Do You Speak Like a Millennial? Here's How to Tell

One thing that most people who mumble have in common is they just don’t speak clearly. In tip one, you learned that it is important to open your mouth and move your lips when you speak, as this helps you speak more clearly and project your voice more. Now that you have practiced that, you are ready to become one step closer to eliminating mumbling and becoming a speaker who is easy to understand!
Start pronouncing words more clearly by focusing on pronouncing some of the “tongue tip” sounds firmly and clearly. For this article, we will be concentrating on the consonant sounds t, d, n, and l. 
What makes the t, d, n and l sounds so special? These sounds are used very frequently in American English and require some tongue strength to pronounce them clearly. All of these sounds are formed by placing the tip of the tongue just behind the upper front teeth on what is called the “alveolar ridge.” This is the flat part behind your top front teeth. You can feel it if you begin by touching your tongue tip on the back of your upper front teeth and slowly let your tongue move back in your mouth. At the end of the ridge you will feel the roof of your mouth arch upward.  In American English, the tongue tip should never touch the back of your upper front teeth. Try to keep it on the ridge about half way back.
If you are not pressing hard enough on the roof of your mouth when you form the t, d, n and l sounds, then many words you say may sound unclear, especially multi-syllabic words. For example, let’s take the word “generally.” If the “n” in the middle of this word is not formed clearly, the word might end up sounding like. “geh-ruh-lee.” Not only does the “n” get omitted, but a syllable sounds like it’s omitted, as well.
Read aloud every day to practice this new tip and record your speech to see how you sound. Are you pronouncing all the sounds in words clearly? Can you hear the t, d, n and l sounds in multi-syllabic words or do they sound unclear? Think about these questions and your answers when you listen to your speech and make adjustments, as needed. Review any words you said that you think were unclear. Chances are they contained one of the tongue tip consonants!
In summary, tongue-tip consonants, such as t, d, n and l occur very frequently in English and make a huge difference in how clearly we speak. If your tongue tip does not press firmly enough on the ridge, words can sound unclear or have a sound or syllable missing. Take your time when you pronounce words, and you will be one step closer to sounding clear and confident!

The words "everyday" and "every day" are common words we all use many, many times a day. When we say them, they sound exactly alike, but when we write them there is a definite difference. The problem occurs when we write them, as many people misuse them and don't realize it.

"Everyday" is written as one word with no space between them, and "every day" is written as two words and does have a space between them. They can both be classified as "compound words." A compound word is two or more words put together as a single unit or word with a specific meaning. In the case of a two-word compound word, there may be a space between them or they may be put together as one word.
Does the space between "everyday" and "every day" mean anything, or do these compound words mean the same thing? Don't let that little space between them fool you! It is the key to understanding their meaning. Too many people make the mistake of misusing them. We see it constantly in writing, and most of us don't even realize it. Yes, these two words DO have different meanings and are two different types of words. Don't be one of those people who makes a mistake; learn how to use them correctly when you write!
First, let's take a look at "everyday." It is made up of "every" and "day", but they are put together without a space between them and is considered a single unit. Without the space, "everyday" is an adjective to mean something that is typical, a common occurrence or something that is seen or done each day. For example, "My everyday exercising program lasts 30 minutes." In this sentence, "everyday" describes my exercising program and means a program that I typically do each day. When you see "everyday" without a space in between them, it will always have this meaning.
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Next, "every day" also consists of "every" and "day", but here we put a space in between them. With the space, it now becomes a noun. The phrase is used to mean each day. To make it easy, think of "each" as describing "day" so that it means "each day." For example, "Every day I go to work." Every day in this case means "each day."
Hopefully, you will now feel more confident when writing everyday words correctly every day!

Many people ask me how they can improve their vocabulary. There are many ways to accomplish this. Let's talk about one that is something you can do every day.

One great way is to read, whether it is a book, a newspaper article or information on the web. Keep a notebook with you and write down any words that you don't know. Then, look them up in a dictionary.  These days there are many great online dictionaries, with www.dictionary.com being one of the best that I've found.  

Once you write down the words you want to learn and look up them up, also take a look at synonyms for them. Now you not only have one new word to use, but several to choose from!

For example, let's say you see the word "superfluous" in an article somewhere and you don't know this word. On www.dictionary.com, this word is defined as follows:

Superfluous is an adjective that means being more than is sufficient or required; excessive
unnecessary or needless
obsolete-possessing or spending more than enough or necessary; extravagant.

The above definitions for superfluous also included some synonyms. There you go! If you want to check to see synonyms for this word, click on the "thesaurus.com" on the dictionary.com website, which will take you to another area.  Insert the word "superfluous" to view a plethora of synonyms to use.  Now you have some great alternatives in addition to superfluous to use!

One thing that most people who mumble have in common is they just don’t speak clearly. In tip one, you learned that it is important to open your mouth and move your lips when you speak, as this helps you speak more clearly and project your voice more. Now that you have practiced that, you are ready to become one step closer to eliminating mumbling and becoming a speaker who is easy to understand!
Start pronouncing words more clearly by focusing on pronouncing some of the “tongue tip” sounds firmly and clearly. For this article, we will be concentrating on the consonant sounds t, d, n, and l. 
What makes the t, d, n and l sounds so special? These sounds are used very frequently in American English and require some tongue strength to pronounce them clearly. All of these sounds are formed by placing the tip of the tongue just behind the upper front teeth on what is called the “alveolar ridge.” This is the flat part behind your top front teeth. You can feel it if you begin by touching your tongue tip on the back of your upper front teeth and slowly let your tongue move back in your mouth. At the end of the ridge you will feel the roof of your mouth arch upward.  In American English, the tongue tip should never touch the back of your upper front teeth. Try to keep it on the ridge about half way back.
If you are not pressing hard enough on the roof of your mouth when you form the t, d, n and l sounds, then many words you say may sound unclear, especially multi-syllabic words. For example, let’s take the word “generally.” If the “n” in the middle of this word is not formed clearly, the word might end up sounding like. “geh-ruh-lee.” Not only does the “n” get omitted, but a syllable sounds like it’s omitted, as well.
Read aloud every day to practice this new tip and record your speech to see how you sound. Are you pronouncing all the sounds in words clearly? Can you hear the t, d, n and l sounds in multi-syllabic words or do they sound unclear? Think about these questions and your answers when you listen to your speech and make adjustments, as needed. Review any words you said that you think were unclear. Chances are they contained one of the tongue tip consonants!
In summary, tongue-tip consonants, such as t, d, n and l occur very frequently in English and make a huge difference in how clearly we speak. If your tongue tip does not press firmly enough on the ridge, words can sound unclear or have a sound or syllable missing. Take your time when you pronounce words, and you will be one step closer to sounding clear and confident!

Do people keep telling you that they can't understand what you say and ask you to repeat?

Do people say that they can't hear you and tell you to speak up?  

If you receive these questions often, then you are most likely a mumbler! You try to speak more loudly, and you repeat when people ask you, but you may be feeling that your speech just doesn't seem to get any better. What are you doing wrong, you wonder?

This is the first article in a series of three that will help you overcome mumbling and learn how to articulate and speak clearly so that everyone can hear you and understand you.

Tip number is to open your mouth!
When Americans speak, one thing that non-native English speakers notice is that we open our mouths and move our lips a lot.  This is part of our language, but is not a part of many other languages.  Other languages, such as Indian languages (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, etc), Spanish, Russian, just to name a few,  do not require you to open your mouth much. The sounds in these languages are all inside the mouth, which means that the teeth can be close together and the lips do not need to move very much. 

If you keep your teeth too close together when you speak English, it may sound to others like you are slurring your words together, not pronouncing words clearly and not speaking loudly enough.  You should never speak with your teeth completely together because it is very difficult to speak American English clearly this way.

Here is an exercise to practice to help you get used to opening your mouth more when you speak.
Stand in front of the mirror and look at your mouth while you talk about something you did during your day. Speak for about 30 seconds. This is enough time to be able to see what your teeth are doing when you talk. Ask your self this question:  Did you keep your teeth close together, so that there were was little or no space between your upper and lower teeth?  Most likely the answer is yes.

Repeat this exercise, but this time when you speak, make sure you can see a space between your upper and lower teeth. If you can fit the tip of your index finger between your teeth while you are speaking, then you are opening your mouth, at least a little bit.

Once you feel comfortable with a little space between your teeth, now it's time for the second part of this exercise.  Practicing saying a couple of vowels that require you to open your mouth wide. Start by saying what I call the "open vowels". Here are a couple: "ay" as in the word "able" and "ae" as in the word "apple."  Your teeth need to be open enough so that you can see inside your mouth.  Practice saying these vowels at least five times each.  Now trying saying these words:  "May", "day", "aim", "after", "action."  Think of some other words that have the "ay" and "ae" sounds in them, and stand in front of a mirror while you say them to make sure you are opening your mouth wide.  The last part of this exercise is to try saying some of those words in short sentences. For example:  Yesterday I ate an apple.

Now try saying what I call "circle" vowels, such as "aw" as in the word "off" and "oh" as in the word "open." When you say the "aw" sound, keep your lips in an oval shape and your mouth open.  When you say "oh", start with your lips in an oval shape and then end with your lips in a tight circle, as when you see "oo. Your lips move when you say this sound. Think of some words with both of these sounds and practice saying them in front of a mirror.  Keep your eyes on your mouth to make sure you're making the correct shapes and opening up your mouth widely enough.  Next, say a few of the words you thought of in sentences.  For example:  I am off work tomorrow.

Now try reading aloud. Remember to keep your teeth at least open enough so that your index finger can fit between them, in general.  When you say "ay" and "ae", your mouth should be open wide.  When you say "aw" and "oh", your lips should be in an oval and circle.  

Once you feel comfortable with opening your mouth, you will be ready for tip number two!  

If you are interested in taking private classes to improve your spoken English, please contact Cheryl Posey at speakingyourbest@gmail.com or visit our website at www.speakingyourbest.com to take a look at the courses we offer.   You can quickly learn how to be a success by speaking your best!

I guess I better start studying! Lol. I’ve heard some of these, but here’s the list of new vocabulary!

Bae – This is used to describe someone/something which is dear to you. Example: “Bae and I are going on a boat cruise tomorrow.”

On Fleek – This word means “perfection”. It is usually used to describe something that looks on point. It was originated when a vine user uploaded a video of her saying her eyebrows were on fleek. Example: “Your shoes are on fleek.”

Yas – This word doesn’t have a particular spelling – it varies. It is used when “yes” isn’t just enough to show your excitement. It was originated from a video of a fan screaming “yass” enthusiastically when Lady Gaga looked good. Example: “YASSSSS, that show was live”.
Shade – This means to slightly insult someone in a polite way. Saying something disrespectful in a sweet way. Example: “You don’t just throw shade at people”.

Turnt – This is mostly used when describing a party, usually to hype the party. A synonym is ‘live’. Example: “Yassss, this party is turnt/live! “

Slay – This is mostly used when it comes to ladies fashion – not exclusively – to describe someone looking dapper. To say someone killed it. Example: “You look beautiful, Slay queen”.
Zero chill – This term is opposite of ‘chill’ – it means having no form of calm. When someone doesn’t care anymore so they hit hard on the issue at hand. Example: “When it comes to food, you have zero chill.”
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Stay woke – This is a term that acts as a reminder to people to be aware of controversies and things going on in the society that are most times overlooked. Example: “Don’t be deceived by information from the media. Stay woke.”

Sub – This means to talk about someone without indicating their name or tagging them. It’s mostly when the first party disses the second party without indicating who they’re talking about. Example: “Stop throwing subs at me coward, mention me if you can.”
Or nah – This means “or not”. It was originated from The Weeknd song featuring TY Dolla Sign. In the song, he asked questions and ended them with “or nah”. Example: “Are you going to the club or nah?”

TBT – Am sure you probably know this one. It is short for ‘Throwback Thursday’. Usually comes after a hashtag. It is used when you want to post something from a long time ago e.g. 2010 
😉
FBF – Now this one you might not know. It is short for ‘Flashback Friday’ – almost the same meaning as ‘Throwback Thursday.’

MCM – This is short for ‘Man-crush Monday’. This is used when you want to post a picture of someone that is your crush for one reason or the other. Obviously, usually on Mondays.
WCW – This means ‘Woman-crush Wednesday’ – the same thing as “Man-crush Monday’ but mostly posted on Wednesday and for a woman!

FR – This is short for “For real.” A synonym is “Are you serious?”. Used to confirm something you just heard. It is mostly rhetorical. Example: someone tells a guy his sister is pregnant and he goes “Are you for real?” or “fr?”
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AF – This is used to lay emphasis on something, to show how deep it is or to make your point stronger. Example “I’m tired as fuck.”
There. You now have 16 of some of the slangs people use online. To fit in well, just learn these words, use them and you’re good to go.