Pronunciation: Fix 14 Common Mistakes with Business English Verbs

323

Hi, I'm Rebecca from www.engvid.com . In this lesson, you will learn how to pronounce fourteen

of the most commonly mispronounced business verbs in English.

Now, these mistakes happen to people from different parts of the world because in different

ways, whatever language you speak might impact the way you pronounce things, right?

So, let's look at what they are and perhaps you will recognize some of the mistakes that

you might be making.

So, let's get started.

The first word- very important word, okay?

This verb should be pronounced: focus.

Say it after me: focus.

Now, why am I saying this is a very important word?

Because if you mispronounce this word, actually it can sound a little bit like the f-word,

which we don't want to talk about right now.

But it can sound a little bit obscene.

So, the correct pronunciation of this word is "focus", focus.

Right now, we're just looking at the words.

After this, we'll also be putting the words into some sentences and practicing them together.

Let's go to the next one.

Such a common mistake, especially among, well, people from everywhere.

I've heard my clients - Spanish speakers, Indians, lots of people.

People from everywhere, okay?

So, how do you pronounce this word?

So, where's the stress?

Here, the second syllable.

How do we say this word?

So, what happens here is that people tend to say "e", okay?

Especially Spanish speakers, because in Spanish, the "i" is an "e" sound.

But in this case, it's not in English, okay?

Identify, the stress is on "den", but the pronunciation problem is usually in the beginning.

Let's say this: have.

Now, you might have noticed that when I was saying that, my mouth opened quite a bit,

and your mouth should as well.

What happens is that people tend to take this short "a" sound, "ahh", "ahh", and say "eh",

"hehve", "Hehs".

No, we don't want to say that.

We want to open our mouths and say "have".

Good, good, glad you got that, okay?

So, pay attention to the "a" sound and don't be afraid to open your mouth.

Next, number five: negotiate, negotiate.

Here, the stress is on "go" and this part, I know it's confusing because it's like "tiate",

But what we're really saying is something like "she ate", okay?

Nego - negotiate, alright?

Say it again: negotiate.

You can repeat things many times in order to get your pronunciation right, okay?

Pronunciation takes a little more practice because we're training - retraining our mouths,

we're retraining our brain, we're retraining our hearing.

We want to hear the correct sound.

We want to be able to produce the correct sound, so don't be afraid to practice your

pronunciation several times.

When I work with my clients privately on Skype, usually what we do is during the week, they

send me their pronunciation practice on WhatsApp, because you need to spend a few minutes every

day working on your pronunciation.

That's how, eventually, it will change.

Your mouth will hear it - will say it.

Your ears will hear it, okay?

In the beginning, it's hard to do both of those things, okay?

Next, number six: share.

Some Spanish speakers have a problem with the "ch" and the "sh" sounds, so be careful,

and perhaps some others.

So, repeat it after me.

It's a "sh" at the end, okay - at the beginning.

Shh, shh, just like we say to - in a classroom or something, the teacher might say, "Shh",

Not "chair", like what we sit on, no.

The next one: multiply.

Say it after me: multiply.

So here, what's problematic is the "u", alright?

Some people, by mistake, say "muuhltiply", it's not "uuhl", it's "uh", multiply.

Say it after me: multiply.

Now, let's review these.

Just say them once after me, ready?

And here, multiply.

Let's move on to the next few.

This is confusing because when we say the first one, it's pronounced in a particular

way, and when we say the second one it actually changes, but many people don't realize that

it changes, alright?

So, for example, we say: I say, you say, we say, they say.

That's the first part.

That one, most people say properly, okay?

The mistake usually happens here, because it should be: I say, but he says.

So, it sounds a little bit more like - right?

"Sez", not "Sayz", no.

I say, he says.

The next one: risk.

So here, the trick, especially for Russian speakers, for example, is to make sure you're

not elongating the "I".

Don't say "riiiisk".

Say, nice and short and sweet: risk.

The "I" is very short here.

Number ten: answer.

The stress is here, but what's important is that this short "a" again, see how I'm opening

Answer, it's not "unster", answer.

What's the answer, okay?

So, even if I'm exaggerating it a little bit, you can exaggerate it too in order to feel

it, in order to get it, okay?

Next, now these four, very interesting words.

What happens here is that within each of these last four words, there is another word which

is tricking you, okay?

So, for example, in this word, number eleven, there is the word "mine", right?

There's the word "mine".

By itself, this is "mine", like this marker is mine.

That's correct when you're just saying "mine".

But it's not correct when you say this full verb.

So, this verb is not "deter-mine", this correct pronunciation is determine, determine.

Say it after me: determine.

So, two things are happening.

We're stressing the middle: determine.

And we're not saying this "e", okay?

Just forget it, forget that "e".

Don't forget it when you're spelling, just forget it when you're saying it.

A very, very common mistake.

Next, here what happens is the word that's hiding inside this word is the word "present",

To present, alright?

Like, to present something to someone, or to present your presentation, right?

But when we join it, it doesn't become "re-present", because "re-present" would mean that you present

something again, but that's not the word here.

This word is represent.

I represent the company.

I represent, okay?

Rep - so that's important is not "re" but "rep".

I wanted you to pay attention to this "rep", but the stress is actually here.

The stress is there, but what you have to pay attention to is here.

What's problematic in here is that this word is "sure", sure, right?

We say, "Can I come to your house?"

But here, it's not "sure", it becomes "measure" "jher, jher", almost like sort of a, okay?

A very fast "jher", okay?

Say it after me: measure.

It's not "sure".

And this one, number fourteen, the word that's hiding in here is the word "chase", like to

run after someone, "chase".

But when we say the full verb, it's not "per-chase", it's purchase.

So again, forget the "e" here at the end and the stress is here.

Say it after me: purchase.

So, let's review these.

Measure and - how's the last one?

It's much shorter than you think, and than it looks, okay?

So, good that you've got those, but like I said, with pronunciation we need to practice.

So, let's now put these words into some sentences and see how it goes.

Because sometimes, people get the words by themselves, but when they start speaking,

it kind of falls apart.

So, let's make sure that doesn't happen to you and let's say some sentences with these

So, let's get started, and the way we're going to do that is we're going to use "Let's" before

all of these - the first six sentences, okay?

So, I'm going to say it and then you can repeat after me.

And make sure that you pay attention to the particular word that we learned.

Let's focus on the issue.

Let's focus on the issue.

Let's identify the problem.

Let's identify the problem.

Let's develop a strategy.

Let's develop a strategy.

Number four: Let's have a meeting.

Let's have a meeting.

Five: Let's negotiate a lower price.

Let's negotiate a lower price.

Number six: Let's share the information.

Let's share the information.

Now, we're just going to look at some sentences by themselves that don't start with "Let's",

Number seven: The sign says: No entry.

The sign says: No entry.

Maybe sure you're saying "says" and not that other word.

Number eight: Did they answer yet?

Did they answer yet?

Don't be afraid to open your mouth: answer, okay?

Number nine: Have you determined the price?

So now here, right?

You're getting the past tense form, doesn't matter.

It's still the same.

Have you determined the price?

And number nine - sorry, number ten: They purchased some new computers.

Again, past tense, but doesn't matter.

They purchased - they purchased some new computers.

Now, as I said, if you need to, watch the lesson again, okay?

Because you really need to do that in order to master these words, okay, and the pronunciation

of these words.

Pronunciation takes a little time, okay?

So, these were ten words.

Ten of the most commonly confused business words in terms of pronunciation.

But, if you would really like to improve your pronunciation of more words, as well as your

grammar and your vocabulary and other aspects of English, check out my English course, and

I'll put a link to it in the description below.

And there, you have a chance, in a very quick, easy way, to improve lots of other aspects

of your English.

And by making these small corrections in pronunciation, in grammar, vocabulary, prepositions, you

You can succeed in taking your English to a higher level.

It's not a dream, it can happen, okay?

I see it happen with students all the time, and we're getting a lot of good feedback from

our course as well, okay?

So, also, if you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and ring

the bell so you get notifications whenever we have a new lesson.

There is no quiz for this, but the quiz is something you can create for yourself by watching

again, repeating, recording, listening to yourself, and moving forward and improving.

All the best with your English.