5 - PACING
Pausing at the right points when you're
speaking and changing the tempo will
keep your listeners engaged.

1
VOWEL SOUNDS
A-E-I-O-U

VOWEL SOUNDS
Train your vowel muscles
The basic vowels in English are

a-e-i-o-u.
Although there are only 5 vowel letters, they
can be combined to make 44 different sounds.
2 vowels that are combined together and glide

into one sound are called "Diphthongs".
This word comes from Latin and means "two
voices."
The most important thing you need to know

about making vowel and diphthong sounds is
that you have to open your mouth wide and
train your speech muscles!
In some languages, it's possible to make

sounds without opening your mouth wide.
English sounds, however, resonate in the
middle of the mouth so make sure you move
your jaw, mouth, and lips enough to produce
clear and accurate vowel sounds.
You will also automatically speak louder and

clearer when you open your mouth wide!
Let's have a closer look at some examples of

short, long, and diphthong vowels.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ELEVATING YOUR ENGLISH FLUENCY 13

VOWEL SOUNDS
Train your vowel muscles
SHORT / LONG / DIPHTHONGS
Short Long
-A- at / ate
-E- bet / beat
-I- bit / bite
-O- got / goat
-U- tub / tube
Diphthongs
-ou- cloud / count

-ow- down / crowd
-oi- join / soil
-oy- boy/ enjoy
-au- launch / sauce
-aw- draw / crawl

2
STRESS PATTERNS
WORD & SENTENCE

STRESS
15
STRESS PATTERNS
What is stress and why is it important?
Speaking English naturally is more than just pronouncing

sounds correctly. The magic key to sounding more natural is
to pay attention to the stress patterns. If you don't use the
stress patterns that native speakers use, they will have a hard
time understanding you.
So what exactly are stress patterns in English?

To understand stress in English, we first have to look at
syllables. Syllables are units of sound and are the building
blocks of words.
Important to know is that there are two types of stress:

primary and secondary. Primary stress is stronger and
louder. Secondary stress is weaker and quieter. Sometimes
so weak that a non-native speaker doesn't even hear it!
Let's have a look at an example... ba-NA-na
The word "banana" has three syllables. Only one syllable in

any word is stressed. In this case, only the second syllable is
stressed. The other two are weak.
The stress pattern is weak-STRONG-weak.
If you use a different stress pattern, for example, STRONG-

weak-weak, a native speaker will not understand the word
that you mean!
BA-na-na
On the next page is a summary of some word stress patterns.

STRESS PATTERNS
Syllable stress patterns
Only one part of a word has the primary stress
PRIMARY secondary
STRONGER weaker
1 Syllable 2 Syllables 3 Syllables

SIT CON-tract ba-NA-na
4 Syllables 5 Syllables 6 Syllables

cer-TI-fi-cate re-li-a-bil-i-ty in-con-SI-de-rate
X Wrong! ✔️Right!
BA-na-na
ba-NA-na
ba-na-NA

STRESS PATTERNS
Syllable stress patterns
You must be very careful to use the correct syllable stress patterns. Using a
different stress pattern could change the meaning of some words!
Let's have a look at a good example of this change in meaning.

Here we have three words that are all spelled the same (except for another
"s" in "dessert) but with three different meanings:
DEsert deSERT desSERT
As you can see, changing the stress placement can change the meaning of
a word! So how do you know which part of a word (syllable) you should
stress? The bad news is that there are no set rules that tell you which
syllable to stress. There are some rules that you can learn, but there are also
a lot of exceptions to these rules. That's why it can be difficult to know
where exactly to put the stress in a word. Especially for long words that
have multi-syllables. For example, the word:
Incomprehensible
Stress pattern
The good news is, that there are some basic guidelines that will help you to
remember which syllable to stress.
Let's have a look at some of these guidelines for syllable stress patterns.

STRESS PATTERNS
Syllable stress Guidelines
2-SYLLABLE NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES

Most 2 syllable nouns and adjectives are stressed on the first syllable.
Examples:
(nouns) TA-ble BIRTH-day LAP-top
(adjectives) HAP-py HUNG-ry PER-fect
2-SYLLABLE VERBS
Most 2 syllable verbs (action words) are stressed on the second syllable.
Examples:
for-GET de-CIDE re-LAX
WORDS THAT ARE BOTH A NOUN AND A VERB

Examples:
Noun-stressed on the first syllable PRO-test PER-mit
Verb-stressed on the second syllable pro-TEST per-MIT
COMPOUND NOUNS
In compound nouns (two words combined), the stress is usually on

the first word.
Examples:
KEYboard ICE cream CHECK-in
*Note: Some compound words are written as one word, some as two words, and
others with a hyphen.

STRESS PATTERNS
Syllable stress Guidelines
LONGER WORDS
-er -ly
Words with these endings are generally stressed on the first syllable.
Examples:
AN-gri-ly PER-fect-ly SUd-den-ly HAp-pi-ly MAN-a-ger
LONGER WORDS
-cy -ty -phy -gy
Words with these endings are stressed on the third-from-last syllable.

Examples:
de-MOC-ra-cy un-CER-tain-ty ge-OG-ra-phy ra-di-OL-o-gy
LONGER WORDS
-ic -sion -tion
Words with these endings are stressed on the second-from-last syllable.
Examples:
dip-lo-MAT-ic com-pre-HEN-sion ded-i-CA-tion
LONGER WORDS
-ate -ize
Words with these endings are stressed on the third-from-last syllable.
Examples:
CON-cen-trate STIM-u-late REC-og-nize pri-OR-i-tize

WORD STRESS
Word stress in sentences
Now that we know all about syllable stress in individual words, we're going
to have a look at how words are stressed in sentences.
Mastering sentence stress is the Secret Sauce to sounding clearer, more
fluent and natural. If you use it correctly, your speech will improve
drastically.
What is sentence stress? In English, we don't speak each word in a sentence

equally. For example, we wouldn't say each word in this sentence the same.
If you did, you would sound like a robot!
"Would-you-like-a-cup-of-coffee?"
We don't need to stress all the words to understand the question.We can
leave out some words and still get the meaning.
"like cup coffee?"
Of course, you don't want to sound like Tarzan either. We need all the
words to give the sentence both meaning and structure without sounding
like Tarzan or a robot.
The words that are not important for understanding the meaning we say
weaker and faster so that the important words stand out. This combination
of stressed and unstressed words makes up the flow of the sentence.
"Would you like a cup of coffee?"

WORD STRESS
Word stress in sentences
So, which words in a sentence are stressed, and which ones are unstressed?
There are two types of words:
Content words, which convey the meaning of the sentence, and structure
words that give structure to the sentence. You can just think of structure
words as small, grammar words.
Here's a breakdown of some of these word types.
Content words Structure words
Nouns - house, car, job Pronouns - I, you, she

Verbs - clean, drive, work Articles - the, a/an
Adjectives - very-red-tired Prepositions - of, on ,to
"WH" words - what, who, when
Adverbs - quickly, carefully-busily
So the next time you're listening to native speakers, don't worry about
trying to understand every single word. It's enough to concentrate on the
words that are stressed to understand the context.

3
RHYTHM
GET IN THE
GROOVE

RHYTHM
The Rhythm of Spoken English
Connecting Words
Now that you know about how we combine stressed and unstressed words
in a sentence, we are going to learn how words are connected together in
spoken English to flow smoothly from one word to the next. You may think
that native speakers mumble and speak too fast and that's why you have so
much trouble understanding them. Of course, some people speak fast and
mumble, but that's not really the reason you don't always understand
everything they are saying. It's the way we put words together to keep the
flow.
To keep this rhythm in the flow, words in English are squished together,
shortened, and even dropped out. Because the ears of native speakers are
tuned to this rhythm, it's crucial that you are aware of this and practice
connecting your words in spoken English.

Yunowadaimean?
( Do you know what I mean?)
As you can see, spoken English is totally

different from written English!
We're going to look at ways that words in sentences are connected to keep
in the flow of spoken English.
Let's go with the flow!

RHYTHM
The Rhythm of Spoken English
Connecting Words
Reducing
want to wanna
got to gotta
have to hafta
going to gonna
should have shoulda
could have coulda
Linking
I need it. Ineedit
What are you doing? Whadaryadoin?
Where do you live? Wherdayaliv?
What have you done? Whadavyadone?
What is her name? Whatsername?
Contracting
I am I'm I have I've

you are you're you have you've
she is she's she has she's
it is it's it has it's
they are they're they have they've
is not isn't I will I'll
does not doesn't you will you'll
has not hasn't it will it'll

4
INTONATION
EXPRESS EMOTION

INTONATION
What is intonation and why is it important?
It's not just what you say, it's how you say it!
Like stress patterns of words, native speakers listen to the fall and rise of your
voice to understand your message. The pitch of your voice lets your listeners
know when you've finished talking, if you're asking a question, or if you're
excited, angry, surprised, confused, etc.
English speakers who are not native speakers often end their sentences with
rising intonation rather than falling. In doing so, you will appear unsure or
sound as if you are asking a question.
In other words, if your voice doesn't rise and fall in the way native speakers
do, they will be confused and may not understand what you say. Also, your
voice may sound unfriendly, boring, or robotic.
So, you have to "sing" if you want to sound natural when speaking English
even when it seems strange to you. Using the correct rise and fall of your
voice is the secret sauce to making you a more dynamic and interesting
English speaker.
We're going to have a look at three types of intonation that you should be
aware of that will help your speech to be clearer and more dynamic.

INTONATION
3 Common Intonation Patterns
Rising ( )
Rising intonation is when the pitch of your voice goes up at the end of a
sentence. Used when asking yes/no questions, expressing uncertainty, or
surprise.
"Have you signed up for the webinar yet?" (yes/no)
"You're not going to the webinar?" (not sure)
Falling ( )
The pitch of your voice goes down at the end of a sentence, for a
statement or with a question that uses who, what, when, where, why,
or how. ("WH" questions)
"The webinar is tomorrow." (statement)
"What's the topic?" (WH question)
Rising / Falling ( )
The pitch of your voice goes up and then down in the same sentence.
Used for pauses, introductory words, lists, and choices.
"If I have time, I will go to the webinar." (pause)
"Actually, I'm not really interested in the topic." (introductory word)
"You can choose Monday, Friday, or Saturday." (list)
"Would you like coffee or tea?" (choice)

INTONATION
Expressing Emotion
"What exactly do you mean?"

Another way we use express emotion and meaning in spoken English, is to
change the pitch on certain words within a sentence..
Depending on which word you emphasize can totally change the meaning.
That's why you need to learn how to use intonation and stress correctly. If
you don't, the sentence might be misinterpreted. Let's have a look at this
sentence as an example.
"I never said she took my money."
We can give this sentence seven different meanings just by putting the
stress on different words within the sentence.
1. "I never said she took my money." ( Someone else said it. Maybe John.)
2. "I never said she took my money." ( No way! Not true!)
3. "I never said she took my money." ( Not in words. Maybe only thought it.)
4. "I never said she took my money." ( She was not the one. Someone else )
5. "I never said she took my money." ( I said she lost my money.)
6. "I never said she took my money." ( She took Steven's money.)
7. "I never said she took my money." ( I said she took my phone.)
Practice saying each of these sentences out loud to get a good feel of
stressing different words.
In the next section, we're going to continue with some more elements of
English that will help you to have a smoother flow in your speech.

5
PACING
CAPTURE YOUR
AUDIENCE

PACING
What is pacing and why is it important?
Pacing refers to how fast or slow you speak. Talking too fast is normal when
you're nervous and all eyes and ears are on you. That’s why it’s important to
learn how to pace your speech.
To control your speech, you need to practice. You want your speech to be
engaging and hold your audience's attention by using the right pace.
Pacing also helps to emphasize important points and make them stand out.
Finally, pacing helps to create a good atmosphere and makes your talk more
enjoyable.
The following tips will help you optimize your pace.

PACING
What is pacing and why is it important?
1. Slow down and make pauses
Speak and pause often! Pausing allows the audience to digest the
information and create suspense. This can also help to emphasize certain
points or ideas.
2. Vary your speed
You should change the rate of speed. Speak slowly and deliberately at times,
and then increase the speed to emphasize certain points or ideas. When a
speaker slows down or speeds up the pace of their speech, it can signal to
the audience that something important is being said. This will keep the
audience interested and engaged.
3. Practice
Use a timer to practice. Set it for a certain time, such as five minutes, and
practice talking in that time frame. This will help you develop a sense of
timing and internal pacing.
Speaking in front of a mirror is also helpful. Make sure you make eye contact
with yourself while speaking.
4. Bonus Tip
Vary the pitch of your voice. Speak in a deeper tone at times and a higher
tone at others. Make sure that you don’t get too quiet at the end of
sentences.
And don't forget to keep eye contact and smile!

CONGRATULATIONS
You did it!

Now you know the 5 key elements of
spoken English that you need to bring
into your English speech so that you
sound more natural and can better
understand native speakers. It will take
time, patience, and practice, but it will
be worth it. Mastering these elements
of spoken English will change your life!
What Next?
If you found this guide helpful and are ready to take the next step, let's get on
a call so that we can get to know each other better and can talk about how I
can help you get results even faster!
With love,
Your English coach
Loretta
BOOK A FREE CALL

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www.englishcoachloretta.

3 You've Made a Wise Descision

4 How to get the most out of this guide

6 What does it mean to sound natural?

7 The importance of clear pronunciation

8 The challenge of clear pronunciation

11 5 key elements to sounding natural

12 Key 1: Vowel sounds

15 Key 2: Stress patterns and guidelines

23 Key 3: Rhythm: Get in the groove

26 Key 4: Intonation: Express your emotions

30 Key 5: Pacing: Capture your audience

33 Congratulations! What Next?

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH

Imagine you could...

Open doors to more career opportunities

You will have more opportunities to advance in your

Build better relationships

Good pronunciation will improve your social skills and

Make a good impression

You will be amazing to your audience because you

Feel more confident

You will feel more confident because your speech is

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 03

Out of this Guide

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 04

Before we dive into this guide, I'd like to introduce myself. : )

Join my FREE Facebook community:

English Speaking Fluency

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 05

Let's dig in!

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 06

I've worked with hundreds of talented non-native English-speaking

Unfortunately, most traditional teaching systems focus too much on grammar,

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 07

ENGLISH IS A CRAZY LANGUAGE!

Why do so many non-native English speakers struggle with English

Because of these changes and the influences of other languages, many

Let's have a look at some examples.

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 08

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 09

Silent "W" wrist wrinkle

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 10

Sound 2 -STRESS PATTERNS

more natural knowing where to put the stress in words

speaking Learning the unique rhythm of English

English easier for you to understand native

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 11

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 12

Train your vowel muscles

The basic vowels in English are

2 vowels that are combined together and glide

The most important thing you need to know

In some languages, it's possible to make

You will also automatically speak louder and

Let's have a closer look at some examples of

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ELEVATING YOUR ENGLISH FLUENCY 13

Train your vowel muscles

SHORT / LONG / DIPHTHONGS

-ou- cloud / count

HOW TO SOUND MORE NATURAL SPEAKING ENGLISH 14

WORD & SENTENCE