English intonation

1. English Intonations: Falling intonation (for statements) The falling intonation is the most common intonation pattern in English. You’ll hear it in a statement. → Statement = A simple sentence (affirmative or negative), not a question, not an exclamation. For example: “I like cookies.” “We don’t have time.” “Sarah is here.” In a common statement, intonation falls slightly at the end. In other words, the last syllable of the sentence is a bit lower (in pitch), and a bit quieter.

2. English Intonations: Rising intonation (for Yes/No questions) “Yes / No” questions are questions that you can answer with “yes” or “no” (they often begin with a verb like “do”, “be,” “have,” will,” “would”, “can”, or “could.”) For example: “Will I be involved?” “Can they finish the project in time?” “Is English important or urgent?” “Is there a secret?” “Do you have an idea for a solution?” In these sentences, the intonation rises at the end of the sentence. In other words, the last syllable sounds higher (in pitch), and a bit louder. It shows that you’re asking a question!

3. English Intonations: Rising and falling (for Wh- questions) “Wh-” questions are questions that start with an interrogative words (adverb or pronoun) such as:What → “What do you want?” (in the video lesson) When → “When is the deadline?” Where → “Where do you want to go?” (in the video lesson) Why → “Why do we need to focus on this?” How → “How can I connect with my audience?” Who → “Who do I want to be in the world?” (in the video lesson) Whose → “Whose goal do we need to fulfill?” Which → “Which color do you want for your website background?”

They all start with “Wh-”, with the exception of “How” (sentences with “How” also follow the same intonation.) Here the intonation rises on the most important word in the sentence, and then falls at the end of the question.

4. English Intonations: Recap to remember Intonation falls on statements: “I want to travel to the Bahamas.” Intonation rises on yes/no questions: “Do you want to go with me?” Intonation rises then falls on wh- questions: “Where do you want to go?” There’s always something more to learn for speaking English, but remember: the goal is communication. You do not need to lose your accent to master real American English – you “only” want to be understood clearly.

Then we’ll practice these words with normal rising and falling intonation. From there, we’ll increase the rise or the fall in order to express more intense emotions. At the end, we’ll practice them all together so that you can hear the difference. On the screen, I’ll give you a few more clues, such as punctuation, the emotion I’m expressing, and whether your tone should be rising or falling.

In order to improve your intonation when speaking English, you need to develop sensitivity to the emotions and attitudes that native English speakers express through their tone of voice. A deeper awareness of how we communicate meaning through intonation will help you become more socially and emotionally intelligent in conversations with native English speakers. Once you’re able to identify the different emotions and attitudes expressed through tone, you’ll be able to start working on them in your own voice. The challenge for many people is increasing the variety of tones that you express through your pitch and inflection. That’s what we’re going to practice today with these intonation exercises.

Understand the Pitch Variation in Your Own Voice To get started with intonation, you need to have an awareness of the pitch variation in your own voice. After all, when we speak, we change our pitch consistently throughout our sentences. To change your intonation, you need to be able to use your pitch consciously and thoughtfully. Depending on how pitch works in your native language, this can take some practice.

Expressing More Emotions Through Your Tone of Voice At this point, you may be comfortable with basic rising and falling tones, but in order to be more expressive in English, you’ll need to master a wider variety of emotions through your tone of voice. If you’re not used to expressing a wide variety of emotions through your voice due to your cultural background, your personality, or your native language, this can feel challenging at first. That’s why we practice.

Remember, this is about understanding what emotions are coming across in your speech, whether you intend them to or not. if you want to sound more like a native English speaker, you need to be aware of what you’re communicating through your intonation. Just remember, it may feel awkward or uncomfortable when we’re practicing, but it’ll definitely sound natural when you’re interacting with native speakers.

Intonation Exercises: Practice Different Tones with Common Words In these intonation exercises, we’re going to look at extremely common words that you will use all the time when speaking English. We’ll start by saying a word neutrally, so that they’re clear and easy to understand without any particular rising or falling tone.

Intonation Exercise #1: Yeah First, we’re going to start with the word “yeah.” (It’s a little more common in everyday speech than the word “yes.”) Yeah (neutral) Yeah. (falling) Yeah? (rising) Yeah! (enthusiastic) Yeah!! (excited) Yeah!!! (super excited) Yeah?? (uncertain) Yeah??? (surprise) Yeah… (disinterested) Please note that there are more emotions you can show here, like annoyance, doubt, disbelief, or uncertainty.

Intonation Exercise #2: No Next, let’s move on to “no.” No (neutral) No. (falling) No? (rising) No! (authoritative) No!! (forceful) No?? (uncertain) No?? (disbelief)

Intonation Exercise #3: Okay Next, let’s move on to the word “okay.” As in many languages, we use this all the time. Let’s practice different emotions you can show through your intonation on the word “okay.” Okay (neutral) Okay. (falling) Okay. (agreeing) Okay? (rising) Okay! (annoyed) Okay!! (irritated) Okay?? (uncertain) Okay??? (insecure)

Intonation Exercise #4: Right Next, let’s move on to “right.” Right (neutral) Right. (falling) Right? (rising) Right! (authoritative) Right!! (aggressive) Right?? (uncertain) Right??? (insecure)

Intonation Exercise #5: Hey Next, let’s move on to the word “hey,” another word we use all the time in everyday speech. Hey (neutral) Hey. (falling) Hey. (disinterested) Hey! (authoritative) Hey!! (aggressive) Hey? (rising) Hey! (enthusiastic) Hey!! (excited)

Intonation Exercise #6: Maybe Moving on, let’s talk about the word “maybe.” Maybe (neutral) Maybe. (falling) Maybe. (unconvinced) Maybe? (rising) Maybe?? (uncertain) Maybe… (noncommittal)

Intonation Exercise #7: Please Last but not least, let’s talk about the word “please.” Please (neutral) Please. (falling) Please! (authoritative) Please!! (forceful) Please? (rising) Please?? (pleading) Please??? (begging)

A: Hi, how are you? B: Fine, thanks. And you? A: Very good. What are you up to these days? B: Not much, but I’m always running around. A: I see. Well…I’ve got to go now. See you. B: Yes, see you…bye! A: Goodbye.