Intonation - English Oral Skills Notes

• Introduction
• Falling Intonation
• Rising Intonation

Introduction

• It is the rise and fall of voice in speaking.
• Intonation is crucial for communication.
• In English there are basically two kinds of intonation: rising and falling.
• We can use arrows to show the intonation – whether rising or falling. ↘ represents falling intonation while ↗ represents the rising one.
• Intonation can be used to manipulate statements; changing them into questions, expressing certainty, politeness, doubts etc.
  • Her name is Mary. (falling) certain
    
  • Her name is Mary. (rising) doubting.
    
  • Have you had your lunch? (falling) polite
    
  • Have you had your lunch? (rising) indifferent

Falling Intonation

• Falling intonation is when we lower our voice at the end of a sentence.
• This usually happens in:
  1. Statements, for example,
     • I like↘ bananas.
     • It is nice working with ↘ you.
     • She travelled to↘ Eldoret.
  2. W/H Questions (Questions that do not require a yes/no answer)
     • What is your ↘ name?
     • Where do you ↘ live?
     • How old are↘ you?
     • Who is this young↘ man?
  3. Commands
     • Get out ↘ now.
     • Give me the ↘ money.
     • Close your ↘ books.
  4. Exclamatory sentences e.g.
     • What a wonderful ↘ present!
     • How ↘ nice of you
  5. Falling intonation is also used in a list to show that you have reached your final item. E.g.
     
     • ↗ One, ↗ two,↗ three, ↗ four,↘ five.

Rising Intonation

• When we raise our voice.
• Used in:
  1. General Questions (mostly those that require a yes/no answer) e.g.
     • Do you visit them↗ often?
     • Have you seen ↗ her?
     • Are you ready to ↗ start?
     • Could you give me a↗ pen, please?
  2. Alternative questions e.g.
     • Do you want ↗ coffee or ↘ tea?
     • Does he speak↗ Kiswahili or ↘ English?
  3. Before tag questions e.g.
     • This is a beautiful ↘ place, ↗ isn’t it?
     • She knows↘ him,↗ doesn’t she?
  4. Enumerating e.g.
     • ↗ One, ↗ two,↗ three, ↗ four,↘ five.
     • She bought ↗ bread, ↗ cheese, ↗ oranges, and ↘ apples.
  5. Rising intonation is also used when you call for the attention of someone. E.g.
     • Sheila? (rising) Hey (rising)

Exercise

Using an arrow, determine whether rising or falling intonation is used in the sentences.

1. This music sounds good.
2. I love watching horror movies.
3. My sister’s name is Amina.
4. Blue is my favourite colour.
5. Is that tv good?
6. Do you like that movie?
7. Are you hungry?
8. Get me my shoes.
9. Study your lessons now.
10. Are you insane?
11. How many more hours before you are done with your work?
12. Which novel is the best for you?
13. He is a little bit nervous, isn’t he?
14. You should listen to your parents’ advice.
15. Did you finish your homework?
16. Water is good for the body.
17. This is good!
18. What a crazy show.