Good pronunciation leaves a lasting impression and is fundamental in English.

 

The greatest challenge Italians have to face when learning English is pronunciation. This is a problem which typically lies in the way English is taught, particularly in schools, where 'the sounds of English' are totally ignored. 

 

The result is that the majority of learners experience a feeling of loss and frustration as they can understand written English but not spoken English. 

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Some other times the challenge is due to the fact that the students are not aware of the subtle differences among the sounds of English; the logical consequence of which is confusion and misunderstanding.

 

• English is full of nuances: there are words that can be spelt in a different way, have different meanings but the same sound.

E.g. to, too, two

 

• There are words with identical spelling but different sound.

E.g. lead (verb) /liːd/ - to show the way

       lead (noun) /led/ - a chemical element

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• Words with almost similar sounds.

E.g. ship​ /ʃɪp/ and sheep /ʃiːp/​

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We teach Received Pronunciation through practical exercises and the use of phonemes; we highlight the differences among sounds to facilitate their recognition.