Tag: speak fluently

The Tongue Twister Challenge (Intensity Level 3)

teacherjulieta2 Comments

Workout for your English muscles

A great way to improve your pronunciation and fluency is by saying tongue twisters as fast as you can. Tongue twisters are great to exercise your English muscles. Are you ready to complete this fun challenge?

Have you completed Intensity level 1 and 2? If not, click the button below.

If you are an intermediate student, you can use Intensity Level 1 as your warm up.

Complete Intensity Level 1

If you are an advanced student, you can use Intensity Level 1 and Level 2 as your warm up

Complete Intensity Level 2

Let’s start!

Say each of the following tongue twisters five times as fast as you can. If you are not sure about the correct pronunciation you can play the audio first and repeat after me. Then you can say the tongue twister slowly and when you feel confident about your pronunciation you increase the speed.

1.  I scream, you scream, all scream for ice cream.

2. Three free throws.

3. Rubber baby buggy bumpers.

Let’s increase the intensity

4.  Birdie birdie in the sky laid a turdie in my eye.
If cows could fly I’d have a cow pie in my eye.

5.  Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Spread it thick, say it quick!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Spread it thicker, say it quicker!

6.  Betty Botter bought some butter
But she said the butter’s bitter
If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter
But a bit of better butter will make my batter better
So ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.

DOWNLOAD the worksheet with audio to practice anytime, anywhere.

Get it

Try out this tongue twisters and let me know how it went. Which was the most difficult one? Leave your answers in the comments below.

Happy practice!

How to choose a good movie to practice English

teacherjulieta1 Comment

Watching movies in English can be one of the best ways to improve your English. There is no doubt that it’s easier to learn something if you are having fun and enjoying what you are doing. However, for lower level students watching a movie in English sometimes can be a torture. It is not fun when everybody is laughing or crying and you don’t understand what’s going on.

My students always ask me about the best movies to practice their English. I honestly don’t know much about movies because I don’t like to watch commercial movies. I prefer to watch movies about real and meaningful stories. I have to admit that I’m not the kind of person that can suggest a movie to pass time. Each person has different preferences in regards of movies. However, I can give you some tips so you can choose a good movie yourself.

Tip # 1

Watch a movie that you would watch in your first language. Don’t watch a movie just because everybody is watching it. The same rule should apply to books. Just because Shakespeare was the most famous English writer of all times, it doesn’t mean that you must read “Romeo and Juliet”.

Tip # 2

Watch a movie that you have already watched in your first language. When you already know what the story is about it is easier to focus on the vocabulary and new expressions. It’s not easy to learn new phrases and expressions if you don’t understand the plot.

Tip # 3

Don’t try to understand everything the first time you watch a movie in English. It is okay not to understand everything. It is okay to watch the same movie many times. It is okay to watch a movie with subtitles in English several times.

Tip # 4

Try to memorize the dialogues or songs of your favorite scenes. If your favorite movie is a Hollywood movie or a Disney movie, watch it in English and try to memorize the dialogues. I’m sure that you have already memorized some dialogues in your first language. It will be super easy to memorize the dialogues in English.

Other teachers may have different opinions. Thus, you have to follow the advice that is good for your learning style and your learning capabilities. I’m sharing my advice as an ESL teacher who has worked with literacy and beginner students for a number of years. I have seen how torturing it is for someone who doesn’t understand what is going on to enjoy something that is supposed to be fun.

Remember that watching movies is a hobby and hobbies are meant to be pleasant, not torturing.

I would like to share with you three English movies that according to my students are easy to understand even for lower levels:

1. Little Boy


2. Bella


3. McFarland


If you watched any of these movies, I’d love to hear your comments. Did you like it? Why?
If you watched the three movies, tell me which one was your favorite. Why?

Keep up the good work.

Keep practicing your English.

Remember that practice is FUN!!