INTONATION PATTERNS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE S.S.S1 THIRD TERM
WEEK ONE
THEME: SPEECH
INTONATION PATTERNS
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE
Students should be able to;
- Identify intonation patterns
- Explain the patterns of intonation
CONTENT
What is intonation?
Intonation and stress are closely linked. In fact, it's impossible to dissociate them. They go hand in hand.
Intonation is about how we say things, rather than what we say, the way the voice rises and falls when speaking, in other words, the music of the language.
Just as words have stressed syllables, sentences have regular patterns of stressed words. In addition, the voice tends to rise, fall or remain flat depending on the meaning or feeling we want to convey (surprise, anger, interest, boredom, gratitude, etc.). Intonation, therefore, indicates the mood of the speaker.
There are two basic patterns of intonation in English: falling intonation and rising intonation.
In the following examples, a downward arrow (➘) indicates a fall in intonation and an upward arrow (➚) indicates a rise in intonation.
Again, these are not rules but patterns generally used by native speakers of English.
Just remember that content words are stressed, and intonation adds attitude or emotion.
This explanation on intonation is intended to serve as a general guide to help learners.
It should in no way make them unnecessarily anxious!
It should be remembered that a written explanation can never be a substitute for a 'live' conversation with a native speaker.
Attitudinal intonation is something that is best acquired through talking and listening to English speakers.
Falling Intonation (➘)
(The pitch of the voice falls at the end of the sentence.)
Falling intonation is the most common intonation pattern in English.
It is commonly found in statements, commands, wh-questions (information questions),
confirmatory question tags and exclamations.
Statements
- Nice to meet ↘you.
- I’ll be back in a ↘minute.
- She doesn’t live here ↘anymore.
- Dad wants to change his ↘car.
- Here is the weather ↘forecast.
- Cloudy weather is expected at the end of the ↘week.
- We should work together more ↘often
- I'm going for a walk in the ↘park.
Commands
- Write your name ↘here.
- Show me what you’ve ↘written.
- Leave it on the ↘desk.
- Take that picture ↘ down.
- Throw that ↘out.
- Put your books on the ↘table.
- Take your hands out of your ↘pockets.
Wh- questions (requesting information.)
(questions beginning with 'who', 'what', 'why', 'where', 'when', 'which', and 'how')
- What country do you come ↘from?
- Where do you ↘work?
- Which of them do you ↘prefer?
- When does the shop ↘open?
- How many books have you ↘bought?
- Which coat is ↘yours?
- Whose bag is ↘this?
Questions Tags that are statements requesting confirmation rather than questions.
Not all tag questions are really questions.
Some of them merely ask for confirmation or invite agreement, in which case we use a falling tone at the end.
- He thinks he’s so clever, doesn’t ↘he?
- She's such a nuisance, isn't ↘she?
- I failed the test because I didn't revise, did ↘ I?
- It doesn't seem to bother him much, does ↘ it?
Exclamations
- How nice of ↘ you!
- That's just what I ↘need!
- You don't ↘ say!
- What a beautiful ↘ voice!
- That's a ↘surprise!
Rising Intonation (➚)
(The pitch of the voice rises at the end of a sentence.)
Rising intonation invites the speaker to continue talking.
It is normally used with yes/no questions, and question tags that are real questions.
Yes/no Questions
(Questions that can be answered by 'yes' or 'no'.)
- Do you like your new ➚teacher?
- Have you finished ➚already?
- May I borrow your ➚dictionary?
- Do you have any ➚magazines?
- Do you sell ➚stamps?
Questions tags that show uncertainty and require an answer (real questions).
- We've met already, ➚haven't we?
- You like fish, ➚don't you?
- You're a new student ➚aren't you?
- The view is beautiful, ➚isn't it?
We sometimes use a combination of rising and falling intonation in the same sentence.
The combination is called Rise-Fall or Fall-Rise intonation.
Rise-Fall Intonation (➚➘)
(The intonation rises and then falls.)
We use rise-fall intonation for choices, lists, unfinished thoughts and conditional sentences.
Choices (alternative questions.)
- Are you having ➚soup or ➘salad?
- Is John leaving on ➚Thursday or ➘Friday?
- Does he speak ➚German or ➘French?
- Is your name ➚Ava or ➘Eva?
Lists (rising, rising, rising, falling)
Intonation falls on the last item to show that the list is finished.
- We've got ➚apples, pears, bananas and ➘oranges
- The sweater comes in ➚blue, white pink and ➘black
- I like ➚football, tennis, basketball and ➘volleyball.
- I bought ➚a tee-shirt, a skirt and a ➘handbag.
Unfinished thoughts (partial statements)
In the responses to the following questions, the rise-fall intonation indicates reservation.
The speaker hesitates to fully express his/her thoughts.
- Do you like my new handbag? Well the ➚leather is ➘nice... ( but I don't like it.)
- What was the meal like? Hmm, the ➚fish was ➘good... (but the rest wasn't great).
- So you both live in Los Angeles? Well ➚Alex ➘does ... (but I don't).
Conditional sentences
(The tone rises in the first clause and falls gradually in the second clause.)
- If he ➚calls, ask him to leave a ➘message.
- Unless he ➚insists, I'm not going to ➘go.
- If you have any ➚problems, just ➘contact us.
Fall-Rise Intonation (➘➚)
(The voice falls and rises usually within one word.
The main function of fall-rise intonation is to show that the speaker is not certain of the answer they are giving to a question, or is reluctant to reply (as opposed to a falling tone used when there is no hesitation). It is also used in polite requests or suggestions.
Hesitation/reluctance:
- So you'd be willing to confirm that? ...Well ... I ➘sup➚pose so ...
- You didn't see him on Monday? I don't quite ➘re➚member ...
- Politeness-Doubt-Uncertainty: (You are not sure what the answer might be.)
- Perhaps we could ➘vis➚it the place?
- Should we ➘cop➚y the list?
- Do you think it's ➘al➚lowed?
THEME: VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH RELIGION - CHRISTIANITY
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE
Students should be able to;
- Identify words associated with religion - Christianity
- Make sentences using the words
CONTENT
Christian beliefs
RELATED WORDS
canonical ADJECTIVE
based on the laws of a Christian church
canon law NOUN
the set of laws of a Christian church
cardinal sin NOUN
something that the Christian religion says is bad and that you must not do
commandment NOUN
according to the Bible, one of the ten rules of behaviour called the Ten Commandments that God gave people to obey
the Creation NOUN
the act of making the universe start to exist when believed to be done by God
creationism NOUN
the belief that the universe was created exactly as the Bible describes it
the Cross NOUN
the structure on which Jesus Christ died according to the Bible
the Crucifixion NOUN
the occasion when Jesus Christ was killed on the Cross according to the Bible
Eden NOUN
in the Bible, the beautiful place where the first humans, Adam and Eve, lived
the Fall NOUN
in the Jewish and Christian religions, the story of how evil came into the world because Adam and Eve did not obey God
the Flood NOUN
in the Bible, the occasion when God covered the earth with water to punish people
fundamentalism NOUN
the belief of some Christians that every word in the Bible is exactly true
the gospel NOUN
the things that Jesus said and taught, according to the Bible
the Holy Land
the countries in the Middle East where the stories in the Bible are based, and where Christians believe that Jesus Christ lived
the Immaculate Conception
the Christian belief that Mary, the mother of Christ, was free from original sin (=the evil that all people are born with)
the Incarnation NOUN
in the Christian religion, the appearance of God in human form, as Jesus Christ
the Last Supper
in the Bible, the last meal Jesus Christ ate with his 12 disciples on the evening before he was crucified. He offered them bread and wine, and the religious ceremony known as Communion or the Eucharist is based on this.
manna NOUN
according to the Bible, the food that God gave to the Israelites in the desert after they had escaped from Egypt
the millennium NOUN
the time when some Christians believe Jesus Christ will return to the world and rule it for 1,000 years
the Nativity
the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated by Christians at Christmas
Noah’s ark
in the Bible, the large boat that Noah built to save animals from the flood that covered the whole world
original sin NOUN
the evil that, according to Christian belief, all people are born with
the Passion NOUN
the painful death of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible
redemption NOUN
the state of being made free from the power of evil, especially in the Christian religion
redemptive ADJECTIVE
making someone free from the power of evil, especially in the Christian religion
resurrection NOUN
the occasion on which all dead people will be brought back to life at the end of the world, according to Christian belief
the Resurrection NOUN
the occasion on which Jesus Christ was brought back to life after his death, according to the Bible
salvation NOUN
in the Christian religion, the act of being saved by God from evil
the Second Coming
in Christianity, the return of Jesus Christ to Earth
Sodom and Gomorrah
two cities in the Bible that were destroyed by God as punishment for the sexual behaviour of the people who lived there. People sometimes say that a place is like Sodom and Gomorrah as a way of saying that they are very shocked by people’s sexual behaviour in that place.
transubstantiation NOUN
the belief of some Christians that the bread and wine used in church ceremonies become the body and blood of Jesus Christ
the virgin birth NOUN
the birth of Jesus Christ. In Christian belief, Jesus’s mother Mary was made pregnant by God, not by having sex with a man.
THEME: READING
COMPREHENSION/SUMMARY
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE
Students should be able to;
- Read the passage carefully
- Summarize the passage
- Answer questions from the passage
CONTENT
Lions
A lion is usually called 'the King of the Beasts.' Its official scientific name is Panthera leo. In the cat family, only the tiger is bigger. Today lions live mainly in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, although originally, they were found in Asia and Europe also. They like open savannas, woodlands, grasslands and thick bushes. In addition, a protected group of six hundred fifty lives in a sanctuary in India.
In general, a lion has a long body, short legs, and a large head. Males and females differ in appearance quite a bit. A male's most outstanding characteristic is his mane. It might be just a fringe around his head or very full covering his neck, shoulders and even chest. Some lions have a very dark almost black mane. This dark mane creates a very kingly appearance. A mane helps to make the lion more frightening to other animals.
A male lion is six to seven feet long, not counting its tail, and three to four feet tall. He can weigh from three hundred seventy to five hundred pounds. The female is called a lioness. She is about four to five feet long and about three feet tall. A lion's coat can vary in colour. It can be yellow, light brown, grey or dark brown. The tip of its tail is usually darker than its coat.
The lion is the only cat which lives in a group. This group is called pride. The pride divides into several smaller groups during the day to hunt or feed. Several generations of lionesses live in the pride along with a few lions and the cubs. The average number of lions in pride is fifteen.
Each pride has a certain territory which it defends against other lions who want to push into their area. If the prey is readily available, the territory may be twenty square miles. If not, the area might be much bigger. Sometimes females pass the same territory down to other females. They make known their territory by roaring and scent marking. Usually, roaring occurs in the evening before they go off to hunt and in the early morning.
Lions usually hunt and eat medium -to large- size animals with hooves, like zebras, antelopes, and wildebeests. They eat any meat available, though, even carrion. They steal meat from hyenas and wild dogs. In the open savanna areas, the lionesses do most of the hunting. Males of pride in less open areas do their own hunting. Single lions do their own hunting too.
A pride of lions would seem to be a rather strong predator. However, the lions do not pay any attention to how the wind is blowing so that the prey does not get their scent. They also get tired easily and must give up a lengthy chase. That is why they hide and then burst out quickly at prey. The lion jumps on the prey's neck and strangles it. After a big kill, when their hunger is satisfied, the lions rest in the area for several days. An adult male may eat seventy pounds of meat at once and then rest for a week.
Usually a lioness in the wild breeds every two years. The gestation period is one hundred eight days. The average litter size is two to four cubs. The newborn cubs are blind and helpless but can follow their mother at three months. They are weaned from nursing by the age of six to seven months. They cannot survive on their own until two years of age.
Most lioness mothers do not pay close attention to their cubs and even leave them alone for many hours. Male cubs are driven out from the pride at three years of age and live alone until they can find another pride to take them in, usually at about five years of age. Many adult male lions wander alone for the rest of their lives.
1) Which of the following is the name for a group of lions which live together?
A: Herd
B: Pride
C: Tribe
D: Litter
2) Which of the following is not a common prey for a lion?
A: Elephant
B: Antelope
C: Wildebeest
D: Zebra
3) Which of the following is the only cat bigger than a lion?
A: Panther
B: Tiger
C: Leopard
D: Cheetah
4) Which of the following is not a true statement?
A: Lionesses do the hunting for the pride.
B: Male lions have a thick mane.
C: Lion cubs are born blind.
D: All lions live in pride.
5) Which of the following is not a true statement?
A: The average litter of cubs is two to four.
B: The average size of pride is fifteen lions.
C: Male lions go out on their own at the age of five.
D: Lions may rest for a week after a kill.
6) Which of the following parts of prey does the lion attack first?
A: Head
B: Heart
C: Neck
D: Legs
THEME: STRUCTURE
SENTENCES
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE
Students should be able to;
- Define sentences
- Explain the types of sentences
CONTENT
A sentence is the largest unit of any language. In English, it begins with a capital letter and ends with a full-stop, or a question mark, or an exclamation mark.
The sentence is generally defined as a word or a group of words that expresses a thorough idea by giving a statement/order, or asking a question, or exclaiming.
Example:
He is a good boy (statement), Is he a good boy? (question), What a nice weather! (exclaiming).
Ideally, a sentence requires at least one subject and one verb. Sometimes the subject of a sentence can be hidden, but the verb must be visible and present in the sentence. A verb is called the heart of a sentence.
Example:
Do it. (In this sentence, a subject ‘you’ is hidden but verb ‘do’ is visible)
“[A sentence is] a group of words, usually containing a verb, that expresses a thought in the form of a statement, question, instruction, or exclamation and starts with a capital letter when written.” - (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press.)
In other words, a complete English sentence must have three characteristics:
First, in written form, a sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period (i.e., a full stop) [.], a note of interrogation (i.e., a question mark) [?], or a note of exclamation (i.e., an exclamation mark) [!].
Second, it must express a complete thought, not fragmented.
Third, it must contain at least one subject (hidden/visible) and one verb comprising an independent clause. (An independent clause contains an independent subject and verb and expresses a complete thought.)
Types of Sentences
Structurally, sentences are of four types:
- Simple sentence
- Compound sentence
- A complex sentence, and
- Compound-complex sentence.
Simple sentence
A simple sentence must have a single clause (a single verb) which is independent, and it cannot take another clause.
Example:
I always wanted to become a writer. (One clause – one verb)
Compound sentence
A compound sentence must have more than one independent clause with no dependent clauses. Some specific conjunctions, punctuation, or both are used to join together these clauses.
Example:
I always wanted to become a writer, and she wanted to become a doctor. (Two independent clauses – two verbs)
Complex sentence
A complex sentence also has more than one clause but of one them must be an independent clause and the other/others must be (a) dependent clause(es). There are also some particular connectors for the clauses of a complex sentence to be connected.
Example:
I know that you always wanted to be a writer. (Here, a dependent clause is followed by a connector and an independent clause. The other way around is also possible.)
Compound-complex sentence
A compound-complex sentence (or complex–compound sentence) is a mixture of the features of a compound and complex sentences in one sentence. So, it must contain at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
Example:
I know that you always wanted to become a writer, but I always wanted to become a doctor. (Here, one dependent clause is followed by a complex connector and two independent clauses with compound conjunction between them.)
Functionally, sentences are of mainly four types:
- Declarative sentence
- Imperative sentence
- An interrogative sentence, and
- Exclamatory sentence
Declarative sentence:
An assertive sentence (declarative sentence) simply expresses an opinion/feeling, or makes a statement, or describes things. In other words, it declares something. This type of sentence ends with a period (i.e., a full-stop).
Examples:
- I want to be a good cricketer. (a statement)
- I am very happy today. (a feeling)
Imperative sentence:
We use an imperative sentence to make a request or to give a command. Imperative sentences usually end with a period (i.e., a full stop), but under certain circumstances, it can end with a note of exclamation (i.e., exclamation mark).
Examples:
- Please sit down.
- I need you to sit down now!
Interrogative sentence:
An interrogative sentence asks a question. Interrogative sentences must end with a note of interrogation (i.e., question mark)
Examples:
- When are you going to submit your assignment?
- Do you know him?
Exclamatory sentence.
An exclamatory sentence expresses an overflow of emotions. These emotions can be of happiness, wonder, sorrow, anger, etc.
Examples:
- What a day it was!
- I cannot believe he would do that!
THEME: WRITING
SPEECH WRITING
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE
Students should be able to;
- Definition of written speech
- Explain the features of a written speech
CONTENT
A speech is an effective medium to communicate a message you feel strongly about. Speech writing is a skill that has many advantages whether you are a student or a young professional. Like other skills, speech writing can be learned too.
Tips to Write (and Live) By
Let’s start with the 30,000 foot, big-picture view. These are the tenants that will guide you in your speech writing process (and pretty much anything else you want to write).
- Know The Purpose: What are you trying to accomplish with your speech? Educate, inspire, entertain, argue a point? Your goals will dictate the tone and structure, and result in dramatically different speeches.
- Know Your Audience: Your speech should be tailored for your audience, both in terms of ideas and language. If you’re speaking at a sound healer convention, you won’t need to explain the concept of energetic blocks. And if you’re speaking to an octogenarians-only quilting circle, you probably shouldn’t drop as many F-bombs as you would with your local biker gang.
- Know The Length: You don’t want to underwhelm or overwhelm your audience. Ten minutes maybe too short for your keynote address, but it’s probably too long for your best man speech. Don’t leave things up to chance. Your writing process will be much easier if you keep your eye on your target length.
- Write, Revise, Practice, Revise, Practice…: MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech wasn’t written in a day. Give yourself the time you need to practice your material and work through multiple drafts. Don’t expect to nail everything on the first try.
2 The Step-by-Step Process
Still feeling stressed over how to get started? Here’s how to write your speech from concept to completion.
Step 1: Outline your speech’s structure. What are the main ideas for each section?
Step 2: Flesh out the main ideas in your outline. Don’t worry about finding the perfect words. Just let your creativity flow and get it all out!
Step 3: Edit and polish what you’ve written until you have a cohesive first draft of your speech
Step 4: Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice your speech the more you’ll discover which sections need to be reworked, which transitions should be improved, and which sentences are hard to say. You’ll also find out how you’re doing on length.
Step 5: Update, practice, and revise your speech until it has a great flow and you feel it’s ready to accomplish its purpose.
3 The Universal Structure
Getting hung up on Step 1? Here’s a structure you can follow for any type of speech.
Introduction
Who are you, why are you giving this speech, what is your main thesis?
The “who” and “why” can be longer or shorter depending on the context. For example, if you’re speaking at a wedding, you’ll want to explain your relationship to the bride and groom and why they mean so much to you. But if you’re presenting to your class at school, you may be able to head straight into your thesis.
If you’re presenting in a business or motivational setting, this is a crucial time to hook your audience’s attention and pique their curiosity. Typically someone else will have already introduced you and your accolades, so use this to your advantage and dive straight in.
“Hi everyone, it’s great to be here! As Kevin just said, I’ve been an urban beet farmer for 30 years, and a couple of years back I got this absolutely crazy idea. What if…”
Main Message
Idea 1, Idea 2, Idea 3…
The majority of your speech should be spent presenting your thesis and supporting material in a simple, organized way.
Whether you’re giving an inspirational talk or a business presentation, rambling is a sure-fire way to lose your audience’s attention. Don’t try to share absolutely everything you know on your topic, instead pick a few (two to five) key points to present to your audience.
Stick to one point at a time and finish the thought before you move on to the next. Build-in clear, logical transitions from idea to idea.
Want to make your speech memorable? Studies have shown our brains are great at remembering stories! As much as is appropriate, make your speech personal and include your own anecdotes and thoughts.
We’re also better at remembering big ideas if they’re condensed into a few memorable words, so do your best to sum up your thesis.
“I have a dream.” “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” “Make good art.”
Takeaway
What do you want your audience to walk out of the room remembering?
Wrap everything up and drive home your main idea, whether that’s through providing a few (one to three) key takeaways, or telling one last story that perfectly illustrates your point.
Here are some examples of how your outline might look
As a researcher presenting your findings…
Introduction: Explain the key problem or question of your research.
Main Message: Describe the research process, then describe your three key findings.
Takeaway: Present your conclusions and their implications, then your next steps for moving forward.
As the maid of honor giving a speech at your best friend’s wedding…
Introduction: Explain who you are and how you met the bride.
Main Message: Recount three funny and heartwarming stories about your decades-long friendship with her, plus your first impressions of the groom.
Takeaway: Wrap things up by expounding on how amazing the bride and groom’s love for each other is, how they’re meant to be together, and how you know their love will last a lifetime. …L’chaim!