Have a question?
Send enquiry
Message sent Close
Back to all

The IPA

Today, you’ll be practising some pronunciation of tough words but more importantly I’d like to introduce you to some invaluable resources for your English learning journey.

Those two resources are the best online English-English dictionaries you can access for free. I personally use both on a regular basis.

The Cambridge Dictionary offers everything you may need including definitions, examples, pronunciation (both recordings and phonetic transcription), related words etc. It also highlights when a word has a different meaning or use in British and American English.

Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries offers the same kind of information as the Cambridge dictionary but it also allows you to search directly in BrE or AmE. It doesn’t have all the information about historical uses of words as the Oxford English Dictionary but as the name suggests, this online dictionary is aimed at English learners. Additionally, it is free to use, unlike the OED. Please note that if you are a university student you may have access to the full version of the OED through your university.

Dictionary Work for Pronunciation

Choose a few words that you find challenging to pronounce.

Look them up in the dictionary of your choice and focus on the phonetic transcription of the words.

You may have used the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) when learning new vocabulary at school or in language courses. Some teachers use it, some don’t. But being familiar with the IPA can be really useful when learning on your own. Whenever you look up a word in a dictionary it will include a phonetic transcription to show you how to pronounce it. 

If you’re not familiar with the IPA you should listen to the recording of the word while looking at the transcription. It will help you associate the sounds with the written symbols.

Pay attention to where your pronunciation is different from the dictionary one. Spend the rest of your ten minutes drilling the pronunciation by repeating the words over and over. Of course, it is a good idea to record yourself to better track your progress.

You might also enjoy

How to Handle Stress

Whenever we want to share information or some kind of message, we need to structure the way we say it to make it easy to understand. There are many phrases and words in English that you can use. When listing a few things or ideas, the simplest way is to

Again! Again!

If you’ve ever taken care of a toddler, you’ve probably noticed they like routine and repeating things over and over again. Today, we’ll take a look at an article that talks about this phenomenon. The article is not too long, and you should be able to skim it for the

Prepositions of Time and Place

Prepositions can be a bit tricky, especially the most common ones such as on, at and in. You’ve probably studied the use of these many times before but mistakes in them are so common, a bit of extra practice won’t hurt. With prepositions on, at and in the general rule

A Day in the Life

It’s time to practise some writing. Today, I’d like you to focus on the structure of your piece. Try to use some phrases to signpost where you are in the narrative. I’d also recommend using prepositions of time and place to add some specific information and detail. Journal Entry Writing