Why is English so confusing?

Word stress

English does not have consistent emphasis on a word. Some parts of the word, syllables, are stressed at the beginning and other words at the end, or even on the middle of a word. For example, "photograh" is stressed on the first part of the word. This means "pho" is said in a slightly louder and stronger way than the rest of the word. "Photographer" has stress in the middle of the word. So the first part of the word is said more softly, then there is a slight increase in strength on "tog", and then softer again on the last part of the word.

Nothing easy

Few words in English have diacritics or marks that explain exactly how to say a word. There are some that come from other languages such as "hors d'oeuvre" which comes from French. "Naïve" has a trema or two dots over the i which means the i should be pronounced separately. Even though you may see some words with diacritic marks, generally there are not easy ways to determine pronunciation.

Although there are a few rules about when a c or a g makes a soft sound or a hard sound, there are many exceptions. The g in "goat" is a hard sound which is the same as the g in "go". A soft g sound is like a j sound. The word "ginger" has two soft g sounds. The hard c sound is just like a k sound that is in the word, "cat". A soft c sound is like an s and can be found in the beginning of the word, "city".

Why is intonation important?

Intonation is the pitch or sound you put on a word. If you are asking a question to a co-worker and you want to find out information then you could ask calmly, "Why did you do that?" Maybe you're learning about how to use a specific program or you want to add a printer and you want clarity on how to complete a task.

What if you find that your child has just decided to draw on the very wall you told them not to use? Then, you might ask "Why did you do THAT?" You want to stress the importance of the activity, so you would stress that word by making it louder. Intonation is part of many languages, and it may seem confusing in English because we may stress several words in a sentence so the meaning may not be clear.

Nouns versus verbs

English allows for changes in stress and intonation in individual words as well as within a sentence. Sometimes a change in pronunciation can affect the meaning of a word. For example, "PROgress" is a verb and it might be used in a sentence such as "He will progress on with his studies in the same school for one more year." This is a close meaning but now a noun and not a verb in the sentence: "He is making a lot of progress in school."

Close but not exact

Some words have related meanings but are very different in spelling and pronunciation. For example, the word "effect" means something that is an influence on a situation and would be classified as a noun. In comparison, the word "affect" means that it can change a situation and is a verb. Although the two words have different pronunciations, they sound very similar. They are not the same as "here" and "hear". The word "here" refers to a location that is close to the person speaking and is usually a pronoun or an adverb. "Hear" is a verb and means to listen.

English is uniquely English

English is used in a variety of fields and can be beneficial to many people. Even though it is a language used throughout the world, no one said it would be easy to learn. Working with grammar in reading and writing can be very challenging, but learning correct pronunciation is a skill that will help you to stand out in your English skills. This is not to say that you will sound like a native speaker, but you will be in a stronger place to demonstrate your knowledge and skill in an often necessary and challenging language.