Many teachers avoid pronunciation because they fear offending students or don’t know where to start. Here’s how to teach it
creatively and confidently—and why it’s a moral obligation to help learners be understood.

Why Teachers Avoid Pronunciation — and Why That’s a Mistake

After more than 17 years of teaching English as a second language to learners of all ages and backgrounds, I’ve seen one recurring issue:
teachers avoiding pronunciation. It usually comes down to two reasons: some believe that correcting pronunciation might
offend students; others don’t feel confident and aren’t sure where to start.

Pronunciation Is About Intelligibility, Not Accent

Many teachers confuse accent with pronunciation. Accent is identity and style; pronunciation is clarity. Improving pronunciation
doesn’t erase a student’s identity—it strengthens their ability to understand and be understood. Research also links targeted
pronunciation training with better vocabulary retention.

Teaching Pronunciation Is a Moral Obligation

If learners can’t be understood, their progress stalls. As educators, we owe it to our students to guide their pronunciation with care,
respect, and evidence-based techniques.

How to Teach Pronunciation Creatively

Over the past 15 years, I’ve trained 80+ teachers and helped thousands of students elevate their spoken English. Mechanical drills and tongue twisters have a place, but they’re not enough. The best results come from engaging, creative activities that build awareness of
sounds, stress, rhythm, and connected speech—so learners can feel the music of English, not just repeat it.

• Sound–gesture mapping: link tricky phonemes to simple gestures to anchor muscle memory.
• Stress & rhythm games: clap/step the beat of sentences to build natural prosody.
• Minimal-pair hunts: short, high-impact listening/speaking bursts with immediate feedback.
• Connected-speech minis: quick activities on linking, reduction, and assimilation.

Where to Start

I created ready-to-use pronunciation workbooks for teachers and students. Each includes step-by-step guidance, engaging activities,
answer keys, and short quizzes. Use them as a core weekly unit or as a refreshing supplement to grammar, reading, or writing.

• The ABC of English Pronunciation — a superb foundation for lower levels with clear visuals and practice.
• Grammar Through Pronunciation — integrate sound awareness with real grammar outcomes.