Understanding Spelling in English: A mini-course of drills

Understanding Spelling in English: A mini-course of drills, Understanding what people are saying when they spell words FAST.

Have you ever noticed how quickly people spell in English? This mini-course takes the mystery out of how people spell and why it can be so difficult to understand them. By using the interactive drills (you must listen and repeat out loud!), you will not only be able to understand the words that people are spelling, you’ll be able to say spelled words yourself in a way that flows naturally and is easy to understand. The drills are useful not just for this specific goal, but for general English comprehension, clear speech, and accent reduction.

Eric Thal is a professional actor in film, television, and stage. He has worked as an acting coach and speech and accent reduction teacher for over 15 years. His teaching material includes Accent Reduction: The Eric Thal Way — a course that examines the sounds of English. This mini-course targets a very specific topic that he has discussed with some of his private clients — how difficult it is to understand when people spell a word quickly. This detail is important, because it is not uncommon for someone to spell a word — either if they are not being understood, or to provide exact information, such as their first or last name or a street name.

The mini course is made up of short interactive drills. Listen and repeat out loud and you should notice a shift in your understanding and abilities immediately.  A quick, fun, and informative course! The first five quick videos explain some concepts, including the reason spoken spelled words sound the way they do, and instructions on how to understand and get the most out of the drills. The rest of the course is made up of short drills — designed with precision to quickly get you understanding and speaking these letter combinations and sounds.