This short course is specially designed for advanced English speakers who wish to improve their professional image by modifying their accent to sound more like a native British English speaker. We help you to achieve Standard English pronunciation of words (based on learning and practising the ‘correct’ vowel and consonant sounds), together with Standard English rhythm, stress, intonation, and tone. These are what is generally meant by “accent”.
 
Learners will typically be employed or possess an interest in journalism, public relations, marketing, media and communications, but motivated applicants in other fields will be considered.
 
The determined student should finish with an understanding of his/her pronunciation ‘issues’ and of how to modify his/her accent over time, after the course has finished.

For clarity, British English Elocution is not a public speaking course for speechmakers.

This course will cover:

• The components of accent: rhythm, pitch (intonation and tone), flow, stress, dialect.
• Pronunciation: the 44 phonemes of British English, common issues for Chinese learners of English, finding correct pronunciations.
• Detailed examination of vowel and consonant sounds and letter combinations.
• Flow (smoothing) and the preponderance of unstressed vowels in Standard English.
• Standard English intonation.
• Emphasis and modulation.
• An awareness of regional accents.
• Issues for non-Chinese (e.g. French and Indian) students, when applicable.
• Pronunciation clinics.
• British vs American English.
• Image and professionalism.

24 hours (8 x 3-hour workshops)

About the Trainer

Mr Peter Brokenshire, British English elocution and accent reduction trainer, was raised in Malaya and educated in England. He graduated in Classics (Latin and Ancient Greek) and joined the British Army, first in the infantry and then as an intelligence analyst, and met his wife in Hong Kong in 1982. He was then self-employed in sales and IT, and gained a BSc in Natural Sciences and an MSc in e-Commerce. He then worked for the Department for Transport in IT procurement, negotiating and managing large data management, IT services and software development contracts. In 2012 he returned to the Far East and teaches English and elocution in various tertiary education institutes in China and Hong Kong. His interests include languages, history, natural sciences and fish keeping. Students will be impressed by his sense of humour and dynamic teaching methods.

If this British English Elocution training schedule does not suit you, please consider our new Online British English Elocution course.  Conducted 100% in an online mode, you can take part in the course regardless of time and geographical boundaries.  

After the British English Elocution / Online British English Elocution training, students may continue with British English Elocution Enhancement - an advanced course.

You may also be interested in the Stylistic Analysis: Insight into the Subtle Delivery of Meaning course. Through teaching, sharing and analysis of a wide range of texts, Mr Peter Brokenshire brings you the knowledge and skills required for understanding various stylistic features to reveal how skilled authors subtly influence readers' perception of meaning.

Related courses:

British English Elocution Enhancement
Stylistic Analysis: Insight into the Subtle Delivery of Meaning

Applicants should note:

• Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
• Unless changes are made to the advertised details, we do not usually issue joining instructions. If your application has been accepted, you should go to the first session of the class at the time and place shown.
• No refunds or transfers to a different class will be approved. 

• Saturday, 10.00 am - 1.00 pm

• 8 meeting(s)
• 3 hours per meeting

• HKU SPACE Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Community College (HPSHCC) Campus

• Course Fee : $3,600

Applicants should be graduates and willing to take part in discussions and practical reading aloud and speaking exercises, ideally with little inhibition. They should be reasonably confident and fluent English speakers.

Applicants should note that it takes self-awareness and persistence to permanently modify one’s speaking accent.

Online Application Apply Now

Online Application

We provide online application and payment service for students to make enrolment via the Internet. Enrolment will be confirmed once students have made the payment online by using either PPS or credit card.

By Post / In Person

Applicants are required to complete the Application for Enrolment Form SF26. Either take or post the completed form, along with the appropriate course fee and supporting documents, to any of the HKU SPACE enrolment centres.

1.  Cash, EPS Or WeChat Pay

Course fees can be paid by cash, EPS or WeChat Pay at any HKU SPACE Enrolment Centres.

2.  Cheque Or Bank Draft

Course fees can also be paid by crossed cheque or bank draft made payable to “HKU SPACE”. Please specify the programme title(s) for application and applicant’s name. You may either:

• bring the completed form(s), together with the appropriate course or application fees in the form of a cheque, and any required supporting documents to any of the HKU SPACE enrolment centres;
• or mail the above documents to any of the HKU SPACE Enrolment Centres, specifying “Course Application” on the envelope. HKU SPACE will not be responsible for any loss of payment sent by mail.

3.  VISA/MasterCard

Applicants may also pay the course fee by VISA or MasterCard, including the “HKU SPACE MasterCard”, at any HKU SPACE enrolment centres. Holders of the HKU SPACE MasterCard can enjoy a 10-month interest-free instalment period for courses with a tuition fee worth a minimum of HK$2,000; however, the course applicant must also be the cardholder himself/herself. For enquiries, please contact our staff at any enrolment centres.

4.  Online Payment

The course fees of all open admission courses (course enrolled on first come, first served basis) and selected award-bearing programmes can be settled by using PPS via the Internet. Applicants may also pay the relevant course fees by VISA or MasterCard online. Please refer to Enrolment Methods - Online Enrolment  for details.

Notes:

• For general and short courses, applicants may be required to pay the course fee in cash or by EPS, WeChat Pay, Visa or MasterCard if the course is to start shortly.
• Fees paid are not refundable except under very exceptional circumstances (e.g. course cancellation due to insufficient enrolment), subject to the School’s discretion.  In exceptional cases where a refund is approved, fees paid by cash, EPS, WeChat Pay, cheque or PPS (for online payment only) will normally be reimbursed by a cheque, and fees paid by credit card will normally be reimbursed to the payment cardholder’s credit card account.
• In addition to the published fees, there may be additional costs associated with individual programmes. Please refer to the relevant course brochures or direct any enquiries to the relevant programme team for details.
• Fees and places on courses cannot be transferred from one applicant to another. Once accepted onto a course, the student may not change to another course without approval from HKU SPACE. A processing fee of HK$120 will be levied on approved transfers.
• Receipts will be issued for fees paid but HKU SPACE will not be responsible for any loss of receipt sent by mail.
• For payment certification, please submit a completed form, a sufficiently stamped and self-addressed envelope, and a crossed cheque for HK$30 per copy made payable to “HKU SPACE” to any of our enrolment centres.

Disclaimer

1. The School provides a platform for online services for a selected range of products it offers. While every effort is made to ensure timeliness and accuracy of information contained in this website, such information and materials are provided "as is" without express or implied warranty of any kind. In particular, no warranty or assurance regarding non-infringement, security, accuracy, fitness for a purpose or freedom from computer viruses is given in connection with such information and materials.
2. The School (and its respective employees and subsidiaries) is not liable for any loss or damage in connection with any online payments made by you by reason of (i) any failure, delay, interruption, suspension or restriction of the transmission of any information or message from any payment gateways of the relevant banks and/or third party merchants for processing credit/debit/smart card or other payment facilitation mechanism; (ii) any negligence, mistake, error in or omission from any information or message transmitted from the said payment gateways; (iii) any breakdown, malfunction or failure of those gateways in effecting online payment service; or (iv) anything arisen out of or in connection with the said payment gateways, including but not limited to unauthorised access to or alternation of the transmission of data or any unlawful act not permitted by the law.