Speech Tips
KISS
KISS
Keep it simple.
English Speaking – Grammar, Pronunciation, And Magical Changes in Words
English Speaking – Grammar, Pronunciation, And Magical Changes in Words
Once my genius linguist and priest pointed out that “grammar is in the pronunciation,” I starting seeing so, so many instances of this.
Some of my favorites are suffixes and prefixes. Those are the little syllables that we put on the end of the word to change the word perhaps from a verb to a noun, or a verb to an adjective, or one kind of verb into another kind of verb. A suffix is a syllable we put at the end of a word. A prefix is a syllable we put at the beginning of a word.
Examples of suffixes:
“Paint” is a verb; “painter” is a noun.
“Judge” is a verb; “judgment” is a noun.
Put “-ly”at the end of a word, and it is now an adverb. Love to lovely. High to highly.
Examples of prefixes which also change the meaning of the word:
“model” to “remodel”
“cycle” to “bicycle” to “tricycle”
Here is a take home message: If you slur through the pronunciation of prefixes and suffixes, you have slurred through other people understanding your word and the information you are giving them.
If you swallow or leave out prefixes and suffixes, the listener simply does not get the meaning.
Bonus for you. If you speak prefixes and suffixes accurately, you will also hear more readily when other people say them.
It is very important to hear spoken communication accurately. It is a compliment when someone says “You are mature.” It is NOT a compliment when someone says “You are immature.” For you to hear the word “immature” accurately, the talker has to emphasize the “im-” – the prefix—so that you hear it..
Yes, yes. You certainly want to hear the prefix of this word, “im-.” If you are acting “immature,” you probably want to change your behavior to “mature.” That’s a sign of character.
So, pronounce prefixes and suffixes clearly. And listen for them!
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Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercise.
To Get Ahead
To Get Ahead
If you are looking for a horse to ride to get ahead, just become a good presenter.
Notice I didn’t say “excellent” or “outstanding”. Just become good – because the rest of the world is so terrible.
-David Peoples
English Speaking: The Grammar is in the Pronunciation, Part Two
English Speaking: The Grammar is in the Pronunciation, Part Two
Last time, I told you about how the grammar is in the pronunciation of “ed” for regular verbs for past tense and grammar “s” for subject and verb agreement. You also got that the grammar is in the pronunciation of grammar “s” for plurals and possessive.
Grammar for English articles (“a,” “an,” and “the”) is also in the pronunciation. You think articles are unnecessary and a waste of time? No! A punch of meaning goes with the use of the “indefinite” articles “a” and “an” or the “definite” article “the.” People need to hear the important information that goes with “a” or “an” versus “the.”
Case in point: when I was about 8 years old, my mother gave me money to go to the store to get “a pound of butter.” I took the money and searched the dairy section for the cheapest pound of butter. I got home and my mother was upset. I got the wrong kind. She wanted “the” butter that we always used– the unsalted, more flavorful brand that she used when special company was coming for dinner.
If you slur through the pronunciation of the articles, then you are sending inaccurate information. If you slur through or omit the articles, then people may think you are not well educated, because young, native-speaker elementary school children get the pronunciation and use of articles right all the time.
A lovely bonus to getting grammar accurate in your speech is that people who speak with accurate grammar will write with accurate grammar! A pretty powerful bonus. People who write with inaccurate grammar are often perceived as not being well-educated. Think of yourself. I’ll bet you are well educated.
Next time: Grammar, pronunciation and prefixes and suffixes
Click here: www.cleartalkmastery.com/scheduler to sign up for a Free Sample Lesson with us!
Be sure to watch our English Speech Tips videos and Accent Reduction Tip videos for more English pronunciation and accent reduction exercise.
Job Advancement
Job Advancement
As executives reach middle management and above, the primary criteria for advancement are communication and motivation skills rather than basic job performance.
