The Way We Sound
B2 First · Open Cloze · Cambridge Ready original exercise
For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning.
Everyone speaks (0) ___ an accent, even people who insist that they do not. Our accent is shaped by the place (1) ___ we grew up and by the people around us as children, and it can tell others a great deal (2) ___ us. Many language learners try hard to get rid (3) ___ their foreign accent, but teachers say that this is rarely necessary. What really matters is being easy to understand, (4) ___ is perfectly possible with an accent. In fact, many listeners find foreign accents charming, and some actors have become popular partly because (5) ___ the way they speak. Accents are not fixed, either. People who move to a different region often pick (6) ___ the local way of speaking without even noticing, and some end up with a mixture (7) ___ two or more accents. Their old friends may tease them about it when they go back home. So rather (8) ___ trying to sound like someone else, why not be proud of the voice that is yours?
The Way We Sound
Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.