Listening: Listening for Inference, Attitude, & Opinion B1 - Lesson 2: Identifying Speaker's Basic Attitude (e.g., interested, bored, annoyed) from Tone of Voice

😊Listening: B1 - Understanding Speaker Attitude

Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Understand that a speaker's tone of voice helps show their attitude or feelings.
• Identify if a speaker sounds interested, bored, or annoyed from their tone.
• Recognize basic vocal cues related to these attitudes.
• Improve your ability to understand how someone feels when they are speaking English.

Hello B1 learners! When people speak, their tone of voice can tell us a lot about their attitude or how they feel. Even if they say the same words, *how* they say them can change the meaning. This lesson will help you practice listening for these feelings in a speaker's voice.

Hearing Feelings in a Voice

The "music" of speech is called prosody. It gives emotional color to words. Click the cards to learn about the key features.

Tone of Voice

Tone of Voice: The overall quality of the voice that reveals emotion. A tone can be described as warm, sharp, flat, or gentle, each conveying a different feeling.

Pace

Pace: The speed of speech. A fast pace can show excitement or urgency. A slow pace can indicate seriousness or sadness.

Intonation

Intonation: The rise and fall of the voice when speaking. A rising intonation at the end of a sentence often signals a question, while a falling intonation usually indicates a statement.

✍️ Interactive Activities

Activity 1: How Does it Sound?

If a speaker is very excited about something, how will their voice most likely sound?

Flat, slow, and low-pitched.

Energetic, faster, and higher-pitched.

Quiet, tense, and sharp.

Activity 2: Decode the Attitude

Listen to each sentence, paying attention to the described tone. Match each sentence to the speaker's most likely attitude.

Sentence A: (Intended Tone: Enthusiastic, higher pitch)

Sentence B: (Intended Tone: Bored, flat)

Sentence C: (Intended Tone: Annoyed, sharp)

Match the attitude to the sentence:

1. Which speaker sounds Interested?

Speaker A

Speaker B

Speaker C

2. Which speaker sounds Bored?

Speaker A

Speaker B

Speaker C

3. Which speaker sounds Annoyed?

Speaker A

Speaker B

Speaker C

🚀 Strategies for Understanding Attitude

• Listen for Energy: An energetic voice often shows positive feelings like excitement or interest. A low-energy, flat voice can show boredom or sadness.
• Listen for Pitch Changes: Does the voice go up or down? A rising pitch can show surprise or interest. A falling pitch can show certainty or finality.
• Listen for Speed: A faster pace can signal excitement or anger. A slower pace often signals seriousness or thoughtfulness.
• Combine the Clues: Use the words, the tone, the pace, and the situation together to make your best guess about the speaker's attitude.

Summary: This lesson introduced you to the concept of prosody—the "music" of speech. By paying attention to a speaker's tone of voice, pace, and intonation, you can understand their attitude and feelings, even when they don't state them directly. This is a key skill for a B1 listener to better understand the full meaning of real-world conversations.