Spoken English Secret # 2-Sentence Intonation

Intonation is the rise and fall of pitch in spoken language. In spoken English these intonation patterns convey meaning.

In rising falling intonation the speaker’s pitch rises and falls on the focus word in the sentence. Listen to each sentence. The pitch will rise and fall on the focus word.

Statement- He wants to go to the PARty.

Wh question-When are they LEAVing?

Contrast this type of intonation with rising intonation. Rising intonation is used to convey a sense of doubt. Listen to each sentence. The pitch will rise and stay high on the focus word.

He wants to go to the PARTY?

They’re LEAVING?

These are just two of the types of sentence intonation used by Americans to convey meaning. Since intonation is so important to meaning in American English your ability to use intonation correctly will help you improve your accent and help people to understand you.

You can learn all about American English intonation patterns in this course called the American Accent Accent Audio Course.