The tips in this section are concerned with the content of what we teach in pronunciation classes – the phonology of English. We deal here with issues such as whether and how to use phonemic symbols, what to do about accent variation, and what aspects of connected speech and intonation to cover.

What aspects should I teach?

• 14 Be selective

• 15 Don't be afraid to simplify

Consonants and vowels

• 16 Show how sounds are made

• 17 Show how phonemes change meaning

• 18 Understand that sounds vary in context

• 19 Be aware of accent variation

Sounds, symbols and spelling

• 20 Decide whether to use phonemic symbols

• 21 Be clear about what phonemic symbols represent

• 22 Show how the chart is organised

• 23 Help learners notice spelling patterns

Connected speech

• 24 Focus on word stress

• 25 Help learners to notice rhythm

• 26 Raise awareness of connected speech

Stress and intonation

• 27 Be clear about sentence stress

• 28 Decide how to approach intonation

• 29 Connect intonation and context

Integrating pronunciation

• 30 Integrate pronunciation with grammar and lexis

• 31 Integrate pronunciation with listening

• 32 Bring more pronunciation into a busy course

14 Be selective

When you’re choosing a pronunciation point to present to your class, think in terms of problems and solutions. Try to make sure that the solution you are offering matches a problem that your learners are likely to have. Offering solutions where there isn't a problem is the wrong way round, like the tail wagging the dog.

To put it another way: we need to be selective about what we present to our classes. We don't need to teach a pronunciation point simply because it exists, or because we’ve got a great piece of material on that topic. The point of pronunciation teaching is not to cover everything, but to cover what's needed.

The temptation to teach everything is at its strongest where there is a clear set of items – the phonemic alphabet being a good example. When the symbols are packaged into their cells in the chart like chocolates in a box, they all seem to have equivalent importance. That is not a helpful impression.