I noticed 3 problems students have during the Live Chat I held recently. I wonder if you struggle with these problems, too.
Problem #1
At first, it sounded like a grammar problem. Then, it became obvious that it was also a pronunciation problem.
When you make this mistake, it can confuse a native English speaker. If they don’t understand what you said, they will have a puzzled look on their face. If they do understand what you said, they will think your English level is not as high as it actually probably is. For students who want to perform well on the IELTS speaking test, this problem will hurt your score.
However, if you fix this problem, your English speaking will sound more natural.
The problem is about the pronunciation of past tense verb endings. Believe it or not, there are 3 different ways to pronounce the “~ed” ending for past tense verbs. Here are the rules you need to know:
- If the simple form of the verb ends with the /t/ or /d/ sound, the ~ed ending sounds like an extra syllable. For example:
- I wanted to eat pizza for dinner, but my family wanted to eat hamburgers. (want-ed)
- My flight landed before the movie I was watching ended. (land-ed, end-ed)
- If the simple form of the verb ends with an unvoiced sound (/p/, /f/, /s/, /sh/, /ch/, /k/), the ~ed ending sounds like /t/. For example:
- We laughed until our sides hurt at the jokes of our teacher.
- They washed cars for the neighbors to raise money for the poor.
- The teacher asked us if we liked the lessons because he hoped we did.
- If the simple form of the verb ends with a voiced sound, the ~ed ending sounds like /d/. For example:
- Our teacher allowed us to take a break after the test.
- We played on the soccer field until it was dark.
- If you have achieved a high IELTS band score, you should be proud of yourself.
This small change in your pronunciation will help you sound more natural to native English speakers.
Problem #2
Do you ever say sorry about your English speaking skills when you speak to a native English speaker? Do you worry about making English mistakes when you are speaking?
When you say, “I’m sorry . . .” for doing something wrong to another person, that is good and healthy. However, when you say, “I’m sorry . . .” because you do not believe your skills are good enough, this is not good for you.
You don’t need to apologize. However, I understand why we feel the need to say sorry. It is because we feel shy and don’t want to be embarrassed. We don’t want people to look down on us. How can you handle this problem?
I learned a very simple technique that has helped me. When I was younger, I had a habit of saying sorry for everything when I didn’t feel confident. This technique is changing the words to an expression of gratitude. Instead of saying, “I’m sorry . . . ,” it is better to say, “Thank you for your patience with . . .”
This small change helped me when I struggled with confidence. I hope it will help you, too!
Problem #3
The last problem is more subtle. It is about believing something that you should not believe.
This belief sounds like this in our heads:
- How can I get a 7.0 band score? It is impossible for me!
- I have too many problems hesitating when I speak. I can never speak naturally and smoothly.
- Grammar is too difficult for me. There’s no point in trying to learn it.
- I study vocabulary a lot, but I can never remember the words when I need to.
- Reading takes too much time and my score just stays the same.
- Why is writing so difficult? I just don’t have any ideas to write about.
- I will never be good at English! (This message can also mean these ideas.)
- I’ll never get into the university of my dreams.
- This scholarship is impossible for me.
- My parents will never be proud of me.
Don’t believe this!!! It is the wrong message to tell yourself.
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Instead, tell yourself a better message like:
- I can make progress, so I will keep trying.
- Language learning takes time, so I will not give up.
- I can do great things!
A growth mindset makes a big difference. I explain more about a growth mindset here.
You deserve the chance to accomplish great things. It is not fair to cut yourself short of your potential. You can be proud of your achievements!
How did this help you?
If you struggle with any of these problems, I hope these ideas have helped you. Let me know what you found helpful.
You can contact me with email, or better yet, join our Telegram channel and learn with us.
Good blog