Q: I am a 19 years old boy. I have a problem of not being too clear while speaking. Sometimes I speak too fast and dont maintain pace while speaking. According to my friends, I eat up words while speaking. Please tell me how to cure this.

A:Clarity of pronunciation along with the rate of utterance are the two most important factors which influence the quality of our speech. While problems of speech clarity can be caused by some physical issues like tongue-tie / thickness / broadness of the tongue, many times no such organic factors are present which then means that the unclear speech is a habit. In any case correcting this involves regular practice at home with periodic supervision by a speech therapist. Speed of talking is often linked to hereditary factors and the individual's personality and takes more patience to change. Both problems can be resolved through speech therapy. The degree of change varies with every case.