BEST TIP: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘INTONATION’
Not Only Speaking but Listening Too
What is intonation?
Intonation demonstrates the way in which the voice rises and falls in a speech. It is where the pitch of your voice changes. Being an important part of your speaking , it can help to indicate meaning, especially when you want to express emotions like being displeased, amazed, doubtful, confused and the list never ends.
This is an area that you should also give importance to in your IELTS preparation, owing to the fact that, pronunciation is worth 25% of your speaking band score. Additionally, being able to pick up intonation can help you with questions in your IELTS Listening test. This is especially the case in Section 3, where you often have to recognize the mood of the speaker, such as identifying their agreement or disagreement with an issue.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘INTONATION’
Patterns of intonatio
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘INTONATION’
Falling intonation
Falling intonation describes how the voice falls on the final stressed syllable of a phrase or a group of words. A falling intonation is very common in wh-questions.
Where’s the nearest p↘ost-office?
What time does the film f↘inish?
We also use falling intonation when we say something definite, or when we want to be very sure about something:
I think we are completely l↘ost.
OK, here’s the magaz↘ine you wanted.
Rising intonation
Rising intonation describes how the voice rises at the end of a sentence. Rising intonation is common in yes-no questions:
I hear the Health Centre is expanding. So, is that the new d↗octor?
Are you th↗irsty?
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘INTONATION’
Fall-rise intonation
Fall-rise intonation describes how the voice falls and then rises. We use fall-rise intonation at the end of statements when we want to say that we are not sure, or when we may have more to add:
I do↘n’t support any football team at the m↘om↗ent. (but I may change my mind in future).
It rained every day in the firs↘t w↗eek. (but things improved after that).
We use fall-rise intonation with questions, especially when we request information or invite somebody to do or to have something. The intonation pattern makes the questions sound more polite:
Is this your cam↘er↗a?
Would you like another co↘ff↗ee?
Improving your intonation
The prominent method for improving the intonation is basically to become more aware of it. It can be done by hearing attentively to a recorded conversation . It can be done by watching videos on YouTube or other platforms. Gradually, you will begin noticing how other speakers utilize intonation to express themselves and their feelings and opinions
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘INTONATION’
Other than this, another tip can be to record your own speech. In today’s world , even the simplest mobiles are launched with an inbuilt voice recorder. It is always interesting and fascinating to listen to one’s own voice, although it can be an unpleasant experience for some due to a lot mnay reasons, because it sounds so different to what we expect it to be! You can try recording a conversation along with a friend, it can be whether a daily chat Or a dialogue or script from your favorite shows and movies and then listen to your intonation and figure out whether: it sounds natural? It expresses your attitude in the way you thought?
Through the aid of a recording, you can always rewind, listen again and try a new one. Recordings are a fabulous strategy to keep track of your progress. They clearly show how you have improved over time.
So try these tips in your daily life and analyze how much you have come far in the journey of becoming of a good communicator.
Thanks for being here
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘INTONATION’
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘INTONATION’