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to? Was the vocabulary diverse or munication because the incorrect use of pro-
could you have added more effec- nunciation undoubtedly leads to the message
tive words? being misunderstood by the recipient. Imag-
3�2�3 Online Pronunciation Aids ine a situation where a student’s grammar and

The path, which is suggested in the case of vocabulary is exceptional; he or she may be
learning pronunciation, is the sooner the better. able to write good English. If that same stu-
dent doesn’t possess the basic knowledge of
The learning of pronunciation has to start as
early possible. One of the common mistakes pronunciation despite having an excellent
knowledge of grammar, syntax etc.—his or
made by any international students of English her communication in English will be a failure.
language is that they fail to pay adequate atten-
tion to pronunciation. This sense of careless- He or she will be able to write in English, but
will not be able to make a meaningful sentence
ness is mainly due to the belief that pronuncia-
tion is less important compared to other aspects when speaking and thus fails to convey mes-
sage through communication. Thus students
of English language such as vocabulary and studying English as a second language should
grammar.
give all the aspects of language equal impor-
Pronunciation is essential to proper com- tance. Here are a few general steps on how to
improve pronunciation.

Fig 3.2.3 Steps to improve pronunciation

Spelling traps – These are the traps in which If you want to improve your English pro-
you may fall when you completely rely on nunciation, internet is a fantastic place to
the spelling of a word. The focus on spelling explore. Online pronunciation aids are abun-
will lead one to mispronounce many words dant these days and only a selective approach
in English. You must have understood while is required. You have a large number of excel-
studying Phonetics that English is not a pho- lent, free tools and resources to use: videos,
netic language and hence we often do not say audio lessons, podcasts and voice recorders.
many words the same way it is spelled. Podcasts are episodic series of spoken words

108 SGOU - FYUGP - SLM - English for Communication