Diction Exercises to Make Sure They Get Your Message

• strengthening and stretching the muscles involved in speech



• bringing to your attention habitual speech patterns which may be less than perfect!

• Always start slowly and carefully.



• Make sure the beginning and end of each word is crisp and avoid running the words together.



• Repeat the phrase, getting faster and faster.

Diction Exercises for 'S' words:

Six thick thistle sticks

Theophilus Thistler, the thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve of unsifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.

The shrewd shrew sold Sarah seven sliver fish slices.

Sister Susie sat on the sea shore sewing shirts for sailors

Moses supposes his toses are roses,
But Moses supposes erroneously,
For nobody's toeses are posies of roses
As Moses supposes his toses to be.

(Pronounce the word 'toses' to rhyme with 'Moses'.)

Diction Exercises for 'B' words:

Betty bought a bit of butter, but she found the butter bitter, so Betty bought a bit of better butter to make the bitter butter better.

Bill had a billboard.
Bill also had a board bill.
The board bill bored Bill,
So Bill sold his billboard
And paid his board bill.
Then the board bill
No longer bored Bill,
But though he had no board bill,
Neither did he have his billboard!

For 'D' words try:

Did Doug dig Dick's garden or did Dick dig Doug's garden?

Do drop in at the Dewdrop Inn

Diction Exercises for 'F' words:

Four furious friends fought for the phone

Five flippant Frenchmen fly from France for fashions

For 'H' words try:

How was Harry hastened so hurriedly from the hunt?

Diction Exercises for 'J' words:

James just jostled Jean gently.

Jack the jailbird jacked a jeep.

Diction Exercises for 'K' words:

Kiss her quick, kiss her quicker, kiss her quickest.

My cutlery cuts keenly and cleanly.

Diction Exercises for 'L' words:

Literally literary.

Larry sent the latter a letter later.

Lucy lingered, looking longingly for her lost lap-dog.

Diction Exercise for 'N' and 'U' sounds:

You know New York,
You need New York,
You know you need unique New York.

Diction Exercises for 'P' words:

Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?

Pearls, please, pretty Penelope,
Pretty Penelope, pretty Penelope,
Pearls, please, pretty Penelope,
Pretty Penelope Pring.

For 'Q' words:

Quick kiss. Quicker kiss. Quickest kiss.

Quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly...

For 'R' words:

Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.

Reading and writing are richly rewarding.

For 'T' words:

Ten tame tadpoles tucked tightly in a thin tall tin.

Two toads, totally tired, trying to trot to Tewkesbury.

For 'V' words:

Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.

Vera valued the valley violets.

And lastly, two especially for your tongue.

Red leather, yellow leather...

Red lorry, yellow lorry...

The free monthly ezine for everybody who has, or might be, 'just been called on to say a few words' and wants to get them right. Your Primary Email Your First Name NOW Don't worry, your e-mail address is totally secure. I promise to use it only to send you speaking-out-loud.

'I am the very pattern of a modern Major-General;
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral;
I know the Kings of England, and I quote the fights historical,
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted too with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
I'm very good at integral and differential calculus,
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous,
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.'

Would you like to listen to it?
This is me, Susan, having fun.

Now that the 'tip of your tongue, the teeth and the lips' have had a thorough work-out be sure to stop by the other EXTRA ESSENTIAL TIP pages.

You'll find information on developing vocal variety (particularly important if you're a Monotone Martha or Martin'), using flexible speech rates (great for slowing a motor-mouth), the secrets of using silence effectively, and breathing exercises especially designed to overcome the anxiety of public speaking while strengthening your lung power!

All the LINKS you need are at the bottom of the page.

Are looking for great free word games to help develop confidence, creativity, spontaneity and fluency in your speaking? These are proven, effective and fun. Use them with small or large groups.

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