In this course, you’ll practice the sounds of American English that might sometimes be confusing. You'll practice both consonant and vowel sounds. You’ll also learn about the things that give English its special “music,” such as how to stress the right syllable in a word, how to make your voice go up and down in a natural-sounding melody, and how to naturally connect sounds and words. Learning these things will help you speak more clearly and make sure that others can understand what you're saying.
This course is useful for English language learners who want to improve pronunciation of American English for better communication.
Note that access to all of the lectures and handouts are free to anyone, but the graded assignments and quizzes are only available in the paid version of the course. You will need to submit recordings of your own pronunciation for graded assignments.
Universidade da Califórnia, Irvine
Programa - O que você aprenderá com este curso
Semana
121 minutos para concluir
Welcome
In this course, you will learn about the consonant and vowel sounds of American English and practice some of the difficult sounds. You will also learn about and practice intonation and stress. Practicing these things will help you improve your pronunciation and make your speech easier for others to understand.
2 vídeos (total de (Total 1 mín.) min), 1 teste
4 horas para concluir
Tricky Consonant Sounds
In this first week, you will practice the consonant sounds of American English. Consonants are the sounds where the air coming up from your lungs meets some obstacles on the way. The first sounds in the words time, sand, and moon are consonants. After a quick quiz to find out which consonant sounds are the most difficult for you, you’ll practice some pairs of sounds that might be confusing and learn some tricks for telling them apart, and you’ll start to understand how your mouth moves when you say these sounds.
9 vídeos (total de (Total 58 mín.) min), 8 leituras, 5 testes
9 videos
Pre-Test Review3min
Consonants Overview5min
Tricky Consonant Pairs Part 19min
Tricky Consonant Pairs Part 210min
Consonant Pairs Practice5min
Final Consonants and Consonant Clusters7min
Final Consonants Practice6min
Shadowing a Conversation4min
Pronunciation Tips5min
8 leituras
Consonants Pre-Test Directions5min
Supplemental Materials2min
Consonants Overview2min
Tricky Consonant Pairs2min
Final Consonant Clusters1min
Shadowing Directions2min
Shadowing Assignments
Pronunciation Tips3min
4 exercícios práticos
Consonants Pre-Test24min
Tricky Consonant Contrasts Practice Quiz10min
Final Consonants and Consonant Clusters Practice Quiz10min
Graded Quiz20min
Semana
24 horas para concluir
Tricky Vowel Sounds
This week, you’ll practice some tricky vowel sounds in American English. Vowels are sounds that come out of your mouth very smoothly, like the first sounds in apple, ocean, and out. Vowel sounds are very important for being understood in English. They’re the “heart” of each syllable, and they need to be said clearly to avoid misunderstanding. Our goal is to help you pronounce English in a way that can be easily understood by listeners in real life, and mastering vowel sounds is an important step toward that goal. Now let’s practice the vowel sounds of American English.
9 vídeos (total de (Total 50 mín.) min), 7 leituras, 5 testes
9 videos
Vowel Sounds Overview3min
Tricky Vowel Contrasts Part 17min
Tricky Vowel Contrasts Part 26min
Tricky Vowel Pairs Practice6min
Unstressed Vowels6min
Unstressed Vowels Practice5min
Shadowing a Conversation3min
Pronunciation Tips5min
7 leituras
Vowels Pre-Test Directions5min
Supplemental Materials5min
Tricky Vowel Contrasts2min
Unstressed Vowels1min
Shadowing Directions2min
Shadowing Assignments
Pronunciation Tips3min
4 exercícios práticos
Vowels Pre-Test24min
Tricky Vowels Practice Quiz10min
Unstressed Vowels Practice Quiz10min
Graded Quiz20min
Semana
35 horas para concluir
The Music of American English Pronunciation
This week, you’ll learn about some things that give English its special rhythm and melody. You’ll learn about syllables—the small chunks of sound that make up the “beats” in words—and word stress—the way some parts of words are emphasized more than others. You’ll also see how some words become shorter and weaker when we talk. Since these words are used very often in ordinary speaking, we can’t understand spoken English without them. Our goal this week is to help you use the music of English to communicate more effectively and to be understood more easily when you speak. Enjoy learning about the music of American English pronunciation.
11 vídeos (total de (Total 66 mín.) min), 8 leituras, 5 testes
11 videos
Syllables and Word Stress6min
Syllables and Word Stress Practice4min
Intonation8min
Intonation Practice8min
Linking in Connected Speech8min
Linking Connected Speech Practice6min
Reduced Words6min
Reduced Words Practice4min
Shadowing a Conversation2min
Pronunciation Tips6min
8 leituras
Supplemental Materials5min
Thought Groups and Intonation1min
Supplemental Materials5min
Connected Speech and Reducing Sounds1min
Supplemental Materials10min
Shadowing Directions10min
Shadowing Assignments
Pronunciation Tips3min
4 exercícios práticos
Syllables and Word Stress Practice Quiz10min
Intonation Practice Quiz10min
Connected Speech Practice Quiz10min
Graded Quiz20min
Semana
44 horas para concluir
Other Tricky Things
In this final week of the course, you'll look at a few more tricky points in American English pronunciation. First, you’ll learn about the different ways to pronounce the –s and –ed word endings, which have important grammatical meanings, and you’ll learn when to use each kind of pronunciation. Next, you’ll practice pronouncing numbers like 14 and 40, 15 and 50, 16 and 60 that can cause misunderstandings. You’ll also learn about the pronunciation of the words “can” and “can’t” –the difference between them might surprise you. Finally, you’ll practice some sound changes that happen when words come together in common spoken expressions like "gonna" for "going to," "wanna" for "want to," and "shoulda" for "should have."
8 vídeos (total de (Total 45 mín.) min), 8 leituras, 5 testes
8 videos
-S and -Ed Endings Practice5min
Some Tricky Words6min
Some Tricky Words Practice6min
Common Linked Expressions5min
Common Linked Expressions Practice4min
Shadowing a Conversation3min
Pronunciation Tips5min
8 leituras
-S and -Ed Endings1min
Supplemental Materials10min
Tricky Words1min
Common Linked Expressions1min
Shadowing Directions2min
Shadowing Assignments
Pronunciation Tips3min
Learn More1min
4 exercícios práticos
-S and -Ed Endings Practice Quiz10min
Tricky Words Practice Quiz10min
Linked Expressions Quiz10min
Graded Quiz20min
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30%
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Melhores avaliações
I really recommend this course for all who want to improve their English skills.\n\nit was exciting.I am really enjoyed this course.\n\nCoursera is the best.
If English is not you native language, you can benefit enormously from this course, specially if you have been speaking English for a long time.
Instrutores
Tamy Chapman
Instructor, International ProgramsUniversity of California Irvine Division of Continuing Education
Marla Yoshida
Academic CoordinatorInternational Programs
Sobre Universidade da Califórnia, Irvine
Since 1965, the University of California, Irvine has combined the strengths of a major research university with the bounty of an incomparable Southern California location. UCI’s unyielding commitment to rigorous academics, cutting-edge research, and leadership and character development makes the campus a driving force for innovation and discovery that serves our local, national and global communities in many ways.
Perguntas Frequentes – FAQ
Quando terei acesso às palestras e às tarefas?
Ao se inscrever para um Certificado, você terá acesso a todos os vídeos, testes e tarefas de programação (se aplicável). Tarefas avaliadas pelos colegas apenas podem ser enviadas e avaliadas após o início da sessão. Caso escolha explorar o curso sem adquiri-lo, talvez você não consiga acessar certas tarefas.
O que recebo ao adquirir o Certificado?
Quando você adquire o Certificado, ganha acesso a todo o material do curso, incluindo avaliações com nota atribuída. Após concluir o curso, seu Certificado eletrônico será adicionado à sua página de Participações e você poderá imprimi-lo ou adicioná-lo ao seu perfil no LinkedIn. Se quiser apenas ler e assistir o conteúdo do curso, você poderá frequentá-lo como ouvinte sem custo.
Qual é a política de reembolso?
Existe algum auxílio financeiro disponível?
Do I need any special equipment for this course?
You will need a computer, smart phone, or other recording device to record your voice in .mp3 format for graded assignments.
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