Denise N. Wagstaff Speech Coach and Accent Modification Services

03/20/2024

If you knew that improving the clarity of your spoken English would help create opportunities in both your personal and professional life, what would you be willing to do to accomplish the goal of improved clarity?

07/25/2023

What aspect of your English speech do you feel is holding you back?

03/10/2023

Hey friends, our buddy Henry Ugbo’s World Class Spelling Bee is open for registration! Please share this information with any parents who would want their children to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

03/07/2023

American Born English Speaker Tip Of The Day!

"Are idioms and slang the same?”

GREAT QUESTION!...and we know great questions never have really easy answers!
Idioms are common expressions and are used a lot in English. (As I mentioned in another tip post, they can become "outdated". Remember that language is always changing!) Idioms are often used in both informal and formal situations. This is where we get to touch on (talk about) some of the differences between idioms and slang.
Slang is much more informal, and although that's true, slang CAN be used in environments that could be considered formal, like at at work (one's place of employment). The issue is that you need to be aware of the social cues (unspoken rules of etiquette) within that environment to decide where or when slang would or could be appropriate. Perhaps you might use slang when chatting with a coworker you're friendly with, but not with your boss.
What's interesting about slang is that slang can be very specific to certain groups and can change very quickly. These groups could be made up of people of the same age, region, school or culture. They could be lovers of a specific sport or hobby. Within a specific group, it can be quite common to hear vocabulary that few would understand - UNLESS they're part of the group. Slang is also age related - you might hear a more mature person use some slang that is more often used by younger people and it might actually sound odd!
So, although there is some commonality ("cross over between...") between idioms and slang, there are some differences and those differences can be subtle and hard to explain. The best way to know whether using idioms and /or slang are acceptable is to know "your audience" (who you're speaking to - their position, your relationship with them, the environment, the level of comfort and formality required).
I'll try to talk about this another time because it's a huge topic! I hope this helps a bit!
Denise Speech Coach
https://www.youtube.com//videos

(Like this sort of information? Be sure to join my group! "The American English Accent Club for Advanced English Speakers" )

Denise will help you improve the clarity of your English, your presentation style and your communication skills. Ask specific pronunciation and American Engl...

02/25/2023

Hey new followers! Thanks for folllowing me! Anyone have a pronunciation question for me? 😃

01/01/2023

❤️

01/01/2023

Happy New Year my sweet friends!! Wishing you all the best for this coming year and every following day!! ❤️

08/20/2022

Well friends, despite my best efforts, life has different plans for me! I have not been home in over two months now. This was not part of any of my plans!

Working remotely with only my iPad, things are showing up in this Facebook group that I just don't understand. Things like posts awaiting to be approved, yet I cannot see them to approve them, a large group of declined membership requests that I don't remember putting on auto-decline, posts that seem to have posted without me actually approving...I'm confused.
I'll continue to work to figure the se things out. My apologies for being so absent in terms of supporting all of you and the group!

Denise Wagstaff is an American pronunciation specialist offering personalized speech coaching to those interested in maximizing their English speaking and presentation skills. Custom tailored services delivered one-to-one, in groups, or online.