Clear Speech: Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension in North American English, 4th Edition

I started teaching with the second edition of Clear Speech in the early 1990s, and although I have tried other pronunciation textbooks at times, I still go back to Clear Speech. It has a pleasant approach that makes students feel comfortable. Unlike many pronunciation resources, it doesn't just focus on individual sounds, but on all of the things that go into making English speech intelligible, including word stress, rhythm and prosody. The book also gives rules that help students figure out, with a rather good rate of accuracy, how to pronounce vowels based on the spelling of the words they are in, thus easing what is otherwise often a torment for new speakers of English.

The 4th edition has been thoughtfully revised to be even more helpful, and the attractive color graphics and illustrations make using the book still more pleasant.

Clear Speech is not only good for learning pronunciation, however. I used to say that the book also teaches clear listening, because the exercises intended to help learners pronounce better also make them better at deciphering natural native English speech when they hear it. Also, I had an advanced student once who, at my suggestion, used Clear Speech in conjunction with elementary level handwriting books to teach her mother-in-law to read and write in English. So, while the book is intended as a pronunciation method, it benefits learners in many other ways.

I love this book though I wish I had started my high level class with the 2nd Edition Clear Speech From the Start and worked a way up to this book. I thought since they were a level four class that they should have a highest level book but Cl. Speech From the Start would have been a better launching pad. I highly recommend these books. I am finding that so many of my students already know a lot of Vocabulary but they aren't understood and don't understand what's being said to them. I have really seen the lights come on since using these books. The teacher's manuals have really usable advise and I understand so much more about pronunciation. The lessons are flow and keep the student's attention. My student's come in enthusiastic about learning another unit. I recommend the Clear Speech books for all levels and multi level classes. This book is okay for all levels but again 2nd Edition Clear Speech From the Start if available would be better to start them with. I plan on always having these books in my tool kit and to never leave home without them. My beginner level students are for the most part effectively pronouncing the TH sound with only two lessons. They have a firmer grasp of long and short vowels and the reasons for the music of English. They are very interested in the mechanics of speaking which is well explained in these books. Due to using Clear Speech this year in class, I have watched my students grow in confidence unlike any class I have ever had in the last 8 years Can't say enough good things about Clear Speech series.

First of all, let me say that Judy Gilbert knows a lot about pronunciation. This is not just a book of pronunciation practice. It is a book about the whys and hows of pronunciation. I don't agree with everything in it, and it would be a difficult book for any of my students to understand--the student book uses words like continuants, stops, glide, and structure words. It uses a phonetic symbol scheme that has some unusual symbols in it. And it's difficult to download the listening files (you have to do them one by one). That said, the student book is a great teacher's book. It has changed the way I teach pronunciation forever. I will use and reuse some of the exercises in the book for the rest of my career. It is the best book on American English pronunciation I have ever read. Every American EFL/ESL teacher, whether or not they believe in teaching pronunciation, should own this book. I just think it's too difficult for the average student.

*EFL = English as a Foreign Language, for speakers of English outside of the US or Canada
ESL = English as a Second Language, for speakers of English living in the US or Canada, or thinking of migrating there

A very good pronunciation book to teach with, but I failed to notice that the book did not include DVDs which accompany it. Also English Pronunciation in Use, by Cambridge, should be considered. I prefer it over Clear Speech.

Judy Gilbert's 'Clear Speech' has, for years, been an essential help for teachers of American English who are aware of the importance of pronunciation in the syllabus. What has been fascinating to watch is how, from one edition to the next, the author has incorporated new ideas about what actually happens when we speak (and when we listen to speech), while sticking to her basic approach: how to make things simple, clear and fun.

Not only that: the people at Cambridge University Press have also done their bit in improving each edition. The layout is clearer; colour is increasingly used not just to make the book look good but also to highlight key aspects of speech; the diagrams illustrating what actually happens in the production of sounds are useful and dramatic.

Perhaps the most intriguing innovation is the use of modern technology to improve the learning process, especially when the student is working without a teacher. The complete audio program for the listening tasks is available for students to download as MP3s on the 'Clear Speech' website; and (for younger learners) a games app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is available for a modest price.

Congratulations all round.

incomplete course. The books says that it comes with support from their website but not true, you will need to pay extra to listen the exercises and do the home work, this is like a big rip off, I tried to returned but the return period of time past and I was in the move from one state to another so I got stuck with this useless book.

I first discovered this book when I was tutoring students at a California University. Prior that time, I had relied on a more traditional minimal pairs approach. This book has that too, but prior to beginning with the individual sounds, the author focuses the students attention on what she calls Prozidy, which is the rhythm, pitch and stress patterns that define charastically English production. Not only did mastering these concepts provide a tremendous advance in the students ability to produce easily understandable English, it seemed to increase their sensitivity to the individual sounds as well. Therefore, when we finally did get to the minimal pair exerceses toward the end of the book, the students seemed to be able to identify the various sounds much more quickly and with significantly less 'aggrivation' involved. In short, I cannot say enough about how valuable this book is to anyone who wants to develop exactly what the title promises to deliver, Clear Speech.

I've been using this textbook for years in my ESL oral communications classes. I like it because it uses the phonetic alphabet that I was taught to use in graduate school almost 30 years ago, and I find that it really works. Of course, I supplement it with worksheets that I've designed, but it covers all the bases including linking, syllable stress, word stress, etc.

Never can used the web page to listen the exercises

its a textbook, i didnt expect it to be an entertainment that I would read in my spare time.