How can I as an American make my English accent better? (please read details)

Britons: how can I as an American make my English accent better (please read details)?

• Please open the link, and tell me what you think. Thanks

• Answer:

  Well it wasn't as bad as I was expecting! I had a horrible image of Dick Van Dyke! Anyway, your accent isnt actually bad, you correctly answer that there are many dialects and nuances of the language and it is hard to just do an "English" accent. However... You say early on you were doing a London accent. You weren't A London accent would be stereotypically known as cockney and you weren't doing that (although neither was Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins but at least he was focusing on it) You had a bit of a what is called 'Home Counties' air about you, this means a slightly posh version of England - Think Cricket, tea with the vicar and country villages! I am not a linguist, but I suggest you relax your mouth a bit, every now and then you REALLY focused on the last letter or syllabul of the word and that is the biggest giveaway that someone is faking the accent. Be lazy about it, I can speak the absolute Queens English - but do I every day? NAHHHHH! Relax your jaw and relax your mind a bit, let the last letter go and then ignore the first (there has always been a social divide between those who drop their H's ('aitches') at the start of a word. Hospital = 'ospital, home = 'ome this is a bit cockney stereotype but it might help you with practising. Like I said earlier, you're accent was actually quite good, but it was obvious it was fake, because you focused on the wrong cliches. Hope this helps in some way - and above all remember one thing - there is no English accent anymore, just a different accent to the other British ones GH x