Types and Rules of Intonation in English

1. Types and Rules of
Intonation in
English

6. What is Intonation?
O Intonation is the way the voice rises or falls when
communicating. In short, it is the music of
speech.
O It focuses more on how you say it rather than
what is being said. This is important in English
communication because sentences may vary in
meaning depending on the intonation. It also
yields dynamics on your speech and makes it
more compelling to hear.

7. The most common types of
Intonation we have in English
are the following:
O Falling intonation
O Rising intonation
O Falling–rising intonation
O Rising–falling intonation

8. Falling Intonation
OThis is when the pitch of the voice falls
at the end of a sentence. We commonly
use them in:
OStatements
OCommands
OWH-questions
Oconfirmatory question tags, and
Oexclamations

9. In statements, we say:
OPleased to meet ↓ you.
OMom wants to buy that ↓ bag.
OWe should keep ↓ going.

10. In commands, we say:
Show me the way to the ↓
station.
Take your shoes ↓ off.
Leave them on the ↓ desk.

11. In WH-questions, we say:
What food do you ↓want?
Where do you come
↓from?
Whose book is ↓this?

12. In question tags, we use the rules of
falling intonation only when we seek
confirmation or invite agreement.
For example, we say:
He thinks he’s so smart, doesn’t ↓
he?
They didn’t enjoy the party, did ↓
they?
She’s the one you told me about,
isn’t ↓ she?

13. In exclamations, we say:
That’s a perfect ↓ gift!
How nice of ↓ you!
What a beautiful ↓
performance!

14. Rising Intonation
OThis is when the pitch of the
voice rises at the end of the
sentence. It is commonly used
in
Oyes or no questions, and
Oquestion tags that show
uncertainty.

15. OIn question tags showing
uncertainty, we say:
You’re new here, aren’t ↑you?
He prefers the beach, doesn’t
↑he?
The rules were changed,
weren’t ↑they?

16. OIn yes or no questions, we
say:
Do you like your new ↑shirt?
May I borrow your ↑book?
Will she ↑agree?

17. Rising-Falling Intonation
This is generally used for:
giving out a list,
a set of choices,
partial and conditional
statements.

18. In stating a list, use rising intonation in the
first series of items. Then, use a falling
intonation on the last item to indicate that the
list has ended. For instance:
OShe bought some ↑bread, ↑ meat, ↑
pasta, and ↓apples.
OHe enjoys outdoor activities such as ↑
mountain climbing, ↑ trekking, and ↓
camping.
OThis bag comes in colors of ↑ white, ↑
gray, ↑ black, and ↓ yellow.

19. When used in choices, we say:
Would you like to have ↑ tea or
↓ coffee?
Is Jane coming ↑ today or ↓
tomorrow?
Did you say ↑ east or ↓ west?

20. O We also use the rising-falling intonation in
partial statements. This is when the speaker
is hesitant to fully express his ideas and is
unable to finish his statement.
For example:
O What was the place like? –Well, it ↑ seemed ↓
nice… (but it’s too small.)
O So did you enjoy the trip? –Hmmm, ↑yes I
↓did… (but it was too short.)
O Do Ethan and Ricky know you? –Well,
↑Ethan ↓does… (but not Ricky.)

21. O In conditional statements, we use the rising
intonation in the first clause, then gradually
shift to the falling intonation in the second
clause.
OIf you have any ↑questions, send me
a ↓message.
OEver since you came ↑here,
everything’s doing ↓well.
OUnless she ↑asks, I’ll stay ↓silent.

22. Falling-rising intonation
OThis is often used when the
speaker is uncertain of an
answer to a question or shows
reluctance.

23. For example:
OShould we ↓re↑port this
incident?
ODo you think it is ↓va↑lid?
OWould he ↓su↑pport the
team?

24. Why learn the Rules of
Intonation?
Having the right
intonation helps us
sound clearer and more
natural.

25. Five Benefits of
having good
intonation

26. O1. Awareness of intonation
aids communication.

27. OIncorrect intonation can
result in misunderstandings,
speakers losing interest, or
even taking offense!

28. OIntonation allows you to
play well in tune. So, the
better the tune, the more
you’ll sound better and will
be perceived as a better
speaker.

29. OYour tone is usually better and
more consistent because you
have better control in
managing your air better in
order to play in tune better.
Your technique has to improve
in order to make the
adjustments necessary to play
in tune.

30. OYou will feel more confident
and at ease when you know
your intonation is good.
When you have good
intonation, speaking in
English will become more
fun!