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This website was created to help people improve their American English pronunciation. At the core is a series of videos explaining in detail how each sound is created, as well as a blog.
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Though I highly recommend learning via video :), sometimes a book is a nice resource to have. I especially like this one:
Idiom: 'On fire'
American English Pronunciation :: Idiom: 'On Fire'
The audio is now available for download thanks to user Slava from Cherkessk, Russia: Download mp3
Video Text:
Today I'm going to go over the idiom 'on fire'. This means to be doing something very well. For example, you're at a basketball game, and there's a guy who keeps hitting 3-pointer after 3-pointer after 3-pointer, and making them. You might say, man that guy's on fire. It can also apply to a social situation. For example, let's say you go to a party with a friend. And your friend is talking to everyone, making everyone laugh, everyone wants to be around him. You can say, 'Man, you were on fire at that party.'
On can be pronounced with the 'aw' as in 'law' vowel, or the 'ah' as in 'father' vowel. I pronounce it with the 'aw' as in 'law'. It's a little further back in the face than the 'ah' as in 'father', which is a little further forward. On, the N consonant sound, so the tongue will raise into that position. On, ff, fire begins with the F consonant sound, so you'll raise the bottom lip, ff, to the top teeth and let air come through. On ff, on fi-, the 'ai' as in 'buy' diphthong, on fi-re. And finally, the schwa and R sound, er, er. On fire, on fire.
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... I think it is a GREAT resource for studying pronunciation. You can slow down videos without the pitch changing, you can loop sections, you can look up words. It's an amazing resource, and I've enjoyed playing around with it.
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