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3.4: Speaking Tip- Intonation

  • Page ID
    51355
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    In the English language, the sound of a person’s voice goes up or down when they say the last word of a question or sentence. This difference in sound is called “intonation.”

    Practice Questions

    Study the examples below. Listen to the different sounds of the speaker’s voice here.

    clipboard_e29c7dc1c2b1290970fa4b11d0a6f2304.png

    Practice Questions

    Practice Activity 1

    Listening for Intonation

    Directions: Listen to the questions and circle the type of intonation you hear. 1. Up down 3. Up down 5. Up down 2. Up down 4. Up down 6. Up down

    Practice Activity 2

    Directions: Using the intonation examples on the previous page, decide if the questions and statements below have rising or falling intonation. Draw an up or down arrow next to each number. The first one has been done for you.

    1. Do you like to travel? clipboard_e9a52f8b1abde2bc8edf95ace7653ac09.png
    2. I travel as often as I can.
    3. What is your favorite country?
    4. Are you from Japan?
    5. I love to travel!

    Practice Activity 3

    Directions: Ask your partner the questions below. Practice using correct intonation.

    Partner A

    1. Where are you from?
    2. When was your last vacation?
    3. Do you like to travel on trains?

    Partner B

    1. What is your name?
    2. Have you been to New York City?
    3. Where is your favorite place to travel in the world?

    This page titled 3.4: Speaking Tip- Intonation is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Della Jean Abrahams (PDXOpen publishing initiative) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.