Homophones are words that are spelled differently but pronounced the same. No wonder English is so confusing! When we see the different spelling we assume that it should be pronounced differently, but English is not a phonetic language! So spelling and pronunciation don’t match! In this episode, you’ll learn about some of the most common homophones in English and how to pronounce them. We’ll talk about: 1. flower – flour 2. here – hear 3. sun – son 4. there – their – they’re 5. right – write 6. ...
Feb 18, 2020•13 min•Ep. 18
Homophones are words that are spelled differently but pronounced the same. No wonder English is so confusing! When we see the different spelling we assume that it should be pronounced differently, but English is not a phonetic language! So spelling and pronunciation don't match! In this episode, you'll learn about some of the most common homophones in English and how to pronounce them. We'll talk about: 1. flower – flour 2. here – hear 3. sun – son 4. there – their – they're 5. right – write 6. ...
Feb 18, 2020•13 min•Ep. 18
To download the practice sheet click here: https://hadarshemesh.com/the-r-in-english-podcast-freebie/ Many non-native speakers of English struggle with the R in English. Not only that this sound is challenging to pronounce (put the tongue where?!?) and makes us feel like pirates, but it also keeps changing depending on where it’s positioned. So even though it might be easy to pronounce in some words, it could be impossible to pronounce in other words and that makes us feel like the R is impossib...
Feb 13, 2020•55 min•Ep. 17
To download the practice sheet click here: https://hadarshemesh.com/the-r-in-english-podcast-freebie/ Many non-native speakers of English struggle with the R in English. Not only that this sound is challenging to pronounce (put the tongue where?!?) and makes us feel like pirates, but it also keeps changing depending on where it's positioned. So even though it might be easy to pronounce in some words, it could be impossible to pronounce in other words and that makes us feel like the R is impossib...
Feb 13, 2020•55 min•Ep. 17
A few months ago I invited you to ask me PERSONAL questions. I didn’t think I’d get many questions but I was surprised to have received dozens of awesome questions, and in this episode, I’m going to answer a bunch of them:) You’ll hear about how I met my husband, my life as a social activist, my biggest failure, my plans for the future, what I do with my hair (not much), if I miss acting and more! It wasn’t easy for me. As an introvert, I don’t like to talk about myself much. Besides, I’m here t...
Feb 11, 2020•26 min•Ep. 16
A few months ago I invited you to ask me PERSONAL questions. I didn't think I'd get many questions but I was surprised to have received dozens of awesome questions, and in this episode, I'm going to answer a bunch of them:) You'll hear about how I met my husband, my life as a social activist, my biggest failure, my plans for the future, what I do with my hair (not much), if I miss acting and more! It wasn't easy for me. As an introvert, I don't like to talk about myself much. Besides, I'm here t...
Feb 11, 2020•26 min•Ep. 16
Taking small actions every day leads to great results. Author Darren Hardy calls it “The Compound Effect”, and it holds for a lot of things in life. In this episode, I’ll discuss how I’ve realized it’s deeply relevant to English learning and speaking. I experienced it in acting school, in the accent training courses I took, and in the past decade in teaching and building my business. I see it in my students as well, as they put in the work day in day out, not seeing immediate results but then re...
Feb 06, 2020•45 min•Ep. 15
Taking small actions every day leads to great results. Author Darren Hardy calls it "The Compound Effect", and it holds for a lot of things in life. In this episode, I'll discuss how I've realized it's deeply relevant to English learning and speaking. I experienced it in acting school, in the accent training courses I took, and in the past decade in teaching and building my business. I see it in my students as well, as they put in the work day in day out, not seeing immediate results but then re...
Feb 06, 2020•45 min•Ep. 15
Download the English contractions practice sheet and the audio: https://hadarshemesh.com/contractions-freebie/ Contractions are words and phrases that are shortened by dropping sounds (in writing and in speaking). Contractions are all the you’d, she’ll, we’re, isn’t etc. These contractions allow us to signal our listeners what is more important and what is less, and that makes our communication in English clearer. For non-native speakers these contractions might be a bit confusing. Have you ever...
Feb 04, 2020•39 min•Ep. 14
Download the English contractions practice sheet and the audio: https://hadarshemesh.com/contractions-freebie/ Contractions are words and phrases that are shortened by dropping sounds (in writing and in speaking). Contractions are all the you'd, she'll, we're, isn't etc. These contractions allow us to signal our listeners what is more important and what is less, and that makes our communication in English clearer. For non-native speakers these contractions might be a bit confusing. Have you ever...
Feb 04, 2020•39 min•Ep. 14
In this podcast episode I elaborate on how to practice it effectively and integrate it into your day-to-day speech. Because forming a sentence is not enough. And making the right sounds isn’t enough. It’s the intonation that determines the meaning of the sentence: is it a question or a statement? Is it a joke and you’re just being sarcastic? This is also where culture and your inner feelings are thrown into the mix. Intonation conveys ALL of that. To do that you need to know how to practice! Thi...
Jan 30, 2020•40 min•Ep. 13
In this podcast episode I elaborate on how to practice it effectively and integrate it into your day-to-day speech. Because forming a sentence is not enough. And making the right sounds isn't enough. It's the intonation that determines the meaning of the sentence: is it a question or a statement? Is it a joke and you're just being sarcastic? This is also where culture and your inner feelings are thrown into the mix. Intonation conveys ALL of that. To do that you need to know how to practice! Thi...
Jan 30, 2020•40 min•Ep. 13
Why is it SO HARD to understand native speakers? And what do you HAVE to know to improve your spoken English and get your point across clearly and confidently? In this episode, you will learn the 3 fundamentals of American intonation: melody, rhythm, and stress. You’ll learn how to use melody and rhythm to stress words, you’ll learn the difference between content words and function words, why we need to stress content words and how we reduce function words. This episode will also help you unders...
Jan 28, 2020•21 min•Ep. 12
Why is it SO HARD to understand native speakers? And what do you HAVE to know to improve your spoken English and get your point across clearly and confidently? In this episode, you will learn the 3 fundamentals of American intonation: melody, rhythm, and stress. You'll learn how to use melody and rhythm to stress words, you'll learn the difference between content words and function words, why we need to stress content words and how we reduce function words. This episode will also help you unders...
Jan 28, 2020•21 min•Ep. 12
How does the Impostor Syndrome affect us when speaking English as a second language? And why do we feel that even when we do a good job in English – we, in fact, failed and we can’t seem to understand how others haven’t noticed just how bad our English is. Thinking that our English is a lot worse than what other people perceive it to be makes us feel like impostors. The Impostor Syndrome is a universal psychological pattern where you may doubt your accomplishments and have this fear of being dis...
Jan 23, 2020•39 min•Ep. 11
How does the Impostor Syndrome affect us when speaking English as a second language? And why do we feel that even when we do a good job in English – we, in fact, failed and we can't seem to understand how others haven't noticed just how bad our English is. Thinking that our English is a lot worse than what other people perceive it to be makes us feel like impostors. The Impostor Syndrome is a universal psychological pattern where you may doubt your accomplishments and have this fear of being dis...
Jan 23, 2020•39 min•Ep. 11
In this episode, you’ll learn the 10 most common mistakes Brazilian Portuguese speakers make, and understand why these sounds are difficult for you, but more than that – you’ll learn how to improve your American English pronunciation. Download the FREE English pronunciation guide for Brazilian Portuguese speakers: https://theaccentsway.com/brazil-freebie/ Not a Brazilian Portuguese speaker? I bet that as a non-native speaker of English you can find at least THREE mistakes that are relevant to yo...
Jan 21, 2020•27 min•Ep. 10
In this episode, you'll learn the 10 most common mistakes Brazilian Portuguese speakers make, and understand why these sounds are difficult for you, but more than that – you'll learn how to improve your American English pronunciation. Download the FREE English pronunciation guide for Brazilian Portuguese speakers: https://theaccentsway.com/brazil-freebie/ Not a Brazilian Portuguese speaker? I bet that as a non-native speaker of English you can find at least THREE mistakes that are relevant to yo...
Jan 21, 2020•27 min•Ep. 10
I mention the schwa almost every time I speak about American English. That’s because this vowel is all over the place, and once you hear it, you never stop hearing it The schwa is a very short and “relaxed” kind of vowel. It’s a pretty tricky vowel for non-native speakers but if you get it, you get the secret to American English pronunciation and you become SO much clearer. Also, you will find yourself investing much less energy in speaking, which is also important Tune in and learn more about t...
Jan 16, 2020•39 min•Ep. 9
I mention the schwa almost every time I speak about American English. That's because this vowel is all over the place, and once you hear it, you never stop hearing it The schwa is a very short and "relaxed" kind of vowel. It's a pretty tricky vowel for non-native speakers but if you get it, you get the secret to American English pronunciation and you become SO much clearer. Also, you will find yourself investing much less energy in speaking, which is also important Tune in and learn more about t...
Jan 16, 2020•39 min•Ep. 9
Learning to speak a new language can be challenging, no doubt about that. Especially English. All those funky words like knight, laugh, paradigm and psychology that have all these letters that are not pronounced. And what about the confusing pairs like celery-salary, back-buck, pool-pull that if we confuse them, we may sound unclear? Or words like beach, focus, spreadsheet and fox that if we mispronounce them, we might get a face-palm moment ? Even when you know how certain words should sound l...
Jan 14, 2020•10 min•Ep. 8
Learning to speak a new language can be challenging, no doubt about that. Especially English. All those funky words like knight, laugh, paradigm and psychology that have all these letters that are not pronounced. And what about the confusing pairs like celery-salary, back-buck, pool-pull that if we confuse them, we may sound unclear? Or words like beach, focus, spreadsheet and fox that if we mispronounce them, we might get a face-palm moment ? Even when you know how certain words should sound l...
Jan 14, 2020•10 min•Ep. 8
I’ve been an accent and fluency coach for over 10 years. It hasn’t always been easy but it was always gratifying. I’ve learned new things about English and about my teaching, and I want to share these things with you. Learn more about my English teaching training . 00:00 – My teaching journey in the past decade 06:30 – Being flexible – there is more than one way to explain something. Follow your student’s needs 12:46 – Be open – your students are your best teachers so look for what’s working and...
Jan 09, 2020•51 min•Ep. 7
I've been an accent and fluency coach for over 10 years. It hasn't always been easy but it was always gratifying. I've learned new things about English and about my teaching, and I want to share these things with you. Learn more about my English teaching training . 00:00 – My teaching journey in the past decade 06:30 – Being flexible – there is more than one way to explain something. Follow your student's needs 12:46 – Be open – your students are your best teachers so look for what's working and...
Jan 09, 2020•51 min•Ep. 7
FREE PDF Download: Download my 8 P’s pronunciation teaching framework: https://theaccentsway.com/freebie-8ps/ Whether you’re an English teacher (native or non-native) or an English learner, my pronunciation teaching and learning framework will help you understand what are the steps you need to take in order to teach and learn pronunciation in the simplest, most effective way. This framework has served me in over 10 years of being an accent and fluency coach and has helped thousands of students a...
Jan 07, 2020•21 min•Ep. 6
FREE PDF Download: Download my 8 P's pronunciation teaching framework: https://theaccentsway.com/freebie-8ps/ Whether you're an English teacher (native or non-native) or an English learner, my pronunciation teaching and learning framework will help you understand what are the steps you need to take in order to teach and learn pronunciation in the simplest, most effective way. This framework has served me in over 10 years of being an accent and fluency coach and has helped thousands of students a...
Jan 07, 2020•21 min•Ep. 6
Like any other challenge or thing we need to work on, improving your fluency is first and foremost about developing the right mindset. In this video, I’ll discuss some of the things that hold you back and that you really need to let go of if you want to achieve a breakthrough in English in 2020. 04:25 – Stop judging other speakers – appreciate what they have to say and that they’re doing their best, just like you do 06:18 – Stop waiting for the right opportunity to come – Focus on your English n...
Jan 01, 2020•22 min•Ep. 5
Like any other challenge or thing we need to work on, improving your fluency is first and foremost about developing the right mindset. In this video, I'll discuss some of the things that hold you back and that you really need to let go of if you want to achieve a breakthrough in English in 2020. 04:25 – Stop judging other speakers – appreciate what they have to say and that they're doing their best, just like you do 06:18 – Stop waiting for the right opportunity to come – Focus on your English n...
Jan 01, 2020•22 min•Ep. 5
Pronunciation is the door to understanding and mastering spoken English. It’s the secret of speaking with confidence and communicating clearly. In this episode, I pinpoint the reasons why learning pronunciation is crucial if you want to make an impact and not compromise your message. Because this is really what it’s all about. It’s not about you sounding more American and losing your identity. It’s about you feeling amazing in your own skin when you communicate in English. Link to Podcast episod...
Jan 01, 2020•27 min•Ep. 4
Pronunciation is the door to understanding and mastering spoken English. It's the secret of speaking with confidence and communicating clearly. In this episode, I pinpoint the reasons why learning pronunciation is crucial if you want to make an impact and not compromise your message. Because this is really what it's all about. It's not about you sounding more American and losing your identity. It's about you feeling amazing in your own skin when you communicate in English. Link to Podcast episod...
Jan 01, 2020•27 min•Ep. 4
