by KEENYN RHODES

the ULTIMATE
Accent
Training
Starter Guide
What you need to know to get
from where you are now to where
you want to be

COPYRIGHT KEENYN RHODES | CLEAR ENGLISH CORNER

 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 Part 1

5 Keys to Making REAL Change

ONE:
1 Know That This is a
Journey

TWO:

2 Follow a Specific
Learning Path

THREE:
3 Practice Makes
Progress

FOUR:

4 Realize It's Gonna Feel

Funny

FIVE:
5 Master Your Mindset
 1

Know That This is a Journey

Our speech is automatic. It’s habitual. We don’t think about the
way we move our lips, tongue and jaw to make speech sounds- we
just do it. And we’ve been doing it the same way for years. It’s
completely ingrained.

The reason your spoken English doesn’t sound the way you want it
to is because you are applying the habitual sounds and rhythms of
your native language to English. This totally makes sense,
especially if you learned English primarily through books and
through other non-native speakers.

So, in order to change the way you sound when you speak English,
you have to change your habits.- habits that you’ve had since you
spoke your first words!

If you’ve ever tried to break a habit, you know what a challenge this
can be. You have to be very deliberate. You have to focus. You have
to act purposefully, over and over, before new habits replace the
old. It’s not easy! Beware of anyone who promises you a “quick fix.”
Changing your speaking habits is a process, a journey, where you
will progress through different steps and stages. Embrace it!

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 21

Follow a Specific Learning Path

There's a lot to learn in accent training. Trying to tackle everything
all at once is impossible and a sure way to encounter overwhelm,
bringing your progress to a screeching halt.

There is definitely a hierarchy and sequence to refining your

speech. You need to first learn what will make the most impact
and give you the most control as a speaker, then refine from there.

As English continues to grow as a means of global

communication, clarity is absolutely key. Once you’ve mastered
the concepts of speaking with clarity and impact, you can refine
and perfect your American accent, should this be your ultimate
goal.

Follow the 5 step sequence in The Accent Training Roadmap (keep

reading) for surefire success and significant changes in your
English pronunciation.

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 31

Practice Makes Progress

To change the way you speak English you must practice, out loud,
a lot, and your practice must be these three things: 

FOCUSED: You can learn all about different sounds and rhythms,
but until you actually apply this knowledge in deliberate, focused
practice you won’t make progress. It’s like bodybuilding. You can
learn the best exercises to get that A+ oh la la physique, but until
you start doing these exercises, over and over in a routine and
deliberate way, you won’t get biceps like bricks, abs like iron, or
buns of steel!

REPETITIVE: We're forming new habits here. Practicing a tricky

sound or new rhythm a few times just won’t cut it. You have to use
these sounds and patterns deliberately, over and over, many times,
before they will become part of your daily conversations.

SCHEDULED: If you don’t set aside time to make this happen, it

won’t happen. Life is busy. Things come up. Good news though! It
doesn’t take hours each day to make significant progress. In fact,
10-15 minutes of focused, deliberate practice most days is infinitely
more effective than hours over the weekend of aimless practice,
jumping from one skill to the next.

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 41

RealizeIt's Gonna Feel Funny

No doubt about it. You're gonna feel a bit weird, unnatural, funny,
odd, maybe even silly. That’s 100% normal.

As you now know, if you want to change the way you speak you
have to change habits that you’ve had forever. There’s no way that
it won’t feel weird, unnatural, funny, odd and silly. It’s not the way
your used to speaking!

In fact, if it doesn’t feel weird, unnatural, funny, etc., you’re probably

not doing it right. Most of the time when my clients feel “funny,”
like they don’t “sound right” or sound like themselves, they are in
fact sounding spot on awesome in their American English
pronunciation! You’ve got this!

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 51

Master Your Mindset

This journey is about progress, not perfection.

I know you. You are very smart. You’re a high achiever, perhaps a
bit of a perfectionist. You’re used to figuring things out fast- to
learning and advancing quickly.

But like I explained, refining your speaking habits is a process, one

that takes time. You won’t get everything exactly perfect. Heck, I’ve
been speaking this language from the beginning and I still
stumble! It’s OK!

If you keep moving forward, if you keep with small bits of focused,

repetitive practice, you will improve. It's important to understand
your path so you can celebrate your advances and milestones as
you make them!

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 Part 2

The Accent Training Roadmap

STEP ONE:
1 Master Word Stress
and The Vowels

STEP TWO:

2 Perfect Sentence
Stress Patterns

STEP THREE:
Clarify Your Core
3 Consonants

STEP FOUR:

4 Refine Key American

Consonants

STEP FIVE:

5 Maintain a Consistent
Focused Practice
Routine
 1

Master Word Stress & the Vowels

In English, not all words are created equal. In any word with more
than one syllable there will be one syllable that stands out, that is
emphasized more than the others. You must get good at hearing
and pronouncing these emphasized syllables.

FACT: Most misunderstandings in English conversations involving

non-native speakers result from word-stress errors, not
mispronounced sounds.

The key to pronouncing stressed  syllables is learning to recognize

the vowel sound at the core of these syllables, and then
pronouncing those sounds with increased vocal energy and
stretch.

In order to master this, you must perfect all of the American

English vowel sounds. But you have to move beyond just saying
these sounds correctly. You have to become an expert at
pronouncing these sounds with that increased vocal energy and
stretch. 

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 21

Perfect Sentence Stress Patterns

Just as not all syllables within words are created equal, not all
words within sentences are created equal. Certain words will be
emphasized or stressed while others will fall to the background.

When you emphasize the right words within a sentence, your

spoken English rhythm will sound substantially more natural.

The words we choose to stress in a sentence can convey different

meanings and emotions. You must develop the skill of choosing
and emphasizing key words within a sentence to really improve
your clarity and impact as a speaker.

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 31

Clarify Your Core Consonants

There will be certain English consonant sounds or consonant
sound combinations (also called consonant clusters) that may be
tough for you because these sounds don’t exist, or are made in a
different way, in your native language.

It’s important to identify these sounds and work to perfect their

pronunciation through focused, repetitive practice, moving from
pronouncing these sounds in words, then in phrases and
sentences.

How do you know which consonants sounds to focus on?

Fortunately, in this awesome internet age, if you Google “American
Accent training for ____ Speakers” you will find several resources
that list troublesome consonants for speakers of your native
language.

Also, keep an eye out for native language guides coming soon from
the Clear English Corner! Woot woot! 

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 41

Refine Key American Consonants

There are a few key consonants to perfect if you are aiming for that
distinctly American sound like the R, T, L and TH.

Non “American” pronunciation of these sounds won’t impact your

clarity as a speaker. You can speak beautiful English without a Flap
T. But if you’re really wanting that more American sound, you want
to focus your attention on these key sounds after you’ve refined
your rhythm and Core Consonants.

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 51

Consistent, Focused Practice

Once you’ve gained the knowledge and skills to master the sounds
and rhythms of American English, the sky's the limit. Where you go
from here is completely up to you! 

Remember, this is a journey where you are constantly improving

and refining your skills. The key here is to continue with focused,
deliberate practice.

This practice can take many forms but the key element is to
schedule it regularly and approach it with a deliberate mindset of
continuous improvement.

A few suggestions for practice at this level include: reading aloud,

describing pictures, describing/explaining a process, telling about a
recent event or experience, describing a person, place or thing, or
verbally expressing your opinion on something.

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 It is possible to make changes
and improve your English
pronunciation. Following
these steps on your learning
journey will help you set
sequential, attainable goals,
recognize and chart your
progress, and make
significant, noticeable
improvements in your spoken
English. You’ve got this!

Here’s to your success!

 Let's do this!!
Stick with me and I’ll show you what it
takes to move from feeling
overwhelmed and uncertain about
improving your accent, to becoming a
clear, confident, impactful speaker who
doesn’t hesitate to let the world hear
your voice! 

Watch your inbox! Over the next few days I will send you 3
foundational lessons detailing concepts that are essential to
understand if you really want to refine your English rhythm and
intonation.

Listen friend, I’ve got you covered! 

With warmest regards,

Keenyn
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