Practice activity, The Intonation of American English. You've learned about intonation. The up-and-down melody of your voice as you speak. The intonation at the end of the sentence is the most important part of the melody. Does it go up or down? Listen carefully to these sentences. Do you hear the intonation go up or down at the end? Here's the first one. Are whales a kind of fish? Did the intonation go up or down? Yes, it went up, because it's a yes, no question. Now say the sentence, are whales a kind of fish? Here's the next one. No, whales are mammals. Did the intonation go up or down? Yes, it went down, because it's a statement. Now say the sentence. No, whales are mammals. Here's the next one. Are you sure? Did the intonation go up or down? Yes, it went up, because it's a yes, no question. Now say the sentence. Are you sure? Here's the next one. Yes, I'm positive. Did the intonation go up or down? Yes, it went down, because it's a statement. Now say the sentence. Yes, I'm positive. Now, let's try some other kinds of questions. Which intonation pattern do you hear, up at the end, down at the end, or up on an earlier word and down at the end? The first question is, how many brothers and sisters do you have? What kind of intonation did you hear? Yes, the intonation goes down at the end because it's a WH question. Now, say the question. How many brothers and sisters do you have? The next question is, do you want to watch TV, or read a book? What kind of intonation did you hear? Yes, the intonation goes up when we say, watch TV, and then down at the end. It's an, or, question. Now, say the question. Do you want to watch TV or read a book? The next question is, you were at the meeting yesterday, weren't you? What kind of intonation did you here? Yes, the intonation went up at the end. It's a tad question and it sounds like the speaker really isn't sure if the listener was at the meeting yesterday. Now say the question. You were at the meeting yesterday, weren't you? Now, let's practice some more. Read these questions to yourself and decide what kind of intonation you should use. Read the first one and decide if it should go up, down, or up and the down. Now, listen and see if your predictions was right. Have you ever been to Yosemite National Park? Yes, the intonation goes up because this is a yes, no question. Now, you say it. Have you ever been to Yosemite National Park? Read the next one to yourself and decide if it should go up, down, or up and then down. Now, listen and see if your prediction was right. Did you go to Yosemite in summer or winter? Yes, the intonation goes up when we say in summer and then down at the end because this is an, or, question. Now you say it. Did you go to Yosemite in summer or winter? Read the next one and decide what you think the intonation will be. Now, listen and see if your prediction was right. I'll bet it was really beautiful, wasn't it? Yes, the intonation might go down because this is a tag question and the speaker might be pretty sure that the listener will agree. Now you say it. I'll bet it was really beautiful, wasn't it? Of course, if the speaker really isn't sure if the other person thought it was beautiful, the intonation could also go up. I'll bet it was really beautiful, wasn't it? Here's the last one. Read it and decide if it should go up, down, or up and then down. Now, listen and see if your prediction was right. What did you do in Yosemite? Yes, the intonation goes down because this is a WH question. Now you say it. What did you do in Yosemite? Finally, let's practice reading a conversation between two friends about a trip to Yosemite National Park. Pay attention to intonation of questions and answers. You'll also notice lots of connected speech in this conversation. Now, listen and repeat each part. Have you ever been to Yosemite, Ellie? Yeah, I went there last year. It was so gorgeous! Did you go in summer or winter? In winter. I didn't want to go in summer because it's always so crowded. I'll bet it was cold, wasn't it? Yes, and there was quite a bit of snow on the ground. What did you do there? I went hiking a couple of times, but mostly I just admired the scenery. I must have taken hundreds of pictures. That sounds great. I want to go there someday. I want to go again, too. But maybe next time I'll go in summer. Intonation is cool. Don't you agree? It's an important part of the music of English pronunciation.
