Native English speaker, accent softening and communication specialist with 7 years of teaching experience. BA Hons Degree in Acting, MSc in Neuroscience.

Find out more about Francesca

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  English is my native language, though I studied dialects and accents when I trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. A third of my degree was focused on voice work and I learned not only how to speak clearly but discovered the biological mechanisms that produce speech and how to maneuver them in order to create the desired pronunciation. I trained in R.P. or "Received Pronunciation" which is the neutral English accent. Beyond getting A* grades in English language and literature at school, I went on to study modern and classical text in depth during my degree.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  Shakespeare - I love Shakespeare's plays and poetry and think it's brilliant that his work is still taught in British schools.

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

  It wasn't until I started teaching English and accent softening, that I realised we Brits use the word "pop" in a variety of colloquial ways. I've had a few students report that they've been in work places where phrases such as "pop it on my desk" or "I need to pop upstairs" have been used. Now I think about it, it is a strange use of the word, which more traditionally refers to a small explosion!

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  I live in London where a diverse range of languages are spoken and I'm impressed the multitudes of people who speak English as a second language. It's important to celebrate language as it's how we communicate, make friends, express our feelings and it's important to the working world.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  English has lots of rules which are helpful to the learner, but in some respects it's also lawless which is less than helpful. Where "oo" is pronounced one way for the word "foot", it's pronounced another for the word "food". Words like this have identical or similar sounding consonants and the pronunciation of "oo" is therefore really important, to avoid confusion in meaning. In addition to this, there are some sounds that are unfamiliar to some languages, such as the voiced "th". I've worked with a lot of clients on the "th" sound.
  
  Another difficulty with the English language can be the different tenses. This one is important for those preparing for B1 SELT exams.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  English is my native language so I don't have an anecdote about learning it. However I did once work for the English Speaking Theatre in Hamburg. We'd often have school trips watch the show, "The Importance of Being Earnest". They came because they were studying English as a second language, and often very good at it! There were lots of phrases or words that were specific to era and style of the play such as "shilly-shally," which means to act indecisively. This particular word would always warrant laughter from the audience - it became such a trigger for laughter that we'd have to fight to keep a straight face on stage.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Living in London and working alongside people with English as a second language has helped me to understand how the language is learned and viewed from the perspective of the learner.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  I like to jump straight into teaching at the start of the class. This sounds like a given, but it would be all too easy to warm into it, losing a good five minutes of the session. The lesson time is precious and I'd rather spend it constructively than spend time booking in a next class or any practicalities. This may mean that organisation happens over email.
  
  I put a lot of time into planning lessons and have built up a lot of resources to aid classes. Specifically, I have found ways to teach individual sounds that can throw those who want to work on accent and pronunciation. For most sounds, I have a word document which lists the different spelling variants, the possible pitfalls and the mechanics of how to make the sounds. I provide practice methods and materials, such as sentences that use a specific vowel or consonant frequently. I also allow people to record my voice if it is helpful.
  
  For SELT exams, recording my voice has aided students as they try to use conjunctions and get into a rhythm of natural speech. By B1 level, sentence structure should not be stunted and listening to someone speak about the specific points of a student's chosen topic can be of use. Listening to the radio or television can help, but nothing can replace a one-to-one session in which students' individual topics are addressed.