Speaking: Pronunciation B1
Intonation Patterns for Expressing Emotions
Listen to the examples here.
Saying More Than Words 🎭
How you say something is often more important than the words you use. Your intonation—the "music" of your voice—shows your true feelings. Using emotional intonation makes you an active, engaging communicator.
A flat, low-energy "wow" sounds sarcastic or like you don't care.
A "Wow!" that starts with a high pitch and falls quickly sounds genuinely impressed.
Three Key Emotional Patterns
Let's learn how to use intonation to show how you feel. The arrows show how your voice should move. Click 🔊 to hear the examples.
To encourage someone to keep talking, use a rising intonation. This shows you want to hear more.
- A: I bought a new moto. B: Oh, really?↗
- A: My brother is visiting me this weekend. B: He is?↗ That's nice!
For big, unexpected news, start your voice high and let it fall quickly. This shows strong emotion.
- A: I won a free trip to Japan! B: Wow!↘ That's amazing!
- A: They cancelled the concert. B: Oh, no!↘ You're kidding!
If you're not sure you believe someone, your voice can fall and then rise a little at the end.
- A: I can speak five languages. B: Really?↘︎↗
- A: He finished the project in one day. B: He did?↘︎↗
Why This Matters
💡 Reacting in a Conversation
Using these emotional reactions is a key part of active listening. When your partner says something, especially if it's personal news, they expect a reaction. A simple "Wow!" or "Really?" shows that you are listening and engaged. A silent response can feel cold or rude in many cultures.
Practice Your Intonation 🎯
Activity 1: What's the Feeling?
Listen to the main audio for this activity or click 🔊. Identify the emotion for each phrase based on the intonation.
- "Really?↗" → (Emotion: Interest)
- "Really?↘︎↗" → (Emotion: Doubt)
- "Really!↘" → (Emotion: Surprise - high fall)
Activity 2: Say it with Feeling!
Work with a partner or practice alone. Read the mini-dialogues. Click 🔊 to hear A's line, then say B's response using the emotion in parentheses. Check the example answers.
- A: My sister is getting married next month! B (Surprise): (e.g., Wow! / No way! / Really!)
- A: I think I'll quit my job and become a singer. B (Doubt): (e.g., Really? / You will?)
- A: I'm thinking about studying architecture in Battambang. B (Interest): (e.g., Oh, really? / Are you? That's interesting.)
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Intonation The "music" of the voice as it rises (↗) and falls (↘) when speaking.
- Pitch How high or low the voice is. Surprise often starts with a high pitch.
- Interest Wanting to know more. Often uses rising intonation (↗).
- Surprise Feeling shocked by something unexpected. Often uses high falling intonation (↘).
- Doubt / Disbelief Not being sure if something is true. Can use fall-rise intonation (↘︎↗).
- Wow! / No way!Exclamations to show strong surprise (high fall ↘).
- Really? / You're kidding!Phrases to show surprise or disbelief (intonation depends on feeling: ↗, ↘, or ↘︎↗).
- Engaging Interesting and keeping your attention.
- Sarcastic Saying the opposite of what you mean, often to be funny or unkind. Flat intonation can sound sarcastic.
Your Pronunciation Mission ⭐
This week, your mission is to listen for and use emotional intonation.
- Watch a short scene from an English movie or TV show (like on YouTube). Listen carefully to how the actors' voices rise and fall when they are surprised or interested. Try to copy them!
- In your next English conversation, when a friend tells you something interesting or surprising, consciously respond with an energetic "Really?↗" or "Wow!↘". Notice how they react!