Types of English Intonation

English Pronunciation for CommunicationA Practical Course for Students of EnglishByWang GuizhenFaculty of English Language & CultureGuangdong University of Foreign Studies

Types of English Intonation Intonation: Why? Falling Tone Rising Tone Fall-rise Tone

Intonation: Why? A.It shows the relationship of words within and between sentences; B.It tells something about the feeling of the speaker.

They 're going to ' have a ↘picnic. They 're going to 'have a ↗picnic.

' Those who ' sold ↘↗quickly ' made a ↘profit. (A profit was made by those who sold quickly.) ' Those who ↘↗sold ' quickly ' made a ↘profit. (A profit was quickly made by those who sold.)

I. Types of English Intonation • 1. Falling tone • 2. Rising tone • 3. Fall-rise tone

It was a very cold day. ___________________________ ___________________________

You needn't have told him. ___________________________ ___________________________

Falling tone Questions and responses • -- What would you like? • -- I'd like a chicken-salad sandwich. • -- What will you have? • -- I'll have a hotdog and a coke. • -- Where are you going? • -- To the lab. • -- What time is it? • -- It's a quarter past four. • -- Where's your lab book? • -- I lost it. • -- Where did you leave it? • -- I don't remember.

Falling tone Questions and responses • -- What would you ↘ like? • -- I'd like a chicken-salad ↘ sandwich. • -- What will you ↘ have? • -- I'll have a hotdog and a ↘ coke. • -- Where are you ↘ going? • -- To the ↘ lab. • -- What ↘ time is it? • -- It's a quarter past ↘ four. • -- Where's your ↘ lab book? • -- I ↘ lost it. • -- Where did you ↘ leave it? • -- I don't re ↘ member.

Rising tone Yes/no questions and responses Are you coming later? If I can. May I help you? Yes, I'll have a hotdog. Is it cold outside? It's very cold. Shall I wait for you? No, you go ahead. Did he bring his money? No, he forgot it.

Rising tone Yes/no questions and responses • Are you coming ↗later? If I ↘ can. • May I ↗help you? Yes, I'll have a ↘ hotdog. • Is it cold ↗outside? It's ↘ very cold. • Shall I ↗wait for you? No, you go a ↘ head. • Did he bring his ↗money? No, he for ↘ got it.

Fall-rise tone Questions/statements and responses • -- Do you know German? • -- I can read it. • --Everyone knows about it. • -- Well, not everyone. • -- We got there about midnight. • -- I think it was earlier than that. • -- Nobody wants to buy them. • -- Nobody can afford to buy them. • -- Are you sure he's coming tonight? • -- He said so.

Fall-rise tone Questions/statements and responses • -- Do you know ↗German? • -- I can ↘↗read it. • --Everyone knows a ↘ bout it. • -- Well, ↘ not ↗everyone. • -- We got there about ↘ midnight. • -- I think it was ↘ earlier than ↗that. • -- Nobody wants to ↘ buy them. • -- Nobody can af ↘ ford to ↗buy them. • -- Are you sure he's coming to ↘ night? • -- He ↘ said ↗so.

Mark out the tones of the following sentences. • 1. Is Gloria coming tonight? I'm not sure. • 2. Is there anything special? It's a large party. • 3. Is it somebody's birthday? It's house-warming. • 4. Will we need to bring something? A bottle of wine will do. • 5. Do we need a big cake? That would be great. • 6. Are we going to play some light music? Of course.

Mark out the tones of the following sentences. • 1. Is Gloria coming to ↗ night? I'm not ↘ sure. • 2. Is there anything ↗ special? It's a large ↘ party. • 3. Is it somebody's ↗ birthday? It's ↘ house-warming. • 4. Will we need to ↗ bring something? A bottle of ↘ wine will do. • 5. Do we need a big ↗ cake? That would be ↘ great. • 6. Are we going to play some light ↗ music? Of ↘ course.

7. Are you going to cook by yourself? I'll buy most of the food. 8. Do you need any help? I would appreciate it. • 9. Will the party start at seven? A quarter past seven. • 10. Can I come at about five? Let's make it six. • 11. Shall we go to the theatre on Friday? I've got some letters to write on Friday. • 12. What about Saturday? I'm expecting a friend on Saturday. • 13. Can we go on Sunday? I'm going to visit my sister on Sunday.

7. Are you going to cook by ↗ yourself? I'll buy ↘ most of the food. 8. Do you need any ↗ help? I would ap ↘ preciate it. • 9. Will the party start at ↗ seven? A quarter ↘ past seven. • 10. Can I come at about ↗ five? Let's make it ↘ six. • 11. Shall we go to the theatre on ↗ Friday? I've got some ↘ letters to write on ↗ Friday. • 12. What about ↘ Saturday? I'm expecting a ↘ friend on ↗ Saturday. • 13. Can we go on ↗ Sunday? I'm going to visit my ↘ sister on ↗ Sunday.

14. Shall we go next Monday? I have to finish my report on Monday. • 15. What do you think of Tuesday? We're having a party on Tuesday. • 16. Will Wednesday be OK? I have homework to do on Wednesday. • 17. Let's make it Thursday then? I have an evening class on Tuesday. • 18. Can we have dinner together? I have dinners with my parents. • 19. Shall we have lunch together? That would be possible. • 20. Shall we go tomorrow? I'll have lunch with Linda tomorrow.

14. Shall we go next ↗ Monday? I have to finish my re ↘ port on ↗ Monday. • 15. What do you think of ↘ Tuesday? We're having a ↘ party on ↗ Tuesday. • 16. Will Wednesday be O ↗ K? I have ↘ homework to do on ↗ Wednesday. • 17. Let's make it ↘ Thursday then? I have an ↘ evening class on ↗ Tuesday. • 18. Can we have dinner to ↗ gether? I have dinners with my ↘ parents. • 19. Shall we have ↗ lunch together? That would be ↘ possible. • 20. Shall we go to ↗ morrow? I'll have lunch with ↘ Linda tomorrow.

I. A I saw them together. B Where did you see them? A In the town. B When did you see them? A This morning. B Did you say anything to them? A I told them I should tell you. B Which you’ve now done. Thank you. A Aren’t you going to send for them? B No need. I’ve already invited them for dinner. A Them? Both of them? Together? B Like to join us?

2. A We all know that we face problems. We know that we face difficulties. We are all aware that the difficulties that we face are not difficulties that will be overcome immediately, or that will be overcome easily. We all recognize that the problems that confront us are not problems that will be solved overnight. But I sometimes wonder if we realise… if we realise sufficiently that… B That that was the clock striking two, Frank! Go to sleep! A Sorry, dear. Didn’t know it was so late. My big day, tomorrow, you know. Ah, well. Goodnight. B It’s a lovely speech, Frank.

3. A He’s not on the fourth floor now, he’s been moved – to the fifth. Use the lift. I’ll ring to say you’ve arrived. B No hurry. Er … how is he, Nurse? A I think he’s improved. Still coughs a lot, of course. B And he behaves all right, does he? A Oh, yes. We have plenty of laughs! We’ll miss him when he leaves! B He loves pretty nurses, Granddad does! It’s a family weakness! By the way, he wanted me to bring him this gift. For his special favourite – a nurse called Soft. A How lovely! B Funny name, Soft, isn’t it? A Yes. But I’ve got used to it. B Oh. Sorry. A Well, I’ll ring to say you’ve arrived. B I’m sorry!

4. A I haven’t always lived in this cottage, you know. B Haven’t you? How pretty it is! A You’ve not been here long, of course. B I haven’t, no. Only a month, in fact. But it’s a very nice village. I’ve grown to love it already. A You haven’t seen Ferringly House, yet, I suppose? B Oh, it’s magnificent! A beautiful house! A But the new people haven’t looked after it properly, you know. B Well, I haven’t seen it closely, of course, Mrs, er… A Ferringly. Madeleine Ferringly.

5. A Jim’s left, of course. B He’s left, too, has he? A And Jean. B Yes, she’s gone to work at Fletcher’s, they tell me. A Oh, it’s changed a lot since you were here. It’s become much more efficient, of course. But it’s lost the personal touch, I’m afraid. B And what about our old friend Martin? A Oh, Martin’s stayed on. B And become more efficient? A He’s had to. At avoiding work, that is.

Types of English Intonation