Are you racking your brain trying to figure out how you can learn the American accent? If English is not your first language and you would like to know how you can improve your English speaking, then you have probably tried several different ways to acquire an American accent. Chances are, you have already enrolled in some American Accent or Accent Reduction programs. If this is the case, you may be familiar with a few different American Accent exercises. Of course, the problem with these exercises is that they get old and boring over time, which could lessen their overall effectiveness in helping you improve your accent. For this reason, you may be interested in learning some new tricks and fun activities that you can try alone or with a few friends to speed up the process of learning your American accent.

pretend talk show

This is a fun activity that allows for a large number of participants. The only real catch is that you need a group of at least six people to participate in this fun accent-learning activity. Everyone must play a role in this activity. First, someone must act as the host of the talk show. Next, you need at least two people who will act as guests to be interviewed. Finally, you should have a panel of 2-3 judges. It is best if there is also an impartial moderator who is not an English learner who can supervise the activity. The talk show itself can last as long as the host wants. The person acting as the host can also prepare a set of 2-3 questions for each guest on a topic of general interest. It’s a good idea to have a talk show topic that everyone can easily talk about to make sure the activity flows smoothly. The host should ask each guest questions in turn, with the intention of starting a conversation in which all participants in the activity, except the judges, can participate. Topics can range from current events to favorite foods and even spectator sports. After the show is over, it will be the role of the judges to speak in turns. Each judge must offer constructive criticism for each guest on the talk show and point out at least 1 plus point and 1 minus point for each guest in regards to how they talk about it. To make it more competitive, the judges may also award a title of “best speaker” to the guest who impressed them the most. If you plan to do it this way, it’s a good idea to base the decision on some preset criteria for judging, such as:

Speech clarity: 30%

Content: 30%

Ability to connect with the audience: 20%

Fluency in English: 20%

Please note that this is just an example and you are really free to use whatever criteria suits your group.

Puppet Theater

You may have had fun with this activity as a child, so there is no reason why it would be any less entertaining and educational as an adult trying to pick up the accent of a new or unfamiliar language. For this activity, at least two people are required to run the puppet show and a fairly large group that can act as the audience. If you are currently enrolled in an accent learning course, you can ask some of your classmates to participate in this activity. If your instructor allows it, you can even make it a class activity and do the puppet show in groups. For the materials for this particular activity, all you really need are some puppets and maybe a table that you can use as a stage to put on your show. The puppets can be anything from paper bags to old socks. You can make your puppet as elaborate or as simple as you like; After all, the real purpose of the activity is for you to practice speaking English and not show off your puppets. Regarding the script of the puppet show, you should try to have an open script that allows for a lot of impromptu talking. If you are having trouble thinking of what a puppet show might be about, try having one puppet tell a story for at least 1 minute, after which the person holding the other puppet has to pick up the story from where the first one left off. . . You could also use a prepared script, but it’s much better practice if you really think about what you’re going to say on the spot. Turning it into a puppet show also helps you lose your inhibitions as it is only your puppet and not you who is in the spotlight.

Of course, these activities alone won’t make you fluent in an American accent overnight, but they can be a big help if you’re already taking an accent reduction course.