Vocabulary practice · Episode 46

Review the useful expressions from the episode

Study the episode’s central expressions with English definitions, nuance and examples, plus reviewed support-language versions where available.

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A short study session

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  1. Choose one expression. Read its definition, nuance and examples.
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Vocabulary from the episode

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Expression 1

to articulate

to form sounds or words clearly with the mouth; to express ideas clearly and precisely in speech

Nuance: Articulate has two uses — physical (forming sounds) and intellectual (expressing ideas). For pronunciation work, the physical sense is key: where does your tongue go? How does your jaw move?

To articulate the TH sound correctly, place your tongue lightly between your upper and lower teeth.

The more you articulate each sound deliberately, the more automatic it becomes over time.

Expression 2

to mouth

to form words silently with the lips and tongue without making a sound — useful for practising pronunciation anywhere

Nuance: Mouthing is a stealth practice technique — you can practise TH sounds on the bus, in a meeting, anywhere. Silent repetition builds the muscle memory of articulation without requiring a private space.

Mouth the TH words quietly while you listen — your muscles are learning even when no sound comes out.

She mouthed every new phrase ten times before she said it out loud — and it worked beautifully.

Expression 3

to drill

to practise a specific skill or piece of language repeatedly and intentionally in order to make it automatic

Nuance: Drill gets a bad reputation from old-fashioned language teaching — repetition for its own sake. But deliberate drilling of specific sounds or phrases, in short bursts, is one of the most effective pronunciation tools available.

Drill the TH sound for two minutes every morning — just those words, just that sound.

She drilled the sentence ten times and then used it naturally in a real conversation that afternoon.

Expression 4

to mimic

to copy someone's speech, sounds, or movements as closely as possible in order to reproduce them

Nuance: Mimic is the core verb of language imitation — it is what children do naturally, and what adult learners must do consciously. Mimicking a native speaker's rhythm, intonation, and stress patterns is more effective for accent development than studying phonetics in isolation.

Mimic the exact sentence you just heard — not just the words, but the speed, tone, and pauses.

She spent ten minutes mimicking a news presenter and was surprised how quickly her delivery improved.

Expression 5

intonation

the rise and fall of the pitch of your voice as you speak — how your voice goes up and down to convey meaning

Nuance: Intonation is one of the least-taught but most important aspects of English. The same words with different intonation convey completely different meanings or emotions. Mastering intonation is what makes English sound natural rather than flat, robotic, or monotone.

Pay attention to intonation when you listen — the same sentence can mean several different things depending on how it rises and falls.

She was told her grammar was perfect but her intonation was flat — so she spent a month mimicking news presenters.

Expression 6

to record yourself

to make an audio or video recording of yourself speaking in order to listen back and identify how you actually sound

Nuance: Recording yourself is the most honest feedback tool available to any language learner. It removes the distorted perception of your own voice and replaces it with evidence. Listening back shows you things you cannot notice while speaking: pace, filler words, intonation, pronunciation.

Record yourself speaking English for two minutes — then listen back. What did you notice?

She had resisted recording herself for years because she hated her voice, but the feedback changed everything.

Expression 7

to repeat out loud

to say something aloud multiple times in order to build the muscle memory and confidence needed to use it naturally

Nuance: Repeat out loud is the physical practice of language — it engages your mouth, not just your mind. Silent study reads words; repeating out loud encodes them into speech. The body needs to practise language the way a musician practises scales — physically, repeatedly, aloud.

Repeat new phrases out loud ten times immediately after hearing them — your mouth needs to practise, not just your mind.

She repeated every new expression out loud in the car on the way home and arrived speaking better than when she left.

Expression 8

to work on your accent

to deliberately practise and modify the way you pronounce sounds in order to speak more clearly or more naturally

Nuance: Work on your accent is not about erasing your identity — it is about clarity and confidence. Every learner has an accent; the goal is to be understood without effort. Focused accent work — recording yourself, mimicking, drilling specific sounds — produces rapid results.

Work on your accent by targeting the specific sounds in English that do not exist in your first language.

She worked on her accent for twenty minutes a day for two months and was amazed by the results.

Expression 9

a tongue twister

a phrase designed to be difficult to say quickly due to repeated similar sounds — used to practise pronunciation

Nuance: Tongue twisters are the fun side of pronunciation training. They isolate specific sounds and force rapid alternation. 'She sells seashells by the seashore' isolates the S and SH sounds. Using tongue twisters as a warm-up before speaking in English trains your mouth to move faster and more accurately.

Try this tongue twister: She sells seashells by the seashore. Say it fast five times and feel your mouth work.

She used tongue twisters every morning as a five-minute warm-up before her English speaking practice.

Expression 10

to get your mouth around something

to be able to physically pronounce a word or sound that is difficult or unfamiliar for your mouth

Nuance: Get your mouth around something is an informal, vivid phrase for the challenge of pronouncing new sounds. It acknowledges that speaking is physical, not just cognitive. Some English sounds — TH, the short I, the schwa — require muscle training before they come naturally.

The TH sound is something many learners take weeks to get their mouths around — and that is completely normal.

She could not get her mouth around 'specifically' for months, until she broke it into three parts and drilled each one.

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