Course description

This course helps you speak English clearly and confidently, so people understand you the first time: on the phone, at work, at the GP surgery and in everyday conversations. It's written for adults in the UK who speak English as an additional language at about B1 level or above, and who sometimes have to repeat themselves or feel unsure how a word should sound.

The aim is clarity, not accent removal. You'll keep your own accent and work on the few things that make the biggest difference: some vowel and consonant sounds, word stress, the rhythm of weak and strong words, linking, and the tune of your voice. The model is Southern Standard British English, used as a reference point only, and the course also introduces regional British accents.

There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, with sentences to read aloud in every lesson and a practical task at the end. You follow Lucélia, a customer adviser in Coventry whose first language is Portuguese, and her practice partner Bekzod, as they record themselves, swap minimal pairs and work on real calls, meetings and an interview. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, example answers, extra practice, drill scripts and a self-review checklist, plus minimal pair lists, stress pattern sheets, printable mouth diagrams, situation scripts and a progress log.

What you'll learn

• How English sounds work: why spelling and sound don't match, the phonemic chart in plain terms, the parts of your mouth, and your first recording.
• Vowel sounds: short and long vowels, the schwa, diphthongs, and minimal pairs such as ship and sheep.
• Consonant sounds: voiced and voiceless pairs, the th sounds, v and w, l and r, and clear final consonants.
• Endings and consonant clusters: -s and -ed endings, clusters such as str and sixth, and the habits of adding or dropping sounds.
• Word stress: how stress works, REcord and reCORD, suffixes, compounds, thirteen and thirty, and your own stress list.
• Sentence stress, weak forms and contractions: content words, weak forms, can and can't, contractions, and stress for meaning.
• Connected speech: linking, glides, sounds that drop out or change, and how to follow fast speech.
• Intonation and rhythm: falls and rises, questions, lists and numbers, polite requests and the rhythm of English.
• Pronunciation in real situations: spelling your name, numbers and dates, addresses and postcodes, phone calls, GP appointments, meetings and interviews.
• Your accent, your plan and the final project: first languages and English sounds, regional British accents, shadowing, your personal plan and a recorded self-introduction.

Who it's for

Adults living or working in the UK whose English is at about B1 level or above, and who want to be understood more easily and to feel more confident when they speak. It suits people who use English on the phone, in meetings, in customer-facing jobs, in interviews and in daily life.

What this course is, and isn't

This is a text-based course with no audio or video. It uses phonemic symbols, simple written guides and mouth diagrams, and you'll use your own phone to record yourself and listen back. It isn't a speech therapy course and doesn't lead to a qualification, and it doesn't recommend any apps, books or brands. The story and characters are fictional.

What will I learn?

• Read the phonemic chart and use it to check how any English word is said
• Tell apart and say the vowel sounds that are easy to confuse, such as ship and sheep, and bed and bad
• Say the consonants that often cause misunderstandings, including the th sounds, v and w, and l and r
• Pronounce -s and -ed endings and consonant clusters clearly, without adding or dropping sounds
• Put the stress in the right place in long words, noun and verb pairs, compounds and numbers such as thirteen and thirty
• Use weak forms, contractions and sentence stress so your key words stand out
• Link words smoothly and follow fast, natural British speech more easily
• Use intonation for questions, lists, numbers and friendly, polite requests
• Spell names, give numbers, dates, addresses and postcodes, and handle phone calls, meetings and interviews clearly
• Write a personal pronunciation plan and record and review your own self-introduction

Frequently asked questions