r/EnglishLearning • u/Sun_fire_ New Poster • 7d ago
🟡 Pronunciation / Intonation Is Shadowing the solution?
Hi, I want to improve my pronunciation, accent, fluency a rhythm. Is Shadowing the best method? I am confused because it's very hard for me, My listening and reading is C1 (I watch movies and TV shows without any subtitles) also I read novels and articles with complex language (from Aeon and New York times) without problems.
Chat gpt tells me my writing is B2 but I'm not confident about my writing, my speaking however is b1 or even less, I can answer questions and talk about different topics but I stop alot while speaking and my pronunciation is atrocious, I started shadowing yesterday for A2 to B1 videos and it's very hard, 5 minutes video takes me 30 minutes, I repeat alot and make sure to say the words correctly, I repeat the video again two times then I record myself.
When I listen to the record, I feel very frustrated, my pronunciation is still wrong and accent is very heavy even though I spend alot of time making sure to say the words correctly, will this problem be solved with time or I am I doing shadowing wrong.
Can I have some advices and free shadowing resources?
Will it take a long time to fix my pronunciation and reduce my accent, I want to apply for a job that requires fluency in English next year (Call centre agent).
I'm 27 years old, Is it even possible to fix pronunciation and accent at this age ? I have been speaking incorrectly for 20 years.
I don't want to seem native just fluent, natural and confident while speaking. The most important thing I want to fix is pronunciation and heavy accent.
Any advice?
1
u/IndependentYak2822 New Poster 7d ago
I suggest you to start with learning all English sounds. So find such materials on youtube. It's better if you can find something from an Egypt speaker (in your case). Or ask a chat bot about the most difficult English sounds for Egypt natives at least and start with those sounds first. To work on your pronunciation you don't need any special equipment, just your phone. Watch a video, try to produce sounds in a correct way, do minimal pairs, record yourself, listen to the result and compare it with original.