http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aIntonationsSearch results for 'tag:Intonations' matching tag 'Intonations'en-USXMOD (Build: 3607.32596)http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuestionsAboutPastConstruction/2/lkmkx/Post.htm#972858Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:00:06 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:972858gleb_chebrikoffNormal 0 false false false RU X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Hello, Raja, It goes without saying that there is no blame in being a non-native speaker and a layperson in linguistic science, so you should not be troubled by that fact. What concerns me, my friend, is that you persist in advancing a number of terms and probably self-made rules which are fallacious at their very core, since they contain controversial and largely scholastic judgements about the language on a purely theoretical level (as opposed to the practical sinchronical level, with which the present forum is mostly concerned). However, let me begin from the beginning. ...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuestionsAboutPastConstruction/2/lkmkx/Post.htm#972823Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:14:55 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:972823califjimHave you considered what happens if you insist on subject-verb inversion in all questions AND insist that the question word must always be first? The two are contradictory. Placing the question word first takes precedence. ____ said that? Who said that? (fronting who .) Said who that? (inverting) Who said who that? (fronting who , again?) Said who who that? (inverting again?) At some point in the procedure, one must stop! It seems to me that the only thing that blocks inversion is the case where inversion would move a question word away from the initial position. Otherwise, inversion always applies. There is nothing carved in stone about "my rule". You obviously understand the concepts well enough to formulate...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuestionsAboutPastConstruction/lkmkx/post.htm#972766Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:37:35 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:972766therajaCalifJim , Thank you for your very helpful answer! It provides a nice and very useful recipe for forming a question which rests on a gappy statement! And it definitely helped me a lot in further clarifying my question and to reframe it in your terms! Problems unsolved : I am not sure as to how your account answers the questions I was asking. If you have read the thread, as I suppose you have, you will have noticed that I was initially puzzled by the fact that in cases where no particular emphasis is being expressed, we say "Who went to the park?" rather than "Who did go to the park?" In thinking about it, with the help of Avangi and Gleb, I also wondered about what device it is that marks something as...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuestionsAboutPastConstruction/lkmkx/post.htm#971766Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:10:25 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:971766therajaHello Gleb, Thank you, again, for your answer! Let me say from the outset, that I am neither a native speaker, nor an expert in linguistics, but nonetheless interested, so please forgive me that I am not as well-versed as far as technical terms are concerned as you seem to be. Thus, I very much appreciate your remarks and corrections with regard to my admittedly willy-nilly and somewhat idiosyncratic choice of terms as well as the clarifications to which I now wish to turn. ad 1) I did, in fact, think of cases where the emphatic do is used, but I chose not to mention them, for as this term already indicates, it didn't seem relevant for my question, as the 'do' in such cases obviously has a different function than to...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuestionsAboutPastConstruction/lkmkx/post.htm#971669Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:01:55 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:971669gleb_chebrikoffRaja, let me make a number of essential clarifications: 1. ' Hence , that the 'do'-construction in "Who went to the park?" is not possible or at least less preferable (which of the two is it in your opinion?) in "Who went to the park?"' - under neutral circumstances, the do-support would be impossible, but, in some exceptional cases, we may resort to using it in a context like: Tom, , and Harry intended to go to the park. - Yes, but who DID go to the park? in which case 'did' should carry the logical stress of the sentence (this is referred to as 'emphatic do'). 2. 'who', in this case, serves as a subject or, to put it differently, is an interrogative...http://www.englishforums.com/English/QuestionsAboutPastConstruction/lkmkx/post.htm#971587Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:11:05 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:971587therajaThanks, Avangi and Gleb! 'Who' and 'what', as interrogative pronouns, can serve as subjects, I agree. That's what I meant when I said that they take the subjective case (other than 'when', 'where', etc., those only seem to specify the kind of question at hand). Or, as Gleb has put it, in using an interrogative pronoun you ask for the subject of the action. Of course, 'who(m)' can serve as object, too, and then the 'do'-construction is possible: "Whom did you see yesterday?" Hence , that the 'do'-construction in "Who went to the park?" is not possible or at least less preferable (which of the two is it in your opinion?) in "Who went to the...http://www.englishforums.com/English/Moonlighting3/2/lvlcx/Post.htm#950185Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:32:11 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:950185kooyeenThe intonation seems OK to me. It seems to me he stresses the word "in" simply to highlight the difference ( from vs in ). Is that what you were wondering about, Kooyeen? No, I was wondering about "as simple as the boss said", where I hear the first "as" stressed. I would put the stress on "simple" in a sentence like that, and the first "as" would be in the weak form, like "uz". Am I insane?http://www.englishforums.com/English/Moonlighting3/lvlcx/post.htm#949431Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:44:12 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:949431yankeeI also interpreted the word "line" to be a reference to the quality of a telephone connection (i.e. a call from Warsaw to a place outside Warsaw vs a call from one place in Warsaw to another place in Warsaw). I also hear "It was as simple as the boss said..." The intonation seems OK to me. It seems to me he stresses the word "in" simply to highlight the difference ( from vs in ). Is that what you were wondering about, Kooyeen?http://www.englishforums.com/English/Moonlighting3/lvlcx/post.htm#949228Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:49:39 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:949228kooyeenYeah, I was able to hear it, but the intonation pattern made the last syllable sound like whispered to me. By the way, was the intonation pattern in that sentence... natural?http://www.englishforums.com/English/Moonlighting10/lvlvj/post.htm#948543Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:08:18 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:948543yankeeIt's a bit hard so say without the broader context. The intonation does not strike me as a question, if that's what you mean. However it does suggest that he seems to think there is more to be said about the fact that he hasn't had a clear thought since yesterday. Perhaps he's trying to think what might have caused the problem and/or what he should do about it. Perhaps you might also say that the intonation he uses in that sentence is a bit suggestive of a mix of "worry and wonder" about the uncomfortable and unfamiliar state he now finds himself in. That's my two cents.http://www.englishforums.com/English/SameWayQuestionTag/3/czmnz/Post.htm#947843Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:09:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:947843raindoctorhttp://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-questions-tag.htm Same-way question tags Although the basic structure of tag questions is positive-negative or negative-positive, it is sometime possible to use a positive-positive or negative-negative structure. We use same-way question tags to express interest, surprise, anger etc, and not to make real questions. -- Why use sometime ? Is it a typo? It's not a typo. Such tags are extensively discussed in works on English intonation, like Bolinger's. " Unmarked or normal tag questions are rhetorical questions; cf. "She won, didn't she?" and "He didn't get hurt too badly, did he?" They generally end in a falling cadence, since...http://www.englishforums.com/English/ThatsScentComingRelativeClause/lvmkc/post.htm#942076Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:34:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:942076dokterjokkebrokHi To emphasize a place, time or reason we can use: the place where ... the day when ... the reason why ... In informal styles, the place/the day/the reason can be dropped. Often times this happens if it's somewhere in the middle of the sentence. And this holds true for your sentences too, if I'm not mistaken. This subject is slightly related to cleft sentences . Their purpose is to emphasize certain elements in a sentence because we can't use intonation in writing. Therefore, we devised structures which can be used to stress specific parts. Kind regards Dokterjokkebrokhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/HttpEnglishforumsEnglishAddpostAspx-Forumid12/lvwhk/post.htm#941500Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:13:55 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:941500dimsumexpressThis sounds like a simple question. But the answers are much more involved. Coming from an Asian background, learning to speak and use the language remotely sounding like a native took many years of relentless practicing and studying. I think depending on one's ethnicity, spoken English can be less challenging for some but seem impossible for others. What I found is, if we practice orally enough, our jaw muscles and tongue can adapt to the English pronunciation over time. Listening can help us develop intonation and pitch control, along with grammar improvement, we can learn to speak fluently with time. Reading magazines and newspapers definitely is good lip muscle and jaw exercise. Hope this helps answer your question.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Intonation/lvjcr/post.htmTue, 13 Oct 2009 20:28:33 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:941018fromwalestojapanDoes the speaker's voice rise or fall on the highlighted words? My answers; 1. “Are you hungry ?” “No, I’m fine.” - Voice Rises 2. “You live in Leeds, don’t you?” (you are unsure) - Voice Rises 3. “It’s nine o’clock. Here is the news .” - Voice Falls 4. “Please sit down . Would you like anything?” - Voice Falls 5. “Where are you going for your holiday ?” - Voice Falls 6. “Would you like a drink ?” - Voice Rises 7. “What the hell ?” - Voice Rises 8. “How many sugars do you want in your coffee?” - Voice Falls 9. “Don’t forget. You have to feed Timmy three times a day .” - Voice Falls 10. “What did you say ?” (you didn’t hear clearly) - Voice Rises 11. “You live in London, don’t you?” (you need confirmation) -...http://www.englishforums.com/English/ToneVsIntonation/kncmz/post.htm#903036Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:25:22 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:903036philipIntonation involves actual fluctation upward or downward. Tone, which you want here, is more of an 'attitude' that is reflected in the way something is said.http://www.englishforums.com/English/ToneVsIntonation/kncmz/post.htmSun, 13 Sep 2009 12:15:44 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:899866alc24Tone or intonation 1 Depending on the intonation/tone you take, this word could either mean something positive or negative. Thankshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/HowSpeakEnglishAccent/2/pdnl/Post.htm#893136Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:04:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:893136raindoctorGuys! Enough of arguing how to get rid of accent :p now let's talk about how to be able to speak english with an accent :p So, what are you waiting for?! START POSTING NOW! :p lol If one can 'systematically' learn to rid of accent, then foregin accents can be learnt systematically as well. 1. Learn the intonation of the target language 2. Learn how english words get mapped to the phones of the target language. I know how indian languages map: for instance, ambivalent gets mapped as am-bi-va-le-nt, with va being vay. 3. The target language may not have the phonemes that English has: so, find them and replace with the target phonemes. For instance, a ɪ becoming ʌɪ; dental fricative becoming a dental stop. 3. Look whether...http://www.englishforums.com/English/Pronunciation/kknwv/post.htm#891218Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:57:23 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:891218raindoctorWhat's your point? I made an implicit point: it is not cognitively productive to remember pronounciation for every word. What learners should be taught: a set of heuristics to find possible pronunciations for a word. Mastery of phonetics (or how to produce bilabial fricative, etc) does not help much. English phonology helps. Since it is a 3-syllable word, it can have two variations: stress-unstressed-stressed; unstressed-stressed-unstressed. When a syllable gets stressed, it usually attracts consonants to the onset as well as the coda; it also allows for consonant clustering (wis-'con-sin vs. wi-'scon-sin). Suffixes also give a clue on where stress falls (for instance, one can predict where primary stress falls in...http://www.englishforums.com/English/AmericanAccentTrainingBooks/kwxkd/post.htm#879013Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:14:19 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:879013freekarolOf course both those books have CD's. Without CD's those books would be worthless... Both books are especially about intonation, linking words, reduced sounds and something about pronunciation you can hardly find in books on American pronunciation like for example the final L sound, the held T... I use a software called XMPlayer for listening and recording American radio stations so I can listen to my favorite radio stations on my mp3 player. By the way, I found only one book that really teaches you (and not just tests you)how to improve your listening comprehension, how to hear English sounds. The book is: Listening, Resource Books for Teachers by Alan Maley. I know there is not one American Accent but the same is with...http://www.englishforums.com/English/ExRisingFallingIntonation/kvcgb/post.htm#855563Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:03:58 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:855563mister micawberRising: Are you happy ? Falling: Where are you going ?http://www.englishforums.com/English/ExRisingFallingIntonation/kvcgb/post.htmMon, 10 Aug 2009 12:53:26 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:855543anonymouspls. give ex. of rising and falling intonationhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/IntonationGivenSentences/nzzk/post.htm#855112Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:21:23 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:855112anonymousgive me another example as my guidehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/UseOfDamn/kdqjk/post.htm#854880Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:24:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:854880mr wordyYes, you can do that: "Damn, he's astute!" or "Damn, is he astute!" (I'd probably use a comma). The emphatic use should not be confused with the use of "damn" to express annoyance: "Damn! He's astute." In speech the two meanings can usually be distinguished by intonation. You can also say "He's damned astute". This specifically emphasises "astute", but in effect the meaning is pretty similar to the earlier sentences. In my part of the world, "damn" is a very mild expletive and you're not likely to offend anyone if you use it. However, it may not be especially appropriate in very formal situations, or situations when a great degree of...http://www.englishforums.com/English/NeedHelpWithsomeSentences/krxwq/post.htm#847793Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:50:22 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:847793yankeeHi Alc I will begin with a few comments. Maybe someone else will add more. 2 This piece of meat isn't diced /cut as well as the other BOTH "Diced meat" would normally be a reference to many, very small pieces of meat. Therefore, saying "this piece of meat" doesn't make sense in your sentence. After a hunk of meat is diced, it then consists of a lot of tiny pieces of meat. I can't imagine anyone picking out one single piece of meat from a pile of diced meat and then critiquing the quality of the dicing for that one single morsel. 3 There are some songs that are better for your timb re and others that don't do your v oice proud There are some songs that are better for your tone of voice and...http://www.englishforums.com/English/RisingIntonation/kcblp/post.htm#845550Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:01:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:845550philipDoes this have something to do with the pronunciation of English? I've never heard of the concept. It sounds to me more like something to do with one of the Asian languages that are tonal.http://www.englishforums.com/English/RisingIntonation/kcblp/post.htmMon, 03 Aug 2009 13:48:16 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:845527anonymouscan you plz gave a 5 risng intonation?http://www.englishforums.com/English/HereGoesNothing/2/jkml/Post.htm#842437Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:24:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:842437anonymousWhy does "Here goes nothing" have almost the same meaning as "Here we go"? I mean, it's "nothing"...you know... To me, "here goes nothing", means we have nothing to loose by trying. So yes, while putting the similar expressions together, "Here we go (we're starting), we have nothing to loose by trying", can be unwieldy yet the meaning is clear. We substitute with the terser idiom when we don't want to waste time with superfluous words. The idiom also has the right intonation pattern to fit a certain context, becomming more exclamatory. The context of usage for the shorter expression might arise during the first time you ever down hill skied. You're about to push off at...http://www.englishforums.com/English/CanTellOnesSocialBackgroundAccent/jlbgp/post.htm#840639Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:30:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:840639anonymousPerhaps to a certain extent, but accent is much more a pointer to geographic region. Very well educated (upper class) people will usually speak standard (or 'Oxford' English), but some people are proud of their origins and will keep the local accent - especially if they are Scots or Irish. I think a lot depends on where they went to school - my wife was brought up in Scotland, but early on went to an English school and had to go to elocution lessons to learn how to speak 'properly'! But I don't think that would happen now. Some accents are perceived to be 'worse' than others - Birmingham, London, Liverpool accents are considered to be 'less educated' than say Yorkshire; a West Country (Devon,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/Rissing/jcrqb/post.htm#840505Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:18:26 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:840505anonymousYou use a rising intonation to emphasise a word What are you wearing that for? No! This one What colour car do you have? (as distinct from your bicycle) What colour car do you have? (as distinct from your sister's car) What colour car do you have? (as distinct from what make of car) or at the end of a question or a normal sentence - the syllable before the last one Are you going to Lon don? (or to express surprise it would be Are you going to London ? (I thought you were going to Manchester!) Could you pass me my glas ses? What time is it, please? A falling intonation comes at the end of a sentence or phrase when there is no emphasis She's going to Austral ia (...http://www.englishforums.com/English/AmbiguousSentences/jprpl/post.htm#825695Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:36:42 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:825695khoffThe ambiguity might be clearer if we simplify the sentence: "Ask John when we leave." 1) As we are walking out the door, ask John (about something that is not specified in this sentence.) 2) Ask John, "John, when do we leave?" Actually, going back to your example, I can think of five possible meanings, although some of them would require different punctuation. I should ask the officer who works in the park when we leave 1) I should ask (the officer who works in the park), "When do we leave? 2) I should ask (the officer who works in the park) (some unspecified question) (as we are in the process of leaving). 3) I should ask (the officer who works in the park when...http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhatCanYouFeel/jmpwb/post.htm#817480Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:28:04 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:817480darcyHi. We would like you to try.. Grammar Geek said it as I meant it .. Fandorin. I still can't figure out why you said to me, 'We would like you to try'. I know this is where people ask and answer about English. I believe that those who ask a question all try to give their best attempt to answer it first and ask a question to get various ideas, because they are still not sure of that or want to get more opinions. I also definitely do. I can't figure out why you thought I didn't try. I think you should be careful the words that come out of your mouth, if you don't prove it, although you feel lhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/WhatCanYouFeel/jmpwb/post.htm#816913Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:56:45 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:816913fandorinBut I think that only Fandorin knows the meaning of the sentence which Fandorin wrote to me, although others can interpret it.. Grammar Geek said it as I meant it. By the way, she gave you the perfect answer. But I can't understand a note of incredulity in your intonation and quite a sharp answer to her. If you have a cold, you have a mild, very common illness which makes you sneeze a lot and gives you a sore throat or a cough. So, the singular noun must receive an article, so the issue , I guess, is settled. Feel+adjective means "ability to perceive something". I think that ' I can feel scared' or 'I can feel nervous', these sentences are wrong or sound awkard. What do you think of that? Yes,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/English/jmgvc/post.htm#812493Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:38:56 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:812493mister micawberThis question ends with a rising intonation: Are you there? This question ends with a falling intonation: What time is it? This question ends with a rising and then a falling intonation: Are you a man or a mouse?http://www.englishforums.com/English/English/jmgvc/post.htmThu, 09 Jul 2009 06:04:28 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:812449anonymouswhat is the rising and the falling intonationhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/UncertaintiesRegardingClauseWish-Clause/jkblz/post.htmTue, 30 Jun 2009 04:28:20 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:801300loveczFor "If-Clause", I understand that there are three authentic forms of it. -If I work hard, I will succeed. -If I worked hard, I would succeed. -If I had worked hard, I would have been a successful person already. However, do you think it is possible to have these manifestations? -If I work hard, I succeed. <--- I wish to make my intonation sounds more confident. Is it formal or the opposite? -I would like to share a song with you, which might remind you of the youth or even childhood if you have (ever) watched Disney's catoon. <--- The meaning is as it shows. Is this fine? Or I must use "watched" when I use "might"? Can't I use "have ever"? Because I am concerning something from...http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsThisSentenceAcceptable/jjdnn/post.htm#797275Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:44:04 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:797275mr wordyIn everyday English it's fine (in my opinion). In more formal English, I guess you should say "... about their being right or wrong." You could alternatively say "When you make decisions, you don't worry whether/if they're right or wrong." (The sentence could be used to mean "When you make decisions, you shouldn't worry about them being right or wrong." I wouldn't recommend using it in this way except in casual conversation when it's clear from the context and intonation that this meaning is intended. I only mention this in case it is actually what you meant.)http://www.englishforums.com/English/UseCommasWell/jwmgw/post.htmThu, 25 Jun 2009 07:33:19 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:794571anonymousCommas are overused. A good writer only uses commas when /he/she wants readers to hear the intonation curves in his/her writing. Do you agree?http://www.englishforums.com/English/DefiningRelativeClauseParticiple-PersonSingular/jwzxk/post.htm#793887Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:21:43 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:793887califjimis "You speaking German are cute" grammatically incorrect? Not if you say it right. You, speaking German, are cute. You (speaking German) are cute. You -- speaking German -- are cute. It's pretty strange, but with the right intonation you might get across the idea that your main clause is You are cute . I can't imagine it coming out of my mouth, but then, just maybe , there are certain contexts where you might hear this sort of construction where it comes out sounding right. It certainly can't be used in formal writing. CJhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/MadeFaceConsequencesActions/jhxkh/post.htm#790408Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:06:16 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:790408mr wordyGuy: That's just ( exactly or just just? ) what you were told. Merely, only, simply. Here it signifies that he was not told the full facts. (In other situations, "just" can mean "exactly". You can only really tell from the context, or, in spoken English, the intonation.) You were never made to face the consequences of your actions. He was born to be careless? Or he imlies he was always a mummy's boy He was never forced to take responsibility for what he did. He always had someone else (his father, presumably) to protect him from any bad things that happened as a result of his actions.http://www.englishforums.com/English/FallingIntonation/jglkc/post.htmThu, 18 Jun 2009 13:08:01 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:784518anonymouscan you please enumerate some sentences in faling intonation?http://www.englishforums.com/English/IntonationGivenSentences/nzzk/post.htm#776982Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:48:10 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:776982anonymousI Gotta tell you this: Rising Intonation-Questions Answerable by yes or no. Falling Intonation-A Statement ends with a period/Questions not answerable by a yes or no. Hope it helps!=)http://www.englishforums.com/English/TagQuestionSeriousIsnt/2/jcqpp/Post.htm#767772Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:53:06 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:767772mr wordy1. I don't guess he is serious, is he? 2. I don't know he is serious, is he? 3. I don't suppose he is serious, is he? 4. I don't reckon he is serious, is he? 5. You don't think he is serious, do you? 6. You don't know he is serious, do you? 7. You don't suppose he is serious, do you? 8. You don't reckon he is serious, do you? I'm assuming in all cases that "serious" means "being serious in this matter", rather than "having a serious nature generally". #1 is unnatural to me ("I don't guess..." is unnatural, irrespective of the tag question). #2 and #4 are possible but not terribly natural to me. Even though...http://www.englishforums.com/English/RisingIntonation/jczjn/post.htm#766811Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:22:29 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:766811yankeecan i have a rising intonation? Generally speaking, when you ask a question, your intonation should rise at the end. Like this: http://www.englishforums.com/fs/1244225893483.mp3.at.ashxhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/TagQuestionSeriousIsnt/jcqpp/post.htm#766615Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:08:48 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:766615yankeeI know "I don't think he is serious, do I?" is absurd. I don't think that wording is absurd. You only need the proper context. Some types of tag questions simply have much more specialized usage (and therefore are also less fequently used). Not every tag question asks for a simple confirmation. To me, your "absurd" example could be used by someone who is being sarcastic and who thinks it should already be quite obvious that "I don't think he is serious". In this case, the tag would not be used to encourage a response. The tag itself would be a rhetorical device that is not actually intended to be a question. Thus, the tag would not have the intonation of a question. Instead, the...http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsPlaceUploadVoiceRecordings/jcldv/post.htm#765986Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:41:23 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:765986jingtianThanks, Kooyeen. This site allows uploading an image, audio clips are not supported. I uploaded a voice clip to MediaFire. All, you can download it from the following URL. You do not need to create an account. http://www.mediafire.com/file/cintmhhydty/Barrack Obama.mp3 It is a part of Barrack Obama's presidential election victory speech. Please let me know how I can improve my pronunciation and intonation after you hear it. Thank you.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IsPlaceUploadVoiceRecordings/jcldv/post.htmThu, 04 Jun 2009 06:32:40 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:764749jingtianHi buddies. Is there a Web site where I can upload my voice recordings? I am wondering if someone would be interested in making suggestions for my pronunciation and intonation.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Intonation/jcgbz/post.htm#764517Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:05:01 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:764517califjimRising intonation is when you make the pitch of your voice rise, that is, go from a lower frequency sound to a higher frequency sound. You can exaggerate it by starting with a growl (like a lion) and ending with a squeak (like a little bird). Falling intonation is the reverse. You make the pitch fall, that is, go from a higher frequency sound to a lower frequency sound. Intonation (in general) is the melodic pattern of the rise and fall of pitch as you speak. CJhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/Intonation/jcgbz/post.htmWed, 03 Jun 2009 09:49:04 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:763271anonymouswhat is intonation?what is rising intonation?what is falling intonationhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/RisingIntonation/jczjn/post.htmWed, 03 Jun 2009 07:18:37 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:763126anonymouscan i have a rising intonation?http://www.englishforums.com/English/Rissing/jcrqb/post.htmTue, 02 Jun 2009 12:28:21 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:761788anonymousgive me an example of rissing intonation and falling intonation!!!plz,tnx