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American Accent Fundamentals

Learn the the most important concepts, consonants and vowels that will help you

- communicate clearly and confidently

- sound more American​

- overcome unconscious bias

hrs

5

10

modules

86

videos

Look inside

IF your goal is to sound clear, to understand how the American accent works and how to be more confident while speaking, this course will lay the groundwork for that.

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IF your goal is to one day sound like an American native speaker, this course will build the foundation needed for that dream.

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This course will teach you the most important consonants, vowels and concepts needed to achieve your goals!

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What you get

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✅ 10 detailed modules

✅ 86 video lessons

✅ 5hrs of video content

✅ detailed sound explanations

✅ actionable drills

✅ Quizzes at the end of each module

✅ Downloadable files of the presentation slides

Happy Students

Alina

“Since working with Dillon, I have been able to use the new sounds I've learned in my everyday life, and I can hear the improvement in my own speech. I am very satisfied with the results and would highly recommend Dillon to anyone looking to improve their American accent."

Malachy

“I studied IPA in grad school at USC which is part of what Dillon uses in his work. I find his explanations more clear, concise, and practical than much of what I learned in school. He is a caring, thoughtful, and thorough teacher. I highly recommend."

Nasif

“What sets Dillon apart from other teachers is his proven method and expertise in teaching non-native speakers. He has a unique ability to understand and identify areas of improvement. I already sound 100 times better.”

How is your accent holding you back?

Unconscious Bias is leading to colleagues and managers underestimating you.

Lack of Clarity means you have to repeat yourself too often, distracting from your message.

Questioning yourself as you're speaking makes you seem nervous and unsure.

Stumbling over your own words makes potential clients think you don't know what you're doing..

You speak up less because you're self conscious about the way you sound.

Native speakers seem to get preferential treatment even though you're more qualified.

Experiencing all / any of these is very common for us non-native speakers working with Americans and even when working in English speaking spaces abroad.

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It is possible to transform your accent.

Kut

“Dillon is extremely competent in his area and I would recommend him to anyone willing to improve their English or their pronunciation skills. He has a methodical approach and truly engages with the student. The results are tangible, I recommend him without hesitation."

Martin

“I love his method, his insights and his friendliness. I learned so many things that I've actually never heard about when watching accent reduction videos on Youtube."

Antonina

“Dillon knows the difficulties we might have, and what the best way is to explain how to pronounce or understand specific sounds. I can say that I am 100% confident that I made the right choice, and I can already see the progress.”

Meet your teacher

Hi! My name is Dillon Ford

I'm an actor, writer and accent reduction coach in LA. I was in the same position as you. I came to the United States with a noticeable accent.

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Americans (whether maliciously or not) made fun of my accent and viewed me differently than their peers because of it. It held me back from working in film & TV. I know I missed out on opportunities because of my accent. Customers wouldn't respect me as much as my American colleagues.

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I worked hard on my accent and now blend in with native speakers. I can focus on being my authentic self while talking to people here in America. I can focus on communicating my ideas instead of being hindered by my pronunciation.

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I can help you do the same. The Accent Fundamentals Course will help you build a really strong foundation in the American Accent. The key to fixing mistakes is understanding those mistakes and the tools needed to do so.

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I'm not saying the accent reduction process is easy BUT I sure wish I had had access to a resource like this when I was working on my own accent. It would have saved me a lot of time!

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This course will help you with

Understanding your own mistakes is the first step to be able to fix them.

Knowing what sound you're going for makes it easier to commit to those sounds.

Speaking with clarity will make you easier to understand.

Knowing the basics of American will also make it easier to understand the Americans around you.

Speak with more confidence because now you're not in the dark about pronunciation.

Show your authentic self once you've mastered the sounds and focus on expressing your ideas.

introducing...

American Accent Fundamentals

✅ 10 detailed modules to move through at your own pace

✅ 86 video lessons breaking down everything you need to know

✅ 5hrs of video content that you can always return to

✅ detailed sound explanations that make it easy to get it right

✅ actionable drills that teach you how to develop skills

✅ Quizzes at the end of each module to gamify & track your progress

✅ Downloadable files of the video slides as study materials

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Modules

Module 01

Phonetics

  • 1-1 - What are phonetics and why are they really helpful

  • 1-2 - The most important phonetic symbols

  • 1-3 - Continuants vs Stop-Plosives

  • 1-4 - Voiced vs Unvoiced Consonants

  • 1-5 - Stress: Words vs Syllables

  • Quiz: Continuants vs Stop-Plosives

  • Quiz: voiced vs unvoiced consonants

  • File: Slides - Phonetics

  • Quiz: Stress / Emphasis

Module 02

"Father" & "Claw" Sounds

  • 2-1 - Why are they introduced together?

  • 2-2 - "Father" /ɑ/ - Mechanics

  • 2-3 - "Claw" /ɔ/ - Mechanics

  • 2-4 - Tips for when to say "claw" or "father" sounds

  • 2-5 - "Claw" /ɔ/ Length Exceptions

  • 2-6 - Example Phrases

  • File: Slides - Father & Claw

  • Quiz: Identifying "father" and "claw" sounds

Module 03

"Schwa" & "Cup" Sounds

  • 3-1 - Why are they introduced together?

  • 3-2 - "Schwa" /ə/ - Mechanics

  • 3-3 - "Cup" /ʌ/ - Mechanics

  • 3-4 - "Schwa" /ə/ - Example Words

  • 3-5 - "Cup" /ʌ/ - Example Words

  • 3-6 - "Schwa" /ə/ - Common Word Endings (Suffixes)

  • 3-7 - "Cup" /ʌ/ - Possible Spellings

  • 3-8 - "Schwa" /ə/ - "Strong" and "Weak" Forms

  • 3-9 - "Schwa" and "Cup" - Example Phrases

  • 3-10 - Comparing "Cup" /ʌ/ vs "Father" /ɑ/

  • File: Slides - Schwa & Cup

  • Quiz: "Schwa" and "Cup" Sounds

Module 04

R's, "Pearl" & "Actor" Sounds

  • 4-1 - American R's - Intro

  • 4-2 - How are American R's made?

  • 4-3 - Skill Drills for R's

  • 4-4 - "Pearl" /ɝ/ and "Actor" /ɚ/ - Why 2 symbols?

  • 4-5 - "Pearl" /ɝ/ and "Actor" /ɚ/ - Possible Spellings

  • 4-6 - "Actor" /ɚ/- Strong and Weak Forms

  • 4-7 - American vs British - "Pearl" /ɝ/ vs "Cup" /ʌ/ + R

  • 4-8 - "Pearl" /ɝ/ - Length Nuances

  • 4-9 - "Pearl" and "Actor - Example Phrases

  • File: Slides - Pearl & Actor

  • Quiz: "pearl" and "actor"

Module 05

"Get" & "Bat" Sound

  • 5-1 - "Get" /e/ and "Bat" /æ/ - Intro

  • 5-2 - Why are "get" and "bat" introduced together?

  • 5-3 - "Get" /e/ - Mechanics

  • 5-4 - "Get" /e/ - Possible Sp