1. Introduction to Sound Placement, Intonation and Helpful Hints for learning a Standard English accent (4:37)
2. Consonant sound changes for speaking with a Received Pronunciation accent (8:34)
3. Vowel sound changes for RP accents (7:40)
4. changes to Diphthongs for speaking with a Standard British accent (1:52)
5. Alternate Pronunciations for words and names when speaking with a Received Pronunciation accent (3:01)
6. Wrap up on learning an RP accent (1:16)
7. Female Actress reading with a Received Pronunciation accent (1:12)
8. + her conversation (2:57)
9. Male Opera Fan reading with a Standard British accent (:59)
10. + his conversation (2:22)
11. Female Theatre Goer reading with a Standard English accent (1:12)
12. + her conversation (2:32)
13. Brighton Male reading with a contemporary Standard British accent (1:25)
14. + his conversation (5:11)
15. Actor reading in a fast-paced RP accent (1:44)
16. + his conversation (6:05)
17. Actress reading in Received Pronunciation (1:23)
18. + her conversation (7:14)
19. BONUS Practice Monologue (11:28)
20. BONUS Practice Intonation (6:23)
21. BONUS Monologue Performance (1:20)

Standard British is also commonly known as RP, Received Pronunciation, BBC English, Standard English, Queen's English, Upper-Class British or simply a posh London accent.  The accent is strongly associated with London, and in the late 1800's, it became associated with higher levels of education.  (This accent narrowly won a vote to be the "standard" dialect in the education system - just beating out Yorkshire!)  This accent would be very appropriate for the works of Noel Coward, Oscar Wilde, and much of George Bernard Shaw.  It's still used today by many English speakers, though it has relaxed a great deal.  It's also the accent we'd suggest you put high on your list, if not at the top, for learning accents - because it's used in so many movies and plays, and because it has such a strong influence on the rest of the accents of the world!  When people learn English as a second language, odds are very good that they're learning RP-based English.

London Estuary is another, more modern, variation on Standard British.  It is similar to RP, but it also has a lot of Cockney elements in it.  Cockney is the classic working-class accent of London.  Estuary is a blend of the two.

This is the most-downloaded accent on the site - If you haven't worked on this accent yet, it's time...

This latest update includes bonus tracks of coach Jim Johnson teaching you a monologue in the Standard British accent!

You should also get our Learning Accents ebook - It's FREE by clicking the link, or it comes along with the download.

Though these sound files have been remastered to reduce background noise, most of these recordings are made "in the field" so you will hear such things as birds, cars or other people in the background.   A transcription of the conversations is included to help you follow along.  This download also contains four versions of the written materials:  A printer-friendly pdf, a pdf that is in a larger format for use on a portable reading device, and both mobi and epub editions for other portable readers. If we update any downloads, you'll get a free update via email!