In this module
Cambridge Veritas · Original TESOL self-study resources
Module overview
Pronunciation planning should identify a useful outcome and the feature most likely to affect it. A listener’s misunderstanding can reveal a need, while a clear accent difference may require no correction. Diagnose perception and production, choose a small intervention and return to communication. This keeps pronunciation integrated with the messages learners need to understand and deliver, and avoids treating resemblance to one speaker as the sole measure of success.
Use the guides below to connect the core ideas with practical teaching decisions. Each guide contains a classroom example, an application task and a sample response. Work through the whole module, or choose a topic for a lesson you are preparing.
Explore the topics
Intelligibility and pronunciation goals
A practical pronunciation goal is successful understanding in the learner’s likely interactions. Accent difference is not automatically a communication problem. Select features from observed misunderstandings and the demands of the task rather than aim to erase a speaker’s identity.
Read the guide & try the taskReception before and alongside production
Hearing a difference and producing it are related but distinct abilities. Diagnose both. A learner may produce a sound in isolation but fail to recognise it in a sentence, or recognise it without yet producing it consistently.
Read the guide & try the taskModelling, mouth position and visual cues
A model should be audible, natural and focused on the feature being taught. A mirror, gesture or mouth-position cue can make an unfamiliar articulation clearer. Use only enough explanation to help the learner attempt and assess the sound.
Read the guide & try the taskDrilling, backchaining and connected phrases
Brief drilling can help learners rehearse an unfamiliar sound sequence. Backchaining builds a phrase from the final chunk while preserving its stress pattern. It should lead into meaningful use rather than become the whole lesson.
Read the guide & try the taskPronunciation in grammar and vocabulary lessons
Pronunciation need not be a separate lesson. New grammar and vocabulary have spoken forms that learners need to recognise and use. Choose a small feature that matters for the target item, such as a contraction, stress or an ending.
Read the guide & try the taskFeedback and transfer to communication
Select pronunciation feedback from evidence of a difficulty or a useful learning opportunity. Recast, gesture, clarify or model according to the learner and task. After correction, provide another chance to communicate the message successfully.
Read the guide & try the taskPutting the module into practice
- 01
Observe a relevant communication difficulty and identify a specific sound, prominence or connected-speech focus.
- 02
Check recognition and production separately before selecting the practice demand.
- 03
Provide a clear model, a useful cue and a brief supported rehearsal.
- 04
Return to an information-transfer task and use the listener response to evaluate improvement.
Support and extension
Reduce phrase length, provide listening choices and allow a private or paired rehearsal before a public attempt.
Vary the phrase or interaction so learners must preserve intelligibility while attending to a new message.
Check your understanding
Plan a teaching task
Choose one guide from this module. Use its classroom scenario or adapt the task for a group you know.
- Learners and purpose: Describe the context and what learners need to do.
- Success criterion: State one observable outcome.
- Procedure: Plan the setup, model, learner task and feedback.
- Support and extension: Include a way into the task and an extra challenge.
- Evidence and reflection: Decide what to observe and what would make you change the plan.
Module questions
Where should I begin with this module?
Observe a relevant communication difficulty and identify a specific sound, prominence or connected-speech focus.
How can I make the work accessible?
Reduce phrase length, provide listening choices and allow a private or paired rehearsal before a public attempt.
How can I go beyond the first attempt?
Vary the phrase or interaction so learners must preserve intelligibility while attending to a new message.
Sources and authorship
This module maps to the supplied syllabus PDF, Teaching pronunciation (5 pages). The study notes, examples, application tasks and self-checks on these pages are original Cambridge Veritas resources.
View the supplied PDF ↗ · Publication reference: source chapter
Written by Cambridge Veritas. Updated .
Use these resources for preparation and reflection. Browser self-check results are for personal study and do not award a qualification or replace observed teaching practice.