Mouth exercises for CLEAR SPEECH

Learn the secret exercises actors use to speak with a clear and crisp voice. Improving your pronunciation and spoken English isn't just about learning theory. You can make yourself more understood by simply training your mouth muscles so that you can produce the sounds of English properly. After all, if you've been speaking another language your whole life, your mouth and tongue are probably trained in a different way, to make the sounds of that language, not English. In this video, I'll go through many exercises you can do to get your mouth used to making the sounds of English clearly. This will improve your accent, clarity, and make you a better English speaker.

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TRANSCRIPT

Hi there and welcome back to engVid. Today's lesson is to make sure that you are understood, because you could learn all the vocabulary in the world, but if you're not being understood by speaking clearly, then there's very little point. So today's lesson is to teach you a few exercises to ensure that your speech is as crisp and clear as possible.

Now, I've got a number of exercises which I've written up on the board which are to help strengthen the muscles in your face and your mouth to help your speech become clear. Now, the words, and sentences, and phrases written up here are not meant to make sense. Okay? So this is not a language lesson. If you're not sure of what a word means, then I suggest look it up in a dictionary, but it may be a word that is not currently used in English, contemporary English. And the other thing I wanted to point out is that it's not just going to be by watching this video that you become clear. I will show you a number of exercises, but if you really want to take it to a next level, you will have to go off and see a voice teacher who will then be able to say to you: "You need to focus on your s sounds", or: "You need to focus on your d sounds", but then you have these exercises to help you. I hope that's clear.

Okay, so I will go through this once slowly, and then I'll do it at full speed. The aim with these articulation exercises is to go nice and slowly so that you're getting each sound correctly, and then to start doing it as fast as you can, because that really works the muscles. Okay?

So, in the top left of your screen you'll see this is an exercises for... An exercise for s sounds, p sounds, c sounds, and to some extent, b and d as well. Ready? Let's go. "To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark, dock. In a pestilential prison with a life-long lock. Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp, shock. From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big, black block." Okay. I'll now do this at full speed. "To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark, dock. In a pestilential prison with a life-long lock. Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp, shock. From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big, black block." Okay?

And on to our t and d sounds. So, t and d is used with the tongue going up towards what is called the alveolar ridge in your mouth. So you should feel your tongue going up to get this sound correctly. Again, slowly and then at full speed. "In tooting two tutors astute tried to toot a duke on a flute. But duets so gruelling and only in duelling when tutors astute toot the flute." That should say "toot", let's put another t there. Again. "In tooting two tutors astute tried to toot a duke on a flute. But duets so gruelling and only in duelling when tutors astute toot the flute." Weird.

Okay, and on to m, h, and i. "She stood on the balcony..." Okay? So try to get that "l" there, the "l" rising up to the roof of your mouth. "Inexplicably mimicking", so the m sound: "mmm", lips together. Mmm. "Mimicking him hiccupping", so a nice open mouth of "h", "h", for the h sound. "Hiccupping and amicably welcome... Welcoming him home." It's quite hard to get the "ing" there. "Welcoming him home. She stood on the balcony inexplimy-..." Got it wrong. Start again. "She stood on the balcony inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping and amicably welcoming him home." Okay? So you really got to move your mouth to get that... Those sounds correctly.

I've put f, v, and "th" together because you must make sure that there is a difference between your "th" sounds and your f and your v. This is something I learnt after a long... Lots of long, hard practice at drama school, but it... You know, your "th", your tongue has to go up to the top of your mouth, and sort of tick, tick the teeth. "Ff", okay? The f and v sound is more made by... You got your lip there, and air coming out. "Five flippant Frenchmen fly from France for fashions. Five flippant Frenchmen fly from France for fashions".

[RDEYELOVE]

I'm so sick of people saying huh? when I talk. thank you for these lessons.

[Vatokoz]

I...I think I've developed an accent after the full exercise with Ben!

[totalsubmition]

I love YouTube. The fact that one can find an expert in almost all fields. I have always had a problem with speaking clearly. This is helping, thank you.

[lexiaustin]

I just came across this video because I think my enunciation has become poor since I barely speak anymore. So when I do speak, it seems like I’m barely opening my mouth. Ugh. Thank you for this video and I’ll be sure to use this everyday!

[MistarZtv]

I'm fluent in English and learning other languages in my spare time, but even in my language I have terrible annunciation. And growing up having people constantly have trouble understanding me has made me shell up and made the problem even worse and I barely talk to people anymore.

Well the first step is wanting fix it and finding out what I can do about it. Thank you for doing this series. Hopefully this will help me in the long run. ✊✊

[THOMASCOLTON]

This is great, I use it 10 minutes a day to articulate words better & it really works!

[GaryvanderMerwe]

Thank you so much for this. I'm South African, and even though English is my first language, I could not believe how bad I sounded when I heard recordings of my self. I have been practicing this a little every day, and I believe I have gotten a lot better.

[iflankzttv]

Saw a few lessons online but this is by far the best. To anyone from outside the UK this is what you want to listen to. I’m from London myself and this is the best lesson on YouTube. I was brought up in a council estate, my mother and father worked hard to get us out and did. I’m doing my best to relearn how to speak and not sound like I have a low level of education

[brianburkhardt]

Thank you! Native English speaker from The US, but I’ve always had difficulty with slurring certain words and not forming certain letters properly. This video was a lot of help already!

[injujuan]

Thank you sooo much for the lesson! Benjamin, you’re amazing! Th-sound words were a real treat! Thank you and Happy New year 🎄🕊😀🧚‍♀️

[waberoid]

Two things I really learned from this. It sounded like poetry, which had a rhythm to it. So when saying these I kind of sang them and I feel like that definitely helped me! So poetry is good to read aloud and sing scripts lol

[cedzimagination]

Quickly for me was the hardest...I ended up saying for these exercises...simply amazing!

[chauquang]

Benjamin, I really think you're the best so far on Engvid! Thanks a lot!

[thomasrutter]

Absolutely fantastic video! Exceptionally useful for budding journalists. I have just started using these exercises to assist in my journalism course.

[MrMarkMan_YT]

2:00 S/P/C/B/D
3:00 T/D
3:45 M/H/I
5:20 F
5:34 V
5:49 Th
6:33 Intonation
7:27 D
7:40 K
7:50 L
8:14 J
8:36 R
9:32 The Pirates

[cowboylikev]

i never thought i would have to search this up but here i am

[anastasiiaanastasiia]

Thank you, Benjamin, for your lessons!!! They are very interesting, understandable and helpful. And you are very charming, it's pleasure to listen and improve English with you

[themorningstar]

Mr. Ben you are a geniune teacher; you literally know the art of imparting the lessons which you intend to.

[generationd]

I am so glad that I found your channel! I did the exercises, got instant gratification of pronouncing words so much better. This will greatly help in my YouTube Videos. You are an amazing teacher.

[bloggingfrederick]

Thank you for making this video. I didn't realize I mumbled until I listened to my 3, 200 word audible story after editing it in Audacity.