Pronunciation: recording your own voice – for EFL / ESOL and IELTS

   

It’s impossible to listen to your own voice when you are speaking. So, why not use your mobile phone to record yourself speaking in English? Here is a sample task for you to improve your pronunciation.
You’ll need something that will record your voice. Use the ‘audio recorder’ on your mobile phone.
Read the text below three or four times. Then, read it again and record yourself on your mobile phone.

“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity Kitai. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice. We are all telling ourselves a story and that day mine changed.”

Now listen to it again. Are you happy with your pronunciation? What things did you say wrong? Could you have said any of the words better?

Now listen to the same speech by Will Smith here from the 2013 film 'After Earth'.



Compare your pronunciation with the ‘correct’ version.
REMEMBER

• You DON’T HAVE TO sound  EXACTLY THE SAME as the recording!
• There are many different accents and sounds in English and they are all ‘correct’.

Try this again with any other speech in English that you like!

Please let me know if there are any other speeches from films that you'd enjoy doing! Post a comment!