Free Downloads Clear Speech: Pronunciation And Listening Comprehension In North American English, 4th Edition
Clear Speech, the world's favorite pronunciation series, helps students master the most important features of spoken English. The Clear Speech, Fourth Edition, Student's Book provides easy-to-follow presentations, helpful rules, and extensive practice in pronunciation. This revised edition offers new and updated content, additional visual support, and is now in full color. The full Student's Book audio program is available for download at www.cambridge.org/clearspeech
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 4th edition (August 13, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1107682959
ISBN-13: 978-1107682955
Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.4 x 10 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #15,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #34 in Books > Textbooks > Reference > Dictionaries #37 in Books > Reference > English as a Second Language #40 in Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Dictionaries
I started teaching with the second edition of Clear Speech in the early 1990s, and although I have tried other pronunciation textbooks at times, I still go back to Clear Speech. It has a pleasant approach that makes students feel comfortable. Unlike many pronunciation resources, it doesn't just focus on individual sounds, but on all of the things that go into making English speech intelligible, including word stress, rhythm and prosody. The book also gives rules that help students figure out, with a rather good rate of accuracy, how to pronounce vowels based on the spelling of the words they are in, thus easing what is otherwise often a torment for new speakers of English.The 4th edition has been thoughtfully revised to be even more helpful, and the attractive color graphics and illustrations make using the book still more pleasant.Clear Speech is not only good for learning pronunciation, however. I used to say that the book also teaches clear listening, because the exercises intended to help learners pronounce better also make them better at deciphering natural native English speech when they hear it. Also, I had an advanced student once who, at my suggestion, used Clear Speech in conjunction with elementary level handwriting books to teach her mother-in-law to read and write in English. So, while the book is intended as a pronunciation method, it benefits learners in many other ways.
Judy Gilbert's 'Clear Speech' has, for years, been an essential help for teachers of American English who are aware of the importance of pronunciation in the syllabus. What has been fascinating to watch is how, from one edition to the next, the author has incorporated new ideas about what actually happens when we speak (and when we listen to speech), while sticking to her basic approach: how to make things simple, clear and fun.Not only that: the people at Cambridge University Press have also done their bit in improving each edition. The layout is clearer; colour is increasingly used not just to make the book look good but also to highlight key aspects of speech; the diagrams illustrating what actually happens in the production of sounds are useful and dramatic.Perhaps the most intriguing innovation is the use of modern technology to improve the learning process, especially when the student is working without a teacher. The complete audio program for the listening tasks is available for students to download as MP3s on the 'Clear Speech' website; and (for younger learners) a games app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is available for a modest price.Congratulations all round.
A very good pronunciation book to teach with, but I failed to notice that the book did not include DVDs which accompany it. Also English Pronunciation in Use, by Cambridge, should be considered. I prefer it over Clear Speech.
I love this book though I wish I had started my high level class with the 2nd Edition Clear Speech From the Start and worked a way up to this book. I thought since they were a level four class that they should have a highest level book but Cl. Speech From the Start would have been a better launching pad. I highly recommend these books. I am finding that so many of my students already know a lot of Vocabulary but they aren't understood and don't understand what's being said to them. I have really seen the lights come on since using these books. The teacher's manuals have really usable advise and I understand so much more about pronunciation. The lessons are flow and keep the student's attention. My student's come in enthusiastic about learning another unit. I recommend the Clear Speech books for all levels and multi level classes. This book is okay for all levels but again 2nd Edition Clear Speech From the Start if available would be better to start them with. I plan on always having these books in my tool kit and to never leave home without them. My beginner level students are for the most part effectively pronouncing the TH sound with only two lessons. They have a firmer grasp of long and short vowels and the reasons for the music of English. They are very interested in the mechanics of speaking which is well explained in these books. Due to using Clear Speech this year in class, I have watched my students grow in confidence unlike any class I have ever had in the last 8 years Can't say enough good things about Clear Speech series.
First of all, let me say that Judy Gilbert knows a lot about pronunciation. This is not just a book of pronunciation practice. It is a book about the whys and hows of pronunciation. I don't agree with everything in it, and it would be a difficult book for any of my students to understand--the student book uses words like continuants, stops, glide, and structure words. It uses a phonetic symbol scheme that has some unusual symbols in it. And it's difficult to download the listening files (you have to do them one by one). That said, the student book is a great teacher's book. It has changed the way I teach pronunciation forever. I will use and reuse some of the exercises in the book for the rest of my career. It is the best book on American English pronunciation I have ever read. Every American EFL/ESL teacher, whether or not they believe in teaching pronunciation, should own this book. I just think it's too difficult for the average student.*EFL = English as a Foreign Language, for speakers of English outside of the US or Canada ESL = English as a Second Language, for speakers of English living in the US or Canada, or thinking of migrating there
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