Listening: Basic Auditory Perception & Discrimination A2 - Lesson 3: Recognizing Basic Intonation Patterns (questions vs. statements reliably)

A2 Listening Discrimination: Recognizing Basic Intonation Patterns

Welcome! In this lesson, we will learn about the 'melody' of English called intonation¹. This is the way a speaker's voice rises (goes up ↗) and falls (goes down ↘). The intonation can change a statement into a question.

1. Falling Intonation for Statements ↘

A statement² is a sentence that gives information. In most English statements, the voice falls down at the end. It sounds final and confident. Listen to how the voice goes down at the end of this sentence.

"You are a student. ↘"

"He is from Cambodia. ↘"

2. Rising Intonation for Yes/No Questions ↗

A question³ that you can answer with "yes" or "no" usually has rising intonation. The voice goes up at the end. It sounds questioning. Now, listen to the same sentences, but as questions.

"You are a student? ↗"

"He is from Cambodia? ↗"

3. Comparing Side-by-Side

Let's listen to the pairs one after another to hear the difference clearly.

Statement (Falling ↘)

"The market is open."

Question (Rising ↗)

"The market is open?"

Statement (Falling ↘)

"She works at a hotel."

Question (Rising ↗)

"She works at a hotel?"

Quiz: Statement or Question?

Listen to the sentence. Did you hear a statement (falling intonation ↘) or a question (rising intonation ↗)?

1. Sentence 1: (Listen to the audio) -> Statement ↘ or Question ↗?

2. Sentence 2: (Listen to the audio) -> Statement ↘ or Question ↗?

3. Sentence 3: (Listen to the audio) -> Statement ↘ or Question ↗?

4. Sentence 4: (Listen to the audio) -> Statement ↘ or Question ↗?

Click to Show Answers

Answers: 1. Statement ↘, 2. Question ↗, 3. Question ↗, 4. Statement ↘

Homework Task

1. Practice with a Friend: Say the sentence, "You are hungry." First, say it as a statement, with your voice falling at the end. Then, say it as a question, with your voice rising at the end. Ask your friend if they can hear the difference.

2. Listen to Real Conversations: When you watch an English movie, close your eyes and listen to a short dialogue. Don't worry about the words. Just listen to the 'music' of the voices. Can you hear when the voices go up and down?

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Intonation (noun) - Khmer: សំនៀង - The "melody" of a sentence; the way the voice rises and falls when speaking. ↩
2. Statement (noun) - Khmer: សេចក្តីថ្លែងការណ៍ - A sentence that gives information and usually has falling intonation. ↩
3. Question (noun) - Khmer: សំណួរ - A sentence that asks for information and often has rising intonation. ↩