Sound British in 7 Days
Your Learner's Guide
31 Tricks · 32 Structured Lessons · 453 Slides
Your journey starts here.
Welcome
You’re in. Welcome to Sound British in 7 Days — the most complete British pronunciation course ever built for Nigerian speakers.
This isn’t about erasing your Nigerian identity. It’s about adding a skill that opens doors — in business, in interviews, in education, on screen, and in every conversation that matters. When you finish this course, you won’t sound less Nigerian. You’ll sound more capable.
This guide explains exactly how to make the most of The 44 Academy: what to do first, how each lesson works, where to send your practice recordings, and how to get feedback. Read it once, then keep it handy — it’s your map for the whole journey.
What You'll Achieve
- Fixed every major "tell" that gives away your Nigerian accent
- Mastered the 31 tricks that transform your English rhythm and sounds
- Recorded a "BEFORE" version now and an "AFTER" at the end — and heard the transformation yourself
- Received personal feedback from Jonathan on every trick you practice
- Sounded dramatically more British — without losing who you are
The Three Places You'll Spend Time
Where all the lessons live. Each trick has its own topic thread with the videos, slides, drill words, and practice passages. You watch and read here.
DO: Watch videos, read passages, download materials
DON’T: Post voice recordings here — those go to the Discussion Group
Where you post your voice recordings for feedback, ask questions, and see other learners’ progress. This is your workshop.
DO: Post voice notes tagged #Trick-N, ask questions, cheer others on
DON’T: Spam, post text-only pronunciation questions, share off-topic content
When you post a recording, Jonathan personally listens and responds — usually within 48 to 72 hours (Monday to Friday). You get a score, a short note, and specific guidance on what to improve.
How Every Lesson Works
1. Watch the video(s) for the trick. Some tricks have multiple parts. Watch all of them in order.
2. Read the practice passage aloud on the slide. Read it three times slowly, focusing on every underlined red word.
3. Record yourself reading the passage. Use Telegram’s built-in voice note (hold the mic button) or any other recorder.
4. Post your recording in the Discussion Group with the tag #Trick-N (e.g., #Trick-1 for Punch the Content Words).
5. Wait for feedback. Jonathan will listen within 48–72 hours and respond with a score and specific notes.
6. Apply the feedback, re-record if needed, then move to the next trick.
How Feedback Works
GREEN: Excellent. You’ve nailed the trick. Move to the next one. others on
YELLOW: Getting there. Solid attempt with specific things to refine. Re-record if you want to nail it.
RED: Needs work. You’ve missed the core mechanic. Re-watch the video, read the passage, and try again.
Within 48 to 72 hours, Monday to Friday. Weekends and public holidays may take slightly longer. If you haven’t heard back in 4 days, feel free to gently follow up.
Take every written note seriously. That’s where the real learning happens — not in the video, but in the specific correction of your specific mistake. Read the note, watch the relevant part of the video again, then re-record.
Rules of the Road
1. Voice notes only for pronunciation practice. Text can’t teach an ear.
2. Tag every recording with #Trick-N. Untagged recordings are easy to miss.
3. One recording per trick per submission. Apply feedback before re-submitting.
4. Be kind to other learners. Cheer wins. Encourage struggles. Never mock accents.
5. No spam. No off-topic content. Keep the space focused on pronunciation.
6. Don’t skip ahead. The order of tricks matters. Trick 3 builds on Tricks 1 and 2. Trick 12 (the schwa) unlocks everything after it.
7. Respect the process. This is a 7-to-30-day journey depending on your pace. Trust the sequence.
Before You Start
Post a short voice note in the Discussion Group. Say your name, your city, and why you’re here. Something like:
This isn’t graded. It just helps you feel comfortable using your voice in the group. You’ll be recording a lot.
This is important. You will read the same passage today AND at the end of the course. Comparing the two will show you exactly how far you’ve come.
Read this passage aloud, EXACTLY the way you speak today. Don’t try to sound British yet. Don’t polish. Just read naturally:
Post this recording in the Discussion Group with the tag #Before-Recording. Jonathan will save it. You’ll re-record the exact same passage at the end.
Go to the first topic in the Academy: “Trick 1 — Punch the Content Words.” Follow the 6-step lesson pattern. You’re on your way.
The Learner Journey
Trick 1: Punch the Content Words
Trick 2: Land the Tonic Syllable
Trick 3: Fix -tion, -ed, -ing, and -er
Trick 4: The -s Ending (three sounds)
Trick 5: The Long /ɔː/ Vowel (daughter, walk)
Trick 6: The Relaxed /ʌ/ Vowel (bus, love, mother)
Trick 7: The /eɪ/ AY Diphthong (day, take)
Trick 8: Compound Stress and Name Stress
Trick 9: The TH Sounds (three vs this)
Trick 10: The Long /ɜː/ ER Vowel (bird, work)
Trick 11: The /əʊ/ OH Diphthong (home, road)
Trick 12: Master the Schwa /ə/
Trick 13: Weak Forms of Function Words
Trick 14: Word Stress Shifts (REcord vs reCORD)
Trick 15: Linking and Connected Speech
Trick 16: The CO- Prefix Schwa
Trick 17: -ize and -ism Endings
Trick 18: The Weak A Start (about, around)
Trick 19: The Linking R
Trick 20: Master the Schwa Endings Family
Trick 21: This vs That — Confusables (bath/bathe)
Trick 22: Final-Syllable Vowel Collapse (kingdom)
Trick 23: Silent Letters (knight, comb, doubt)
Trick 24: The -al Ending (national, vital)
Trick 25: Quick Wins (often, receipt)
Trick 26: The Long /ɑː/ Vowel (bark, bath)
Trick 27: /ɪ/ vs /iː/ (ship vs sheep)
Trick 28: /ʊ/ vs /uː/ (good vs brew)
Trick 29: The /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ Sounds (vision, pressure)
Trick 30: The /eə/ Vowel (air, hair)
Trick 31: Rising and Falling Intonation
Milestones & Celebration
Every time you finish a theme, share it. Post a milestone message in the Discussion Group:
- ✨ "Finished Theme 1 — Rhythm!"
- ✨ "Finished Theme 6 — The Schwa Revolution!"
- ✨ "GRADUATED — all 31 tricks done!"
Jonathan will personally acknowledge every milestone. Fellow learners will cheer you on. Celebrate. This work is hard. You deserve the recognition.
When You're Stuck
You will get stuck at some point. Everyone does. This is what to do:
1. Watch the video for the trick again — this time, more slowly.
2. Read the practice passage aloud three more times. Focus only on the red underlined words.
3. Still stuck? Post a voice note in the Discussion Group with the tag #Stuck-Trick-N. Say clearly what you’re struggling with.
4. Jonathan will respond within 48 hours with a targeted explanation — sometimes with a personal voice demonstration.
One Last Thing
You have everything you need. The videos are here. The slides are here. The community is here. The feedback is here. All that’s missing is you doing the work.
Welcome to The 44 Academy. Let’s transform your accent — together.
