Topic 7: Speaking for Listeners and not for Readers This week we look at and attempt many strategies to make our English more easily understood. The goal is not to sound like a native speaker, but rather to be more easily understood by our audiences. In the first week, we consider the different needs of readers and listeners and consider structures which are easiest to understand in a spoken forum. Examples include using more explicit active verbs and avoiding excessive use of nouns. In the second week we examine the natural rhythm of English and how to properly take advantage of this to correctly accent words and improve their comprehensibility. We discuss why this is more important than focusing on the pronunciation of individual sounds.