Intermediate Pronunciation & Mistakes (B1 · 32 lessons)
Intermediate pronunciation & mistakes covers fluent everyday communication: complex tenses, linking words and common phrases. Open any lesson below for the explanation, examples and practice points.
Intonation in Questions
Rising for yes/no; falling for wh-.
Connected Speech and Linking
Words blend in natural speech.
The Schwa Sound
The most common English vowel.
Weak Forms
Function words reduced in speech.
Minimal Pairs
Words differing by one sound.
TH Sounds
Voiced and unvoiced th.
Mistake: Affect vs Effect
affect = verb; effect = noun.
Mistake: Lose vs Loose
lose = misplace; loose = not tight.
Mistake: Then vs Than
then = time; than = comparison.
Mistake: Fewer vs Less
fewer with countables; less with uncountables.
Mistake: Who vs Whom
who = subject; whom = object.
Mistake: Lay vs Lie
lay needs an object; lie doesn't.
Mistake: Accept vs Except
accept = receive; except = excluding.
Mistake: Advice vs Advise
advice = noun; advise = verb.
Mistake: Principal vs Principle
principal = head/main; principle = rule.
Mistake: Stationary vs Stationery
still vs writing materials.
British vs American English
Vocabulary and spelling differences.
Commonly Misspelled Words
Learn tricky spellings.
Sound: Sentence-Final Intonation
Falling tone for statements; rising for yes/no questions.
Sound: Silent Syllables
Some words lose a syllable.
Sound: Tricky Spellings
Some spelling patterns have many sounds.
Mistake: Comprise vs Compose
The whole comprises the parts.
Mistake: Imply vs Infer
imply = suggest; infer = deduce.
Mistake: Further vs Farther
farther = distance; further = more/extra.
Mistake: Amount vs Number
amount + uncountable; number + countable.
Mistake: Historic vs Historical
historic = important; historical = about history.
Mistake: Continual vs Continuous
continual repeats; continuous never stops.
Mistake: Disinterested vs Uninterested
disinterested = neutral; uninterested = bored.
Mistake: Elicit vs Illicit
elicit = draw out; illicit = illegal.
Mistake: Practice vs Practise
British: noun practice, verb practise.
Mistake: Licence vs License
British: noun licence, verb license.
Mistake: Eminent vs Imminent
eminent = famous; imminent = about to happen.
Other levels for Pronunciation & Mistakes: Beginner · Elementary · Upper-Intermediate · Advanced