Spoken Clarity, Confidence, and Diction

Course Duration: 1 week Total Lesson Time: 15 hours Group size: Maximum 5 students per group Course Focus: Clear, intelligible, and confident spoken English Course dates 2026: 23rd - 27th November Price 2026: £744 Course Objective By the end of this 15-hour course, students will be able to pronounce key English sounds more accurately, use appropriate word and sentence stress, improve their rhythm and intonation, and communicate more clearly and confidently in everyday, professional, and academic situations. The course focuses on intelligibility, rather than eliminating a student's accent. Students will develop practical pronunciation strategies that help listeners understand them more easily. Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, students should be able to: Identify and produce common English vowel and consonant sounds. Distinguish between sounds that can be difficult for English language learners. Use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as a practical pronunciation reference. Recognise and produce stressed and unstressed syllables. Use sentence stress to highlight important information. Improve English rhythm through weak forms, linking and connected speech. Use rising and falling intonation in common communicative situations. Monitor and correct their own pronunciation. Speak with greater clarity, confidence and intelligibility. Assessment Students' progress will be monitored throughout the course through: Short pronunciation activities Listening and sound-discrimination tasks Individual pronunciation practice Reading and speaking activities Teacher observation and feedback A final speaking task Students will receive feedback on sound production, word stress, sentence stress, rhythm, intonation and overall intelligibility. At the end of the week, students will have a clearer understanding of how English pronunciation works and practical techniques for improving their own speech. They should be able to apply pronunciation strategies to real-life communication and continue developing their pronunciation independently after completing the course Course Programme - Sample Day 1: English Sounds and the Pronunciation System Introduction to English pronunciation The relationship between spelling and pronunciation Introduction to the IPA English consonant sounds Voiced and voiceless sounds Common pronunciation difficulties Mouth and tongue position Controlled pronunciation practice Outcome: Students can identify and produce a range of key English consonant sounds and use basic phonemic symbols as a pronunciation reference. Day 2: English Vowels and Diphthongs Short and long vowel sounds English diphthongs Vowel length and quality Common vowel contrasts Pronunciation of frequently confused words Minimal-pair activities Listening and discrimination practice Guided speaking practice Outcome: Students can recognise and produce important English vowel contrasts with greater accuracy. Day 3: Word Stress and Connected Speech Syllables and syllable structure Word stress Stress patterns in common vocabulary Prefixes and suffixes Weak forms Linking between words Elision and assimilation Pronunciation in natural speech Outcome: Students can use appropriate word stress and begin to apply connected-speech features to sound more natural and intelligible. Day 4: Sentence Stress, Rhythm and Intonation Sentence stress Content and function words Prominence and contrast English rhythm Rising and falling intonation Intonation in questions and statements Expressing attitude and meaning through intonation Dialogue and role-play practice Outcome: Students can use stress, rhythm and intonation to communicate meaning more effectively. Day 5: Fluency, Communication, and Pronunciation Development Review of key pronunciation features Pronunciation in everyday communication Presentations and short speaking tasks Conversation and role-play Self-correction strategies Individual pronunciation feedback Personal pronunciation action plan Final speaking assessment Outcome: Students demonstrate improved pronunciation and develop a personalised plan for continued practice Entry Requirements Students should have sufficient English to participate in basic classroom discussions and speaking activities. The course is suitable for learners at approximately CEFR B1–C1, although the specific pronunciation content can be adapted to the needs of the group.