(A) Try and pronounce words like here, beer, clear, dear, fear the same as hair, bare, Clare, dare, fare.

Believe it or not, this is what we do.

(Note for advanced and/or adventurous learners: this also applies to words like idea, diarrhoea, vehicle, creosote)

(B) Try and pronounce words like garden, path, half, cart with a vowel in the front of the mouth rather like Australians do.

Avoid the vowel sound in the back of the mouth that is associated with posh accents, Cockney and South African English.

And of course, do not put an ‘R’ in words like garden, cart.

(And especially not in words like path – then you will sound like Eddie Grundy!)

“Have fun with the Introductory Level – next we’ll try to get you sounding a bit more as if you come from Norfolk!

Peter Trudgill FBA President of FOND
Honorary Professor of Sociolinguistics at the
University of East Anglia