About Ellen
I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea as a baby and grew up in the American Midwest. I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) where I obtained my Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business and Marketing. While at UW, I studied abroad in Paris. Following graduation, I lived in Germany while working in Luxembourg. After several years of marketing in Chicago, IL, events led me to Washington, D.C. where I obtained a Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology from George Washington University (GWU). It was here that I found my passion for helping people improve their accents.
While at GWU, I evaluated and educated first-year medical students who were motivated to increase their accuracy in producing General American English (GAE). Goals included improved auditory perception and American English pronunciation of particular sounds and overall stress and intonation patterns of GAE.
In addition to being a Speech-Language Pathologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, I am also a certified PESL (Pronouncing English as a Second Language) Instructor. The PESL method of accent modification is an evidence-based method of teaching accent modification techniques for non-native and regional American English speakers.
I also volunteered teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) with the Arlington Education & Employment Program (REEP), which provides English and life skills instruction to adult immigrants in Arlington, Virginia.
Helping others set and achieve goals has been extremely rewarding for me. I hope to be able to share with you this dedication.
~ Ellen Conover, MA, CCC-SLP
Founder
In addition to being a Speech-Language Pathologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, I am also a certified PESL (Pronouncing English as a Second Language) Instructor. The PESL method of accent modification is an evidence-based method of teaching accent modification techniques for non-native and regional American English speakers.
I also volunteered teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) with the Arlington Education & Employment Program (REEP), which provides English and life skills instruction to adult immigrants in Arlington, Virginia.
Helping others set and achieve goals has been extremely rewarding for me. I hope to be able to share with you this dedication.
~ Ellen Conover, MA, CCC-SLP
Founder
Languages Supported
I work with individuals from all over the world, who speak any language, including those who learned a regional accent here in the U.S. Some languages I have worked with include:
What Clients Say About Me
"My experience with Ellen has been truly wonderful. I came to her because I wanted the confidence that comes from having command of my second language, English. Ellen taught me how to generate and use the sounds of English. Working with her has unveiled aspects of the language I could simply not see and I feel empowered to know now. She has been a guide through my journey of feeling more comfortable communicating in this language. Her deep understanding of accent and clarity around the numerous issues that arise have been a tremendous resource for me. Learning from her has been empowering and fun." ~ SA
"I made great improvements with Ellen. My friends, especially those who are native speakers, thought I did not need a class like this. Not true! I find Ellen has particularly good ears for accents - this is what she is trained to do after all. Because I had to move, I'm working with some other folks who are not familiar with foreign accents and they are just as forgiving as my American friends who barely points out any mistakes I make as along as they understand me. But if you speak with a foreign accent like I do, you know the disadvantage that put you in. Ellen is always professional and very approachable. I find her homework very helpful if you do it on time and really study her feedback. I was skeptical at first about the evaluation as I thought I knew what my problems were, but I was wrong at least partially. It turns out the dark L was particular hard for me that I didn't know and I'm still struggling. Ellen's class is a good start to learn the correct way to say it, but you've got to practice and practice to make it your own. You are changing your habitual way of speaking after all. All in all, I think Ellen is a rare find in the area, if not in the whole country. So make use of the opportunity of working with her and good luck to everyone." ~YW
"I would like to highlight Ellen’s performance, she is very professional, well educated, vast experienced and provides honest and accurate advice related to the ways to achieve your goals. When is necessary, she has a straightforward style of teaching and makes you feel like "I can do it." Likewise she makes you notice your mistakes, corrects them and improves them. She is dedicated and nice to provide guidance even when you are failing. I highly recommend her tutoring service." ~ RO
"If you are serious about improving your accent, you should definitely consider taking classes with Ellen. Her lessons are exactly what I was looking for to propel me to the next level in English pronunciation. I cannot say enough great things about her professionalism and knowledge!" ~MGS
"I am a native Spanish speaker and I have been studying English in Spain since I was in school. When I moved to the US I realized that I had difficulties to understand and to communicate effectively in English. Since I have met Ellen, my pronunciation has improved, and so have my listening comprehension, my use of grammar and my vocabulary. The people around me have noticed a great improvement in my English, and since Ms. Conover is tutoring me I have gained confidence in my speaking skills. Ellen is well organized and methodical, and she is also patient and dedicated. She always encourages me to continue improving my English, and I therefore highly recommend her as an English tutor." ~ECG
"Ellen is an extremely experienced, knowledgeable, talented and patient English teacher. Since I started working with her a few months ago, I have gained a lot of confidence in speaking English. I am no longer nervous when I meet other moms and interviewers. I have been very impressed that she comes always prepared for sessions with thorough materials and skills considering my current level." ~SH
"I would like to highlight Ellen’s performance, she is very professional, well educated, vast experienced and provides honest and accurate advice related to the ways to achieve your goals. When is necessary, she has a straightforward style of teaching and makes you feel like "I can do it." Likewise she makes you notice your mistakes, corrects them and improves them. She is dedicated and nice to provide guidance even when you are failing. I highly recommend her tutoring service." ~ RO
"If you are serious about improving your accent, you should definitely consider taking classes with Ellen. Her lessons are exactly what I was looking for to propel me to the next level in English pronunciation. I cannot say enough great things about her professionalism and knowledge!" ~MGS
"I am a native Spanish speaker and I have been studying English in Spain since I was in school. When I moved to the US I realized that I had difficulties to understand and to communicate effectively in English. Since I have met Ellen, my pronunciation has improved, and so have my listening comprehension, my use of grammar and my vocabulary. The people around me have noticed a great improvement in my English, and since Ms. Conover is tutoring me I have gained confidence in my speaking skills. Ellen is well organized and methodical, and she is also patient and dedicated. She always encourages me to continue improving my English, and I therefore highly recommend her as an English tutor." ~ECG
"Ellen is an extremely experienced, knowledgeable, talented and patient English teacher. Since I started working with her a few months ago, I have gained a lot of confidence in speaking English. I am no longer nervous when I meet other moms and interviewers. I have been very impressed that she comes always prepared for sessions with thorough materials and skills considering my current level." ~SH