“She sells seashells by the seashore” and "If a woodchuck could chuck wood" are classic tongue twisters and aren’t just whimsical phrases but one of many tools language learners use to polish their pronunciation and articulate troublesome English sounds. For students and enthusiasts alike, tongue twisters are not only entertaining but they also serve as an effective and fun way to test and improve your English skills.
In this blog post, we’ll explore some challenging English tongue twisters perfect for language learners seeking to refine their pronunciation. Of course, the best way to use these tongue twisters is to say them out loud–so don’t just read them; try to repeat them and see how fast you can go without stumbling. Incorporating funny tongue twisters into your practice can make learning more enjoyable for kids and adults alike.
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Tongue twisters are phrases or sentences that are challenging to articulate because they contain similar-sounding syllables, words, or letters. They serve as a form of speaking exercise that can help with speech clarity, pronunciation and fluency in any language.
They can be especially helpful for those learning English, as the language’s diverse range of phonemes (distinct units of sound) provides a great exercise for all manner of verbal communication. Tongue twisters can be seen as a form of verbal gymnastics that challenges language learners.
When you’re just beginning, start with some straightforward tongue twisters in English. These will help you get a sense of rhythm, which is crucial for getting your mouth used to the mechanics of English pronunciation. You’ve likely heard of this first one.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to up the ante. These slightly more complex tongue twisters will begin to challenge your diction and speed of speech.
For those ready to push their skills to the limit, these tongue twisters are particularly tough. They involve tricky combinations of phonemes and are a true workout for your mouth.
This depends on who you ask, but a named the challenge of "Pad kid poured curd pulled cod" the most difficult tongue twister in the world. The phrases “kid poured curd pulled” and “poured curd pulled cod” show why many have twisted their tongues trying to pronounce it.
Another example of a challenging tongue twister is “nearly eerie ear,” emphasizing its difficulty in pronunciation and showcasing the complexity of certain sounds and words.
Here are some steps to follow when practicing with tongue twisters:
Incorporating tongue twisters into your daily language-learning routine can significantly enhance your spoken English skills. Here are a few creative ways to make them part of your practice:
Remember, the key is consistency and enjoyment. By regularly challenging yourself with using tongue twisters in English, you’ll gradually notice improvements in your fluency, articulation and confidence in speaking English. Using tongue twisters daily can serve as a form of practice for your speech muscles.
Whether you’re a novice or an advanced English learner, tongue twisters are not only a fantastic way to improve your linguistic skills but also serve as an effective diagnostic tool to identify pronunciation challenges.
They can pinpoint which sounds you struggle with and provide a focused platform to work on them. Just remember, even fluent English speakers can trip over these tricky sentences, so take your time and enjoy the process.
Feeling tongue-tied yet? Take this opportunity to untangle your tongue and brush up on your English skills. Visit our blog for more tips, tricks and guides on mastering the English language.
It's incredible to know that there are thousands of languages spoken across the world, each with its unique set of challenges for learners. A question that often pops up is: "Which language is the hardest to learn?". Today we take a closer look at this question and consider different factors that make learning a language challenging.
Preparing students for the modern world of work can be challenging; it's constantly adapting and changing which can be hard to keep track of. Today's post is a Q&A on the teaching of employability skills and the essential skills and qualities students need to thrive in the 21st century. offers insights to answer common questions and help you improve your language teaching skills.
My advice is to push the issue back to the students by putting them in groups and asking each group to identify a different job/career that involves people working with others. Then ask "What would happen if this job was competitive?instead of collaborative?" You may have to re-explain the concepts, but let students write a little story about a situation in which the workers suddenly all turn competitive.
For example, It was chaos in the women's soccer/football game. All the members of the blue team suddenly became competitive. Each one still wanted to win, but each decided that she would shoot a ball into the other team's net. This included the goalie, who ran up to the front of the field and purposely shoved and tripped members of her team ….
Or for more traditional jobs, In the middle of the operation the nurse pushed the doctor out of the way and picked up the instrument. The patient also wasn’t completely asleep, and he tried to do the operation himself, then …
It's all absurd, of course, but it can lead into other tasks asking students why collaboration is so important in each job. Then, turning it back to language, what kinds of language does each profession require to collaborate? For soccer/football players, this includes shouted requests and commands:?Pass the ball to me! Shoot!?as well as hand and body gestures. Similarly, doctors require professional jargon:?Pass me the scalpel, please.?Rather than?Give me the pointy knife thing!
One hundred years ago, in 1923, Thomas Edison predicted that motion pictures would replace teachers and books. Since then, similar predictions have been made for radio, TV and computers. It hasn't happened, and one of the reasons is that we crave the human touch in our teaching and learning. I recently read. "When it comes to getting knowledge to stick, there may be no substitute for human relationships. … I've been to former students' weddings and baby showers and funerals of their parents," says Millard, the high school English teacher in Michigan. "I've hugged my students. I've high-fived my students. I've cried with my students. A computer will never do that. Ever, ever.”(Waxman, 2023, para. 21-22)
But, that doesn’t mean teachers should stop learning about new technologies. We need to keep finding ways for them to help us and our language learners in the classroom. It can seem overwhelming, though, which is why I recommend shifting responsibility to students: “Do any of you know about ChatGPT? Yes? How do you think you could use it to help you learn?” ??? ?
Although the world is in many ways competitive, there are countless examples of how students will do better by collaborating. Most of our students today won't be working in environments where they are competing against their co-workers. Instead, they'll be in teams and need critical thinking and negotiation skills to help them do so.
One way forward is to ensure that your classroom features more collaborative activities. Get students working in pairs and groups on all their assignments, but also create a buddy system so students always have someone else to ask for help. For example, if they're having to read a text and come across difficulties, it's often easier for them to text or call a friend than to wait until the next class. After a few collaborative activities, discuss collaboration versus competition with students and ask them which they prefer. Also, ask them for examples of what their friends and family members do regarding collaborating and competing.
As always, it's better to lead students to understand a new idea than to tell them.
If you want to learn more, make sure to check out Ken's webinar here. If you'd like to learn more about teaching future skills to students check out?21st-century skills and the English language classroom.
Ehsan Gorji is an Iranian teacher, teacher trainer and teacher educator. He also designs strategic plans, devises study syllabuses, runs quality-check observations, and develops materials and tests for different language institutes and schools in the country. Ehsan has been a GSE Thought Leader and Expert Rater since 2016.?
Reflective teaching, despite it sounding modern and sophisticated, has not yet become a common practice among English language teachers. However, the experiential??proposed by??offers a practical approach for teachers. The cycle involves teaching a lesson, reflecting on "what we did" and "how we did them," and then using that reflection to improve future English classes. By using this approach, teachers can prepare for better teaching in the long term.
