{"id":179950,"date":"2021-07-14T16:17:20","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T20:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/l-pronunciation-practice\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T03:52:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T08:52:41","slug":"l-pronunciation-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/l-pronunciation-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Superb Activities for L Pronunciation Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When you\u2019re learning the L sound in English,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/knowablemagazine.org\/article\/mind\/2018\/how-second-language-can-boost-brain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">it\u2019s not just your brain<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that gets a workout. There\u2019s a physical component to it too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You\u2019re training your mouth to produce a new sound \u2013 and this can feel extremely unfamiliar and even awkward at first.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But by doing targeted practice with plenty of repetition, you\u2019ll get to the point where you can pronounce the L sound with barely any effort at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It can become as automatic as typing on a keyboard, tying your shoelaces, or driving a car.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To get you started, we\u2019ve compiled six useful activities for L pronunciation practice that can boost your progress fast! What\u2019s convenient about these is you can work on them throughout the day \u2013 whether you\u2019ve set aside a full study session or you just have some extra time between tasks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Top Activities for L Pronunciation Practice<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here\u2019s how you can perfect your L pronunciation:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Check your mouth and tongue positioning with a mirror\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It can be tempting to skip paying attention to mouth and tongue positioning when it comes to pronunciation. After all, you can pronounce your native language just fine without ever checking how your mouth and tongue are forming the sounds!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, when you\u2019re learning a foreign language such as English, trying to imitate a sound only based on how you hear it can be even more confusing. <\/span><b>Knowing the right mouth and tongue positioning is actually like having a precise set of instructions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2013 follow the steps, and you\u2019re likely to be closer than ever to pronouncing the L sound.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To check your own pronunciation, say the L sound with a mirror in front of you and pay attention to your mouth. With the regular L, <\/span><b>your tongue\u2019s going up to touch the back of your front teeth, so you should see the underside of your tongue<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Your mouth should also be in a slightly open position \u2013 neither closed nor fully rounded.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Slow down and stretch out your L\u2019s\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One way to know if you\u2019re becoming proficient in the L sound is if you can hold it. Make a list of several words with the L sound in various places \u2013 at the start, middle, and end of the word. Then <\/span><b>pronounce each word slowly, dragging out the L sound by a few seconds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em>Bowl<\/em> -&gt; Bowllllll<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em>Lost<\/em> -&gt; Lllllllost<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em>Follow<\/em> -&gt; Follllllow<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This will help you be <\/span><b>more aware of the physical sensations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> when you\u2019re making the L sound. The L in \u201cbowl\u201d should feel different from the L in \u201clost\u201d since they\u2019re not the same kind of L\u2013\u201dbowl\u201d uses a dark L, while \u201clost\u201d uses a light L. Holding the L sound also teaches you how to apply the right amount of strength and pressure so your L can be clearly heard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Imitate a native speaker<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When you\u2019ve reached the point where you can say the light L and dark L on their own, take it up a notch and try to imitate a native speaker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019re not working directly with a teacher or if you want to get in some practice outside of class, you can pull up English videos or podcasts online. Listen closely for L words \u2013 you\u2019re bound to find them quickly, maybe within the first sentence or two! It can be helpful to put it in slow motion so you can catch the exact words.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can then try to <\/span><b>imitate how the L words are said, with the option to record your own voice so you can compare<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. A more advanced technique would be<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/howtogetfluent.com\/shadowing-for-language-learning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">language shadowing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where you repeat what the speaker says without pausing the video or audio \u2013 and while trying to match their pace.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>4. Look into words that contain both types of L<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For an added challenge, look into <\/span><b>words with both the dark L and the light L<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. There are actually plenty of them!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A quick way to find them is to think of words that start and begin with an L sound \u2013 for example, the word \u201clittle.\u201d Then say each word out loud while drawing out all of the L sounds. This trains you to be able to shift quickly from light L to dark L (and back again), which happens often in regular English conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are some example words to get you started:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lull <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2192 llll-uhl \/ llll-uhl \/ llll-uhl \u2192 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lull<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Likeable <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2192 llllike-a-buhl \/\u00a0 llllike-a-buhl \/\u00a0 llllike-a-buhl \u2192 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Likeable<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lilting \u2192 <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">lllli-uhl-ting \/ lllli-uhl-ting \/lllli-uhl-ting<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2192 Lilting<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When picking out words, remember that you\u2019re focusing on the sound, not the spelling. \u201cLikeable\u201d has an \u201ce\u201d at the end, but when you pronounce it, you end with the L sound (\u201clike-a-buhl\u201d).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>5. Aim to read sentences out loud at normal speed<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There\u2019s a step-by-step progression when it comes to learning the L sound. You become proficient in the individual sounds first, then you get used to pronouncing them in syllables, words, and eventually full sentences. <\/span><b>Right before speaking, the last milestone is being able to read sentences with the L sound <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">smoothly and without slowing down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Repetition is key to getting there! Take an article or book in English about a topic that you\u2019re interested in, then start reading out loud while paying attention to the L sounds that come up. You might pause several times at first, but your speed will increase as you keep on going with the sentences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>6. Put your pronunciation to the test with tongue twisters<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Going beyond normal sentences, <\/span><b>you can even work with<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/tongue-twisters-in-english\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>tongue twisters<\/b><\/a><b> that contain both forms of L:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Really leery, rarely Larry.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She lulled the baby to sleep with a lovely and cheerful lullaby.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gobbling gargoyles gobbled gobbling goblins.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lucy listening to the rustling of fall leaves at night.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">All day long they sell lemon-flavored lollipops at the hall.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To avoid any confusion, mark down first whether each word with an L uses the light L or dark L (they can both be in the same word too!). Although tongue twisters can sound a bit unusual in their choice of words, they\u2019re a great tool for getting better with the L sound!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These six L sound pronunciation activities have varying levels of difficulty, so you\u2019ll be able to pick out an activity that works for you, no matter where you are with the L sound.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Although L pronunciation practice involves a lot of drills and repetition, it\u2019s more effective when you add some diversity too, from watching videos with step-by-step instructions to focused reading.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you\u2019re learning the L sound in English, it\u2019s not just your brain that gets a workout. There\u2019s a physical component to it too. You\u2019re training your mouth to produce&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":739,"featured_media":249329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"description":"Saying the L sound can feel really unfamiliar at first. Improve your spoken English with these six useful activities for L pronunciation practice!","title":"6 Superb Activities for L Pronunciation Practice - FluentU"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[685,704],"tags":[],"coauthors":[208],"class_list":["post-179950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-parrot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/739"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179950"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249330,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179950\/revisions\/249330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179950"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=179950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}