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Developing useful intonation skills

TITLE: Unit 04 Intonation

Introduction 3

Intonation 4What is intonation? 4

Why is intonation important? 4

Identifying tones 6

Basic tone functions 8Tone function 1—Questioning 8

Tone function 2 – Statements and commands 17

Tone function 3—Marking the stages of information 19

Tone function 4—Agreeing/Disagreeing and uncertainty 21

Tone function 5—Exclamation/Surprise 24

Intonation in practice 25

Pitch and volume 27What is pitch? 27

What is volume? 28

Basic functions of pitch 28

Voice-work – consonant clusters 38What is a consonant cluster? 38

Check your progress 44

Summary 45

Suggested responses 46

3001K: 4 Focus on pronunciation 12005/033/003/02/2006 P0031622

Glossary 54

2 3001K: 4 Focus on pronunciations2005/033/003/02/2006 P0031622

Introduction

Language can be used to show how the speaker feels about what they are saying, or how they personally feel at that moment. This is intonation and pitch.

What you’ll learn

This section looks at intonation and pitch. The difference between these two areas is quite small and there is much overlap between them. However, you will begin to appreciate the difference as you work through this section and focus on the different functions of using different intonation and pitch.

We will look at the basic tone functions:

Questioning

Statements and commands

Marking the stages of information

Disagreeing and uncertainty

Exclamation/Surprise

You will also learn and practise pitch and volume as well as consonant clusters.

NOTE: The tracks have been linked to the audio files. Simply click on the words Track XX and you will be able to listen to the sound.


Intonation

What is intonation? English speakers change how they speak in English, sometimes taking their voices higher or lower. This rising and falling melody is called intonation. Movement in tone can be sudden or gradual and is put together in various tone combinations.

Generally speaking, if English is not your first language, this is where you start running into difficulty. Even if you pronounce each word clearly, if your intonation patterns are non-standard, your meaning will probably not be clear. Also, in terms of comprehension, you will lose a great deal of information if you are listening for the actual words used.

Why is intonation important?Intonation can help us communicate many things in spoken English.

The intonation patterns of English are used to mark the functions of sentences and the attitudes of speakers.

It can:

give meaning to our message

help to structure our ideas

convey our attitudes, emotions and feelings.

What will happen if I speak with the wrong intonation?

Care must be taken with intonation because the wrong intonation can give the wrong message. Sometimes a rise–fall tone can sound sarcastic and a rising tone can sound arrogant. Too many falling tones can sound abrupt and unfriendly.


Activity 1: Track 1

Listen to two speakers as they say the same passage: I had a pretty quiet weekend…

Which passage uses more ‘English-like’ intonation?

This is what the speakers said:

Speaker 1: Amanda

I had a pretty quiet weekend. I went to the supermarket on Saturday morning to get some stuff for a dinner party I was giving that night. After that, I cooked and tidied up the house on Saturday afternoon. Boring. Then my friends came over and we had a nice dinner together. On Sunday, I slept in, then cleaned the kitchen and then watched DVDs till evening. I didn’t go out on Sunday night because it was raining, and I had ironing to do. No what I’d call a thrilling weekend.

Speaker 2: John

The same as above.

Compare your answers with the Suggested Responses at the end of this section.

Activity 2

Record yourself speaking the passage above. Listen to yourself.

Is your intonation more like Speaker 1 or 2 (be honest!)?


http://lrr.dlr.det.nsw.edu.au/LRRView/3622/documents/sound/3001K_SS4_01.mp3

Identifying tonesIn English there are five main patterns of intonation. These are:

High rise tone

Low rise tone

Rise–fall tone

Falling tone

Fall–rise tone

If we use arrows to show how the voice goes up and down, they would look like this:

Track 2

Listen as the word ‘beautiful’ is said using these five tones:

1 High rise tone

2 Low rise tone

3 Rise–fall tone

4 Falling tone

5 Fall–rise tone



Activity 3: Track 3

Listen to the five ways ‘terrible’ is said and then draw the appropriate tone arrow. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Number Tone

1. Terrible

2. Terrible

3. Terrible

4. Terrible

5. Terrible




Basic tone functions

We will now look at the basic tone functions:

Questioning

Statements and commands

Marking the stages of information

Agreeing/Disagreeing and uncertainty

Exclamation/Surprise

Tone function 1—QuestioningWe need to use different intonation patterns when asking questions and checking information.

This information below only offers guidelines and suggestions on the intonation used in questions. Exceptions can and do occur in natural speech.

Track 4

Read and listen to the following pairs of sentences. Note the different intonation patterns in the responses.



Example:

Let’s go down the coast for the weekend! What?

I said, let’s go down the coast for the weekend.

Where?

How about Coolangatta? Where?

Why is there such a variety of intonation in these responses? Let’s find out why.

‘Let’s go up the coast for the weekend!’

‘What?’ (In this question the intonation rises as the speaker asks for clarification or repetition about what was said by the speaker.)

‘I said, let’s go down the coast for the weekend’

‘Where?’ (In this question the intonation falls as the speaker asks for ‘open’ information – in this case, a specific location.)

‘How about Coolangatta?’

‘Where?’ (In this question the intonation rises as the speaker wants their listener to know that they need more information about this particular place.)

For Yes/No questions and other Checking or Clarification questions, high rise intonation is used.


Listen to these three examples and repeat the questions.

Track 5

1. The speaker asks a question that has a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

2. The speaker asks a question to check some information or clarify (make something clearer).

3. The speaker repeats something said by another person (also called Echo Questions).

Have you ever eaten goat?

For ‘Wh’ questions and other open (finding out) questions, falling intonation is used.

Listen to these two examples and repeat the questions.

Track 6

1. The speaker asks a ‘wh’ question




2. The speaker asks an open question.

Tag questions

Two intonation patterns are commonly used in these types of questions. The grammar, however, stays the same for each type of tag question.

Example:

We use a falling tone when we expect our listener to agree with our idea/opinion.

Now listen to this example and repeat the question.

Track 7

We use a fall-rise tone when we are uncertain about the answer we will receive. The tag question seeks confirmation.

Listen and repeat this example.

Track 8




Alternative questions

Example: Do you like hot or cold weather?

A rise-fall tone is used for this type of question. The voice rises on the first alternative and falls on the second.

Track 9

Activity 4: Practice activity – questioning intonation

Let’s revise what you have learnt about questioning and intonation by doing a practice activity.

Miranda La Crespin

Imagine you are a newspaper journalist. You need to interview Miranda La Crespin, a famous dancer, about her work.



Here is some basic bio-data about Miranda.

Born Canberra

Age 25

Marital status Single

Likes Jazz music, travel

Dislikes Being late, summer

Dancing background

Has been dancing since age 6. A professional dancer since age 16.

Memorable performances

‘The Oyster-Shucking Suite’ and ‘Harps and Broken Hearts’.

Future Ambitions To give the first professional dance performance on the moon.

Write a list of questions that you are going to ask Miranda. Try to include examples of the different question types we have studied. They are summarised below.

QUESTION TYPE1. Yes/No questions and other Checking/Clarification questions.

2. ‘Wh’ questions and other Open (finding out) questions.

3. Tag questions—when we expect our listeners to agree with us.

4. Tag questions—when we are uncertain about our listener’s answer.

5. Alternative questions.

Write at least six questions. Indicate what type of question it is by writing the appropriate number from the table above next to your question.

Finally, write Miranda’s answers to your questions.


Here are some questions you could ask:

You’re single aren’t you? (Question type: 3)

Can you tell me about your dancing background? (Question type: 2)

You travel a lot, don’t you? (Question type: 4)

1________________________________________________? (Question type: ___)

Miranda: _________________________________________

2________________________________________________? (Question type: ___)

Miranda: _________________________________________

3________________________________________________? (Question type: ___)

Miranda: _________________________________________

4________________________________________________? (Question type: ___)

Miranda: _________________________________________

5________________________________________________? (Question type: ___)

Miranda: _________________________________________

6________________________________________________? (Question type: ___)

Miranda: _________________________________________

7________________________________________________? (Question type: ___)

Miranda: _________________________________________

Next, let’s work on the intonation pattern you would use if you asked your interview questions in person. First, let’s check that you remember the different questioning tones.


Activity 5

Match the different tones to question types. The first one has been done for you as an example. It is possible to use each answer more than once.

High rise tone

Fall-rise tone

Low rise tone

Rise-fall tone

Falling tone

Now go back to your interview script (in Activity 4) and indicate in the following table what intonation should be used with the sentences.

QUESTION TYPE INTONATION PATTERN

1 Yes/No Questions and other ‘Checking/Clarification’ questions

Example: High rise tone

2 ‘Wh’ Questions and other Open (finding out) questions

3a Tag Questions (when we expect our listeners to agree with us)

3b Tag Questions (when we are uncertain about our listener’s answer)

4 Alternative Questions



Activity 6

Record the dialogue you created in Activity 4. If you have a learning partner, record the dialogue with them. Make sure that you use the correct intonation for each question.

Extension activity

Listen and record some interview programs from radio and TV.

As you play them back, listen carefully to the intonation that the interviewer uses to ask their questions.


Tone function 2 – Statements and commands

We use falling intonation for definite statements and commands. This is the most common intonation pattern in English.

Listen to these examples.

1. Statements

Track 10

2. Commands



Activity 7

Say the following statements and commands with the correct (falling) intonation. Record yourself if possible.

Statements

1 He seemed happy enough.

2 I felt so sad when he told me the news.

3 The weather will be sunny and mild for the remainder of the week

Commands

1 Report to the Operations Room, immediately.

2 Pick up your dirty clothes.

3 Take your hands out of your pockets.


Tone function 3—Marking the stages of informationIn written English, we can help our readers by marking the stages of spoken information with punctuation – for example, by inserting commas, full stops, capital letters and paragraphs. In spoken English, however, we need to use other methods to help our listeners understand the different stages of our message.

One method is to use intonation, in the same way as punctuation, to mark the different stages of ideas in connected speech.

Continuing or unfinished information

Continuing or unfinished information is made clear with low rise intonation, usually together with a short pause. This intonation pattern is common with lists.

Track 11

Finally, the end of an idea is highlighted with falling intonation.

Track 12




Complete or incomplete information?

Activity 8: Track 13

Work out if the information is complete (C) or incomplete (I) from listening to the intonation in the following sentences.

Underline the correct answer. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Example:

1 The snow in the mountains has caused the closure of most schools C/I

2 You can study many different languages here, including Indonesian, Mandarin, Thai

C/I

3 When it rains a lot, we have some problems with insects C/I

4 Sandpipers are part of the large group of wading birds that migrate C/I

5 Could I speak to the chief editor, please C/I

6 Flight 616 from Shanghai is delayed C/I


Speaking extension activity

Make some lists. It could be a To Do list or a shopping list. Or it could be a Top Five list – for example, your top five favourite films.

Record yourself reading the list. Don’t forget to use low-rise intonation as you read through the items on the list and use falling intonation at the end.



Tone function 4—Agreeing/Disagreeing and uncertainty

When we agree with another person, the tone of our voice often drops at the end of the sentence. Therefore, if we agree with someone we usually use falling intonation.

Track 14

However, if we disagree with someone, our voice often rises slightly. This may be because it makes our message sound unfinished and therefore less threatening.

Track 15

But, if we are unsure of something we use fall-rise intonation.

Listen to the following example.




Track 16

When the speaker is unsure.

.


Read the following dialogue. Then listen and decide if Mattie agrees, disagrees or is unsure about the subject of the discussion by listening carefully to his intonation.

Write the intonation pattern that you hear and its meaning in the boxes below. The first one has been done for you.

CAROLYN: What do you think about keeping wild animals in zoos, Mattie?

MATTIE: Umm, it’s a really complicated issue, Carolyn. What do you think?

CAROLYN: Well, I support it as I think it can help protect some endangered species to survive.

MATTIE: Well, yes of course, that’s an important point…

Example: 1. Intonation pattern

fall-rise unsure

CAROLYN: Also, we have to consider the goal of educating the public about particular species.

MATTIE: Yes, umm, that’s important too.

2. Intonation pattern




CAROLYN: And then, there’s the scientific benefit of recording scientific data about particular animals through close observation.

MATTIE: Yes, that could be useful.


Carolyn: And finally, zoos can make money for their conservation programs through charging entrance fees.

MATTIE: Umm, yes I suppose so.


CAROLYN: So, have I convinced you that zoos are a good idea?

MATTIE: _____, you _______. I still think zoos are a _______ idea!



Tone function 5—Exclamation/Surprise

A rise-fall tone is usually used to show surprise or shock. In writing, these statements are often accompanied by an exclamation mark (!)

Listen to the following examples.

Track 18

Activity 10

Say the following statements with appropriate ‘surprised’ intonation. If possible, record and listen to yourself. Do you sound surprised enough?

1. She’s going on holiday to the moon!

2. We’re at war with the Federation!

3. That’s a big salary!

4. The president has resigned!

5. She came top of the class!



Intonation in practice

Let’s do an activity that practises all the aspects of intonation we have studied in this section.

Activity 11

Read the transcript of an informal dialogue between two people discussing a film they have seen. Think about the intonation they might use and mark the transcript with the appropriate arrows.

HANNAH:

KIM: Yeah, I saw it, but to be honest, I didn’t really enjoy it.

HANNAH: You didn’t like it?!

KIM: No, I thought it was too serious, too dark, not funny, not…

HANNAH: OK, OK – I get the idea. Sounds like you didn’t like anything at all about it.

KIM: Well – not much. Why did you like it so much?

HANNAH: Oh, I suppose I just love the whole Batman fantasy. The acting was great too. You must have noticed the acting, didn’t you?


KIM: No, I think I was mostly too busy trying to stay awake.

HANNAH: Stay awake! You’re joking, aren’t you?

KIM: No, I’m not. Are you sure we saw the same movie?

Track 19

Listen to check if your predictions were correct.



Pitch and volume

What is pitch?Pitch is very closely related to intonation. However, while intonation describes how your voice goes up and down while speaking, pitch is connected to the level of your voice while speaking and how you ‘throw’ or project your voice when speaking.

Track 20

Let’s listen to how we can change how we say a sentence using different pitch. The example sentence below is said in three different pitches.

I don’t know what to say.

In some languages, such as Japanese, a high pitch is seen as desirable for female speakers in certain situations such as telephoning.

Is pitch an important part of your first language? If so, how is it used?



What is volume?Pitch is often connected to volume. Volume is the loudness or softness of your voice. Often, when we don’t feel confident in speaking another language, our volume drops and we become difficult to hear.

Do you speak English with enough volume? Do your listeners complain that they can’t hear you?

Basic functions of pitch

Pitch function 1 – Expressing feelings

We can use pitch in many ways. One of the main functions of pitch is to express feelings and emotions. In other words, to let out or demonstrate how we are feeling inside.

Track 21

Listen to and read the first part of this dialogue which takes place in an electrical goods shop. Listen for the pitch used.

What I really want is a new one



MARY

Sorry to keep you waiting sir. Lovely day isn’t it? A nice day to be outside.

ANDREW

Ah, yes indeed.

MARY

Now, how can I help you? What can we do for you today?

ANDREW

Well it’s this …

Did you hear Mary’s use of pitch? She uses high pitch in the following sentences:

‘Lovely day, isn’t it?’

‘Now, how can I help you?’

In both sentences, Mary sounds enthusiastic and friendly. Her pitch is high and lively.

Activity 12

Now read the next part of the dialogue. Underline words or phrases in the dialogue where you think you will hear significant increase in volume.

ANDREW

I bought this electric blanket from you last year and I maybe used it twice and then I packed it away for the summer. This winter I plugged it in and—pff!—it wasn’t working.

So I brought it back here because it was still under guarantee, of course. Anyway, it went back to the manufacturer for repair. Well, when it came back I plugged it in and it worked maybe once or twice and then pff! Same thing! Cold as charity it was.

MARY

Well we can’t have that. Um. Do you have a receipt?

ANDREW

Um, it should be in there. Isn’t it in there?


MARY

It doesn’t appear to be here, sir.

ANDREW

Oh, anyway, I’m sure you’ve got a record of it somewhere.

MARY

I’m terribly sorry, sir, but we can’t do anything without a receipt.

ANDREW

I don’t believe this… Just a moment.

Ah, here it is.

MARY

OK, that’s fine. Now if you can leave me your details, ah, we’ll send this back and get it all sorted out for you.

ANDREW

I’m sorry but what I really want is a new one. This one’s gone wrong twice and there’s obviously something very wrong with it.

MARY

Well, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid we just can’t do that, sir. This is a year old and it’s been used. We can’t sell it to anyone else.

ANDREW

Don’t get me wrong. I know this is not your fault, but this is simply ridiculous.

MARY

It does seem a little bit silly but, ah, this is what we have to do.

ANDREW

Look, I think I need to speak to the manager on this one.

MARY

Certainly sir. Not a problem.



Now listen to the whole dialogue. Were your predictions about pitch change correct? Go back and underline any additional parts of the dialogue where you heard strong pitch change.


Activity 14

Do you remember the part of the dialogue where Andrew can’t find his receipt for the blanket? He uses the phrase ‘I don’t believe this’. Try to remember the pitch he used? Was it:

1. As if someone had told him an unlikely story: with calm, even pitch and intonation falling at the end?

OR

2. A cry of frustration. With rising intonation at the end and strong stress on the ‘lieve’ in believe?

Listen again to the dialogue if you need to.


Let’s do some more practice with changing pitch.

Activity 15

Practise the following phrases from the dialogue. Vary your pitch on the underlined key words. Record yourself and listen to the recording.



Try the phrases with:

medium stress on the keyword

strong (extreme) stress on the keyword.

How does the different use of pitch change the feeling of your message?

Phrase with pitch change/stress Feeling

How can we help you? Eager and helpful

We can’t have that. Serious

I don’t believe this. Frustrated

Ah, there it is. Relieved

I don’t know about that sir. Doubtful

I know it’s not your fault but this is simply ridiculous. Controlled anger

Certainly sir, not a problem. Cold

Pitch function 2 – Giving feedback

Giving feedback is an important part of speaking in English. While in some cultures, it is appropriate to listen in silence as someone speaks, in English we need to let the speaker know that we are actively listening to what they are saying.

What is feedback?

Feedback includes small words and noises that listeners use to show that they understand and are interested in what the speaker is saying.

Using pitch is an important part of giving feedback in English. Generally speaking, a high pitch and rising intonation used in feedback means that the listener is actively involved in the conversation and would like the speaker to continue. A low pitch and falling intonation used in feedback means that while the listener understands what the speaker means they aren’t encouraging the speaker to continue.

Let’s listen to an example.


Track 23

A: Hi dear. I’m home.

B: Hi. How was your day?

A: Fine, though you’ll never guess what happened?

B: Oh, what?

A: You know Kristy, my boss’s secretary?

B: Uh-huh.

Activity 16

Do you think that B is encouraging the speaker A to continue?

______________________________________________________________________

Compare your answer with the Suggested Responses at the end of this section.


Listen and identify the pitch used in the dialogue as it continues. Is it high or low?

The first one has been done for you as an example.

A: Well, she had a terrible accident at work.

1. B: Really? What happened? (HIGH pitch)

A: She was coming out of the kitchen with a pot of hot coffee…

2. B: Ah ha. (_____ pitch)

A:…and she ran slap bang into Neil from Accounts.




3. B: And? (_____ pitch)

A: She was pretty badly burnt, poor girl.

4. B: Oh. (_____ pitch)

A: Had to take the rest of the day off, poor thing.

5. B: Tsk (_____ pitch)

A: Don’t know if she’ll be back tomorrow.

6. B: Oh, dear. (_____ pitch)

A: The whole kitchen was covered in milk coffee.

7. B: Terrible waste. (_____ pitch)

A: I blame the design of that place myself.

8. B: Mmm, well (_____ pitch)

A: So, how was your day?


Activity 18

Now identify the meaning of the pitch in Activity 17. Underline one of the two alternatives given. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Example:

1. Really? What happened? concerned/annoyed

2. Ah ha surprised/interested

3. And? relieved/worried

4. Oh regretful/bored

5. Tsk disdain,/concerned

6. Oh, dear disinterested/worried

7. Terrible waste ironic/shocked

8. Mmm, well angry/tired


Activity 19

Try listening in to some conversations in a public place such as a workplace. Notice how the listener gives feedback to the speaker. What particular sounds, words or phrases do they use? What pitch do they use?

Pitch function 3 – Marking the status of information

New or old information

New information is said with a higher pitch, stronger stress and more volume than information which the listener already knows about.

Old information is said at a much lower pitch and with softer volume.

Track 25

Listen and read these examples. Notice how pitch change is indicated by directional arrows or ‘steps’ showing high or low pitch.

Main or additional information

The beginning of a new or important idea is highlighted with high pitch and strong stress. Let’s look at an example.

In contrast, added information is said at a lower pitch and with less volume.



Track 26

Listen to and read these examples.


Listen to and read a section from a talk on the subject of online learning in schools.

In particular, listen as the speaker uses pitch and intonation to indicate what is the new or main information, and what is old or additional information.

Good afternoon and welcome. Today, to mark the first day of the new semester,

I’d like to talk about online learning in schools. You may ask why it’s important

– a good question. Well, for teachers, it can help them connect to collective

professional experience. It also takes advantage of students’ interest in

information technology which we know can sometimes exceed that of their

teachers. But what about the learner? For students, online learning can help them

overcome barriers of communication, time and distance. Students can connect to

worlds outside the classroom and it can also motivate those students who are

disaffected by learning.




Now, listen again to the dialogue again while reading the transcript and indicate the pitch used by adding directional arrows or ‘steps’ to the relevant parts of the sentence.

The first two sentences have been done for you as an example.

Good afternoon and welcome. Today, to mark the first day of the new

semester, I’d like to talk about online learning in schools. You may ask why it’s

important – a good question. Well, for teachers, it can help them connect to

collective professional experience. It also takes advantage of students’ interest in

information technology which we know can sometimes exceed that of their

teachers. But what about the learner? For students, online learning can help them

overcome barriers of communication, time and distance. Students can connect to

worlds outside the classroom and it can also motivate those students who are

disaffected by learning.



Voice-work – consonant clusters

In the Section 3 we looked at voiced and unvoiced consonants in English. In this section, we will focus on consonant clusters.

What is a consonant cluster?A consonant cluster is a group of consonants that are found together in a word. They may be made up of two, three or even four consonants together. They can occur in a syllable or across syllables without a vowel/s to separate them.

In English, a consonant cluster can appear at the beginning, middle or end of a word. Examples of consonant clusters are underlined below.

Examples of consonant clusters (cc) at the beginning of a word:

2 cc 3ccscatter, split

Examples of consonant clusters in the middle of a word:

tester, Australia

Examples of consonant clusters at the end a word:

squelch, stretch

Example of a consonant cluster at the beginning, middle and end of a word!

transcript


Track 28

Listen to the example words above.

Why do we need to be able to pronounce consonant clusters correctly?

If we don’t pronounce consonant clusters well or we don’t pronounce the full sequence of consonants, we may be misunderstood or our message may be confusing. This is a particular problem if the last consonant is missing from a word.

Example:

I wanted to lift it but I didn’t have any strength.

If we do not fully pronounce the –th cluster at the end of the word strength, the word may be heard as ‘stren’. Consequently, our listener may confuse it with ‘string’ and the message will be confused.

Track 29

Listen to the correct pronunciation of the above sentences.

Some languages, like Japanese, avoid almost all consonant clusters. However, other languages like Georgian, contain a wealth of consonant clusters including the verb prckvna (to peel).

Do consonant clusters exist in your language? If so, how common are they?

Let’s practise listening to some consonant clusters.





Listen to the following words and underline all the consonant clusters. The first one has been done for you as an example.

You may need to check the phonetic spellings of some words for this activity in your dictionary.

1. pl ane

2. limp

3. sleep

4. cluster

5. snowy

6. strike

7. crisp

8. worst

Check your answers in the Suggested Responses at the end of the section.

Activity 22

Practise saying the words above until you are confident that you are pronouncing the consonant clusters correctly.

Consonant clusters in regular past simple (-ed) endings

Consonant clusters are often found in regular past simple endings. This is because the verb ending is rarely pronounced with an extra sound, but is often pronounced with a strong or asound.

Let’s look at some examples:

Moved =

Worked =



You can see how easy it is for a consonant cluster to develop when we have added a or aconsonant to an existing verb.

Before we practise speaking these consonant clusters, let’s revise the rules for the pronunciation of regular past simple endings.

Past tense verb endings pronounced /d/ after voiced consonants

/b/ (rubbed)

// (tugged)

// (damaged)

/l/ (filled)

/m/ (dimmed)

/n/ (listened)

/r/ (stirred)

/v/ (loved)

/z/ (seized)

Past tense verb endings pronounced /t/ after unvoiced consonants

/k/ (packed)

/s/ (passed)

// (watched)

// (washed)

/f/ (laughed)

// (tipped)


Listen to the pronunciation of the above past simple verbs. After you have listened several times, practise saying them to yourself.

Pay particular attention to how you pronounce the final consonant cluster.

Record yourself if possible.



Activity 24

Read the dialogue below and underline all the verbs in the regular past tense which end in a consonant cluster.

Write the word including the consonant cluster phonetically above the word. The first two have been done for you as an example.

A: Did you hear what happened to Christina?

B: No, what?

A: She managed to get herself shipwrecked on her holiday in Fiji.

B: How did that happen?

A: Well, while she was out sailing with a cruise company, a storm whipped up and she was

tossed overboard.

B: Oh no, how come she wasn’t drowned?

A: Luckily, a table was also washed overboard, so she hauled herself onto that and

stayed afloat.

B: Lucky her! How long was she abandoned?

A: Three days. A cargo boat picked her up but it was headed for Japan, so she arrived


in Tokyo yesterday.

Check your answers in the Suggested Responses at the end of the section.

Track 32

Now listen to the dialogue.

Now practise the dialogue – if possible with a partner. Pay particular attention to how you pronounce the final consonant clusters.



Check your progress

After working through Section 4 now it’s time to assess your abilities in the following areas.

Tick the box that applies to your knowledge and skills.

Yes No Not sure

I know the main use and patterns of intonation in English.

I can use some basic functions of intonation including asking questions, making statements and giving commands.

I know the basic functions of pitch in English.

I can recognise and produce consonant clusters in English.

I know how to pronounce consonant clusters in simple past tense verbs that end in/d/or/t/

If you didn’t tick Yes to all the statements we suggest you go back to that part in this section and listen and practise again.


Summary

In Section 4 we discussed the main use and patterns of intonation and pitch in English and how important they are in ensuring people understand what you say.

In the next and final section you will:

assess your current pronunciation skills level

look at ways to help you keep working on your pronunciation independently

think about what to do next in your independent study.

Now you are ready to do Assignment 2.

Go to the Assessment guide for the instructions for Assignment 2.


Suggested responses

Activity 1

Speaker 1 delivers the monologue in a flat monotone. There is little or no intonation in the passage.

In contrast, Speaker 2 varies his intonation – the speaker’s voice goes up and down in various tone combinations.

Activity 3Number Tone

1. Terrible

2. Terrible

3. Terrible

4. Terrible

5. Terrible

Activity 5QUESTION TYPE INTONATION PATTERN

1/Yes/No Questions and other Checking/Clarification Questions

2/’Wh’ Questions and other Open (Finding out) Questions

3a/Tag Questions (when we expect our listeners to agree with us)

3b/Tag Questions (when we are uncertain about our listener’s answer)

4/Alternative Questions


Activity 81. I

2. I

3. C

4. I

5. C

6. I

Activity 9

Carolyn: What do you think about keeping wild animals in zoos, Mattie?

Mattie: Umm, it’s a really complicated issue, Carolyn. What do you think?

Carolyn: Well, I support it as I think it can help protect some endangered species to survive.

Mattie: Well. Yes, of course, that’s an important point…

1. Intonation pattern = Fall/Rise (Unsure)

Carolyn: Also, you have to consider the goal of educating the public about particular species.

Mattie: Yes, umm, that’s important too.

2. Intonation pattern = Falling (Agreement)

Carolyn: And then, there’s the scientific benefit of recording scientific data about particular animals through close observation.

Mattie: Yes, that could be useful.

3. Intonation pattern = Fall-rise (Unsure)

Carolyn: And finally, zoos can make money for their conservation programs through charging entrance fees.

Mattie: Ummm, yes, I suppose so.

4. Intonation pattern = Rising (Disagreement)


Carolyn: So have I convinced you that zoos are a good idea?

Mattie: No, you haven’t. I still think zoos are a bad idea!

5. Intonation pattern = Rising (Disagreement)

Activity 11

Activity 12 and 13 I

The underlined words/phrases are where significant change in pitch and volume increase occurs in the dialogue.


MARY

Sorry to keep you waiting sir. Lovely day isn’t it? A nice day to be outside …

ANDREW

Ah, yes indeed.

MARY

Now, how can I help you? What can we do for you today?

ANDREW

Well it’s this …

I bought this electric blanket from you last year and I maybe used it twice and then packed it away for the summer. This winter I plugged it in and—pff!—it wasn’t working.

So I brought it back here because it was still under guarantee, of course. Anyway, it went back to the manufacturer for repair. Well, when it came back I plugged it in and it worked maybe once or twice and then pff! Same thing! Cold as charity it was.

MARY

Um, we can’t have that. Um, do you have a receipt?

ANDREW

Well, it should be in there. Isn’t it in there?

MARY

It doesn’t appear to be here, sir.

ANDREW

Oh, anyway, I’m sure you’ve got a record of it somewhere.

MARY

I’m terribly sorry, sir, but we can’t do anything without a receipt.

ANDREW

I don’t believe this… Just a moment.

Ah, here it is.


MARY

OK, that’s fine. Now if you can leave me your details, ah, we’ll send this back and get it all sorted out for you.

ANDREW

I’m sorry but what I really want is a new one. This one’s gone wrong twice and there’s obviously something very wrong with it.

MARY

Well, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid we just can’t do that, sir. This is a year old and it’s been used. We can’t sell it to anyone else.

ANDREW

Don’t get me wrong. I know this is not your fault, but this is simply ridiculous.

MARY

It does seem a little bit silly but, ah, this is what we have to do.

ANDREW

Look, I think I need to speak to the manager on this one.

MARY

Certainly sir, not a problem.

Activity 14

Number 2

Activity 16

No, B’s pitch range could be called mainly low range in this dialogue. So she isn’t encouraging the speaker to continue.

Activity 17

A: Well, she had a terrible accident at work

1. B: Really? What happened? (High pitch)

A: She was coming out of the kitchen with a pot of hot coffee…


2. B: Ah ha… (High pitch)

A:…and she ran slap bang into Neil from Accounts

3. B: And? (High pitch)

A: She was pretty badly burnt, poor girl

4. B: Oh (High pitch)

A: Had to take the rest of the day off, poor thing

5. B: Tsk (Low pitch)

A: Don’t know if she’ll be back tomorrow

B: Oh, dear (Low pitch)

A: The whole kitchen was covered in milk coffee

6. B: Terrible waste (Low pitch)

A: I blame the design of that place myself

7. B: Mmm, well (Low pitch)

A: So, how was your day?

Activity 181. Really? What happened? Concerned/Annoyed

2. Ah ha Surprised/Interested

3. And? Relieved/Worried

4. Oh Sympathetic/Bored

5. Tsk Disdainful/Concerned

6. Oh, dear Disinterested/Worried

7. Terrible waste Ironic/Shocked

8. Umm, well Angry/Tired

Activity 20

Good afternoon and welcome. Today, to mark the first day of the new

semester I’d like to talk about online learning in schools. You may ask why

it’s important – a good question. Well, for teachers, it can help them


connect to collective professional experience. It also takes advantage of

students’ interest in information technology which we know can sometimes

exceed that of their teachers. But what about the learner? For students,

online learning can help them overcome barriers of communication, time

and distance. Students can connect to worlds outside the classroom and it

can also motivate those students who are disaffected by learning.

Activity 21

1. Pl ane

2. Limp

3. Sl eep

4. Cl uster

5. Sn owy

6. Str ike/

7. Cr isp

8. Worst

Activity 24

A: Did you hear what happened to Christina?

B: No, what?

A: She managed to get herself shipwrecked on her holiday in Fiji.

B: How did that happen?

A: Well, while she was out sailing with a cruise company, a storm whipped


up and she was tossed overboard

B: Oh no, how come she wasn’t drowned?

A: Luckily, a table was also washed overboard, so she hauled herself onto

that and stayed afloat.

B: Lucky her! How long was she abandoned?

A: Three days. A cargo boat picked her up but it was headed for Japan, so

she arrived in Tokyo yesterday.


Glossary

Clarification The process of making something clear.

Consonant cluster A group of consonants that are found together in a word, or words.

Feedback Small words and noises that listeners use to show that they understand and are interested in what the speaker is saying.

Intonation/Tone The way your voice goes up and down as you say words/a sentence.

Pitch High or low tone level on words in spoken language.

Tone function Why a particular tone is used; a tone’s purpose.

Volume How loud or soft something is.


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