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International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

Vowel sounds Consonant sounds

IPA Example IPA Example

ʌ /kʌp/, /lʌk/ b /bæd/, /læb/

ɑ: /ˈfɑː.ðɚ/, /mɑːp/ d /ˈleɪ.di/, /mæd/

e /bed/, /vet/ f /faɪnd/, /ɪf/

æ /kæt/, /blæ.k/ g /ɡɪv/, /flæ.ɡ/

ə /əˈweɪ/, /ˈsɪnəmə/ h /haʊ/, /heˈloʊ/

ɪ /hɪt/, /sɪt/ j /jes/, /ˈjel.oʊ/

i: /hiː.t/, /siː.t/, /mi:n/ k /kæt/, /blæk/

ʊ /pʊt/, /bʊ.k/ l /leɡ/, /ˈlɪt̬.əl/, /weɪl/

u: /bu:.t/, /fuːd/ m /mæn/, /ˈlem.ən/

ju: /fjuː/, /kjuːt/ n /noʊ/, /ten/

aɪ /aɪ/, /faɪv/ ŋ /sɪŋ/, /ˈfɪŋ.ɡɚ/

aʊ /aʊt/, /laʊd/ p /pet/, /mæp/

eɪ /seɪ/, /meɪ/ r /red/, /traɪ/

oʊ /ɡoʊ/, /hoʊ.m/ home s /sʌn/, /mɪs/

ɔɪ /bɔɪ/, /kɔɪ.n/ boy ʃ /ʃiː/, /kræ.ʃ/

a:r /fa:r/, /ha:rd/, /’ma:rbəl/ t /tiː/, /ɡet/

Ɜ:(r) /hɝːt/, /tɝːn/ tʃ /tʃek/, /mætʃ/

/ər/ɝ/ɚ

ɔ:r /mɔːr/, /fɔːr/ θ /θɑːt/, /boʊ.θ/

eəʳ / er /fer/, /her/ ð /ðəm/, /ˈmʌð.ɚ/

ɪəʳ / ɪr /hɪr/, /fɪr/ v /vɔɪs/, /faɪv/

ʊəʳ / ʊr /pʊr/, /ˈtʊr.ɪst/ w /wet/, /waʊ/

jʊəʳ / jʊr /pjʊr/ z /zuː/, /ˈleɪ.zi/

ʒ /ˈʒɑːn.rə/, /ˈvɪʒən/

dʒ /dʒʌst/, /lɑːrdʒ/
EXPAND YOUR VOCAB

/kʌp/, /lʌk/ /bæd/, /læb/

/ˈfɑː.ðɚ/, /mɑːp/ /ˈleɪ.di/, /mæd/

/bed/, /vet/ /faɪnd/, /ɪf/

/kæt/, /blæk/ /ɡɪv/, /flæɡ/

/əˈweɪ/, /ˈsɪn.ə.mə/ /haʊ/, /heˈloʊ/

/hɪt/, /sɪt/ /jes/, /ˈjel.oʊ/

/hiːt/, /siːt/ /kæt/, /blæk/

/pʊt/, /bʊk/ /leɡ/, /ˈlɪt̬.əl/

/buːt/, /fuːd/ /mæn/, /ˈlem.ən/

/fjuː/, /kjuːt/ /noʊ/, /ten/

/aɪ/, /faɪv/ /sɪŋ/, /ˈfɪŋ.ɡɚ/

/aʊt/, /laʊd/ /pet/, /mæp/

/seɪ/, /meɪ/ /red/, /traɪ/,

/ɡoʊ/, /hoʊm/ /sʌn/, /mɪs/

/bɔɪ/, /kɔɪn/ /ʃiː/, /kræʃ/

/fa:r/, /ha:rd/ /tiː/, /ɡet/

/hɝːt/, /tɝːn/ /tʃek/, /mʌtʃ/

/mɔːr/, /fɔːr/ /θɑːt/, /boʊθ/

/fer/, /her/ /ðəm/, /ˈmʌð.ɚ/

/hɪr/, /fɪr/ /vɔɪs/, /faɪv/

/pʊr/, /ˈtʊr.ɪst/ /wet/, /waʊ/

/pjʊr/ /zuː/, /ˈleɪ.zi/

/ˈʒɑːn.rə/, /ˈvɪʒ.ən/

/dʒʌst/, /lɑːrdʒ/
 ADDING -S

Voiced sounds (your vocal cord vibrates): /b/, /d/, /g/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /r/, /v/, /w/, /j/,
/z/, /dʒ/, /ʒ/, /ð/, vowel sounds
Voiceless sounds: /f/, /k/, /p/, /s/,/ʃ/, /tʃ/, /t/, /θ/

Pronunciation of s/es
The ending s/es has three variants of pronunciation depending on the sound or letter after which
it stands. (The mute letter E at the end of the word is not taken into consideration in this rule.)
After a voiceless sound: [s] – parks, takes, lacks, streets, writes, cats, sits, myths, truths,
ropes, tips, jumps, laughs, safes, cuffs, puffs.
After a voiced sound: [z] – legs, reads, robs, leaves, saves, girls, rooms, tons, chairs, clothes,
boys, keys, cows, toes, ties, studies.
After sounds like /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/: [iz] – classes, gasses, releases, loses, prizes, quizzes,
boxes, fixes, churches, matches, dishes, prices, bridges, oranges, garages.

Adding rules
1. Adding -S:
In most cases, the ending S is added to nouns and verbs without any change of the letter to
which it is added.

Nouns:
lake – lakes
street – streets
cloth – cloths
Give 3 more examples

Verbs:
take – (he) takes
puff – (he) puffs
sit – (he) sits
pick – (he) picks
Give 3 more examples
 2. Adding -ES
After sounds like /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/, the ending ES is added (pronounced [iz]), no matter what letter
the word ends with.

Nouns:
rose – roses;
quiz – quizzes;
dish – dishes;
Verbs:
kiss – (he) kisses;

buzz – (he) buzzes;

wash – (he) washes;

This is applied also for family names or people’s names. Ex: Morris – two Morrises; Max – three
Maxes; the Douglases (family members whose last name is Douglas); the Joneses (members of the
Jones family); the Foxes; the Hooches; the Nashes; the Chases; the Royces; the Hodges.

3. Adding S to final Y
Y stands after a vowel letter => Y doesn't change, and the ending S (pronounced [z]) is added.

day – days;
play – plays;

4. Adding ES to final Y
Y stands after a consonant letter => IES.

Nouns:
story – stories;
sky – skies;
Verbs:
study – (he) studies,
copy – (he) copies;
Note: In the case of names or family names ending in Y, the ending S is added to form the plural, and
the letter Y doesn't change. For example: Mary – two Marys; Tony – two Tonys; the Crosbys (family
members whose last name is Crosby); the Rileys (members of the family by the name Riley).

5. Adding s/es to final O

- If a verb ends in O, the ending ES (pronounced [z]) is added in all cases.

go – (he) goes;
echo – (he) echoes.

- If a noun ends in O, the ending S (pronounced [z]) is added in a number of cases.

kilo – kilos;
kimono – kimonos;
photo – photos;
piano – pianos;
portfolio – portfolios;
radio – radios;
scenario – scenarios;

- If a noun ends in O, the ending ES (pronounced [z]) is added in some other cases.

echo – echoes;
hero – heroes;
potato – potatoes;
tomato – tomatoes;

- In some cases, both spelling variants are considered standard. The first spelling variant
indicated in the dictionary is usually the most common.

cargo – cargoes, cargos;

halo – halos, haloes;
volcano – volcanoes, volcanos;
zero – zeros, zeroes.

6. Nouns ending in F, FE
Some nouns that end in F or FE in the singular form the plural by changing F, FE to "ves"
(pronounced [vz]).
Give examples first based on your knowledge.

leaf – leaves;
loaf – loaves;
half – halves;
wolf – wolves;
shelf – shelves;
life – lives;
wife – wives;

But some nouns that end in F, FE form the plural in the regular way by adding the ending S
(pronounced [s]).
Give examples first based on your knowledge.

belief – beliefs;
safe – safes;

Several nouns have two plural variants.

EX: scarf – scarfs, scarves

Note:
Verbs ending in F, FE do not change when adding the ending S: to surf – (he) surfs; to puff –
(he) puffs.

7. Adding s/es to compound nouns

- In most cases, the plural ending s/es is added to the last component of the compound noun
according to the rules described above.
stepmother – stepmothers;
grown-up – grown-ups;
train station – train stations;
- But in some hyphenated compound nouns and in some compound nouns written as two
words, the plural ending s/es is added to the first component (ex: to the main noun in these
compound nouns).

EX: mother-in-law – mothers-in-law

Plural Noun Rules for Irregular Nouns

Irregular nouns follow no specific rules, so it’s best to memorize these or look up the proper

pluralization in the dictionary.

Ex: ask for examples first

child – children

goose – geese

man – men

woman – women

tooth – teeth

foot – feet

mouse – mice

person – people
Tips for some specific irregular nouns:

1. If the singular noun ends in -us, the plural ending is frequently -i.

cactus – cacti

focus – foci (UK)

2. If the singular noun ends in -is, the plural ending is -es.

analysis – analyses

3. If the singular noun ends in -on, the plural ending is -a.

phenomenon – phenomena

criterion – criteria

4. Some nouns don’t change at all when they’re pluralized.

sheep – sheep

series – series

species – species

deer – deer

=> You need to see these nouns in context to identify them as singular or plural. Consider the

following sentence: “Mark caught one fish, but I caught three fish”.
SPELLING AND PRONOUNCING RULES FOR -ED

SPELLING RULES:

1. Verbs ending with "consonant-vowel-consonant letter"

When a verb ends with a consonant-vowel-consonant and we put STRESS on this
sound/syllable in speech, we double the last consonant. Then we add ed.

In the following examples the consonant is underlined, the vowel is in italicized, and ed is in
red. The STRESS is underlined.

stop => stopp + ed => stopped

plan => plann + ed => planned

control => controll + ed => controlled

But if we don't put STRESS on this sound in speech, then we simply add ed.

open => open + ed => opened

visit => visit + ed => visited

listen => listen + ed => listened

happen => happen + ed => happened

2. Verbs ending with "e"

When a verb ends with the letter e, we add only the letter d.

dance => dance + d => danced

smile => smile + d => smiled

3. Verbs ending with "y"

When a verb ends with the letter y and there is a consonant before it, the y changes into i.
Then we add ed.

In the following examples the consonant letter is underlined.

try => tri + ed => tried

cry => cri + ed => cried

study => studi + ed => studied

4. When a verb ends with x, y and w and there is a vowel letter before it, we simply add
ed to the verb.

relax => relax + ed => relaxed

stay => stay + ed => stayed

play => play + ed => played

enjoy => enjoy + ed => enjoyed

allow => allow + ed => allowed

PRONOUNCING RULES:

There are 3 ways:

● /ɪd/
● /t/
● /d/

If the base verb ends in example base verb* example with -ed pronounce the
one of these sounds -ed as

/t/ want wanted /ɪd/

/d/ end ended

Unvoiced /p/ hope hoped /t/

(voiceless)

/f/ laugh laughed

/s/ fax faxed

/ʃ/ wash washed

/ʧ/ watch watched

/k/ like liked

voiced all other play played /d/

sounds, eg

allow allowed

beg begged
*Note that it is the sound that is important, not the letter or spelling. For
example, fax ends in the letter x but the sound /s/; like ends in the letter e but
the sound /k/.

Exceptions

The following -ed words used as adjectives are pronounced with /ɪd/:

● aged
● dogged
● ragged
● blessed
● learned
● wicked
● crooked
● naked
● wretched

So we say:

● an aged man /ɪd/

● a blessed nuisance /ɪd/
● a dogged persistence /ɪd/
● a learned professor - the professor, who was truly learned /ɪd/
● a wretched beggar - the beggar was wretched /ɪd/

But when used as real verbs (past simple and past participle), the normal
rules apply and we say:

● he aged quickly /d/

● he blessed me /t/
● they dogged him /d/
● he has learned well /d/ or /t/

PRACTICE:
Add -ed to the regular verbs below and pronounce them.
behave, imply, support, fax, reply, survive, collect, ask, offer, cover, travel, finish, own, witness,
close, damage, decorate, gossip, harvest, analyze, bury, substitute, supplement, compensate,
implement,challenge, mix, marry, finish, furnish, watch, license, drum, fan, hug, kiss, broadcast,
access, attach, vote, coach, judge, start, switch, swap
 CONNECTED SPEECH

What is connected speech?

When we speak naturally we do not pronounce a word, stop, then say the next word in the
sentence. Fluent speech flows with a rhythm and the words bump into each other. To make
speech flow smoothly the way we pronounce the end and beginning of some words can change
depending on the sounds at the beginning and end of those words.
These changes are described as features of connected speech.

Rules for connected speech

1. Consonant to vowel: Ending consonant is linked with
the next initial vowel.
EX: – He can always help us.
/hi kənˈɑːlweɪz hel pəs/
– He can’t always help us.
/hi kent ˈɑːːlweɪz hel pəs/
– All of us must be there on time.
/ɑː ləvəs mʌst bi ðer a:n taɪm/
– This is an exciting event.
/ðɪ sɪzənɪkˈsaitɪŋɪˈvent/

2. Vowel to vowel: Ending vowel sound is linked with the

next initial vowel sound.
EX:
– I am interested in it. → Link "am" and "interested" (say: "I yam interested in it").
– She didn't do anything wrong. → Link "do" and "anything" with /w/ (say: "She didn't
dʊ wanything wrong").
– I do exercise every day. → Link "do" and "exercise" with /w/ (say: "I dʊ wexercise
every day").

3. Reducing sounds:
3.1. Reducing /t/ and /d/:
 - Reduce /t/ or /d/ when it stands between 2 consonants (consonant – t/d – consonant)
Ex:
The next day…. /ðəˈneks ˈdeɪ/
The last car… /ðəˈlɑːs ˈkɑːr/
Hold the dog! /ˈhəʊl ðəˈdɑːg/
Send Frank a card. /sen ˈfræŋk ə ˈkɑːrd/

- Reduce /t/ or /d/ in /ʧ/ and /ʤ/ when it is followed by a consonant.

EX:
lunchtime /ˈlʌntʃtaɪm/ -> /ˈlʌnʃtaɪm/
strange days /ˈstreɪndʒˈdeɪz/ ->> /ˈstreɪnʒˈdeɪz/

- Reduce /t/ when /t/ is followed by a consonant in negative form.

EX:
I can speak…. /aɪ kən ˈspiːk/
I can’t speak… /aɪˈken(t) ˈspiːk/
Please note that if “can’t” is followed by a vowel sound, we still need to pronounce /t/. EX: “I
can’t eat”.
3.2. Reduce /ə/: after some consonants like /m/, /r/:
secretary /ˈsekrət(ə)ri/
camera /ˈkæm(ə)rə/
memory /ˈmem(ə)ri/
family /ˈfæm.(ə)l.i/

4. Consonant to consonant:
Basically, when every ending consonant meets an initial consonant of the next word, the ending
consonant standing previously needs to be reduced.
EX:
Top priority, a top job
The next time
Add data to the app
Cook cabbage and potatoes

Practice more:
football /ˈfʊtba:l/ => ………...
 hit them /ˈhɪt ðəm/ => ………..

Still, here are some more highlights in this part you also need to know:
Linking /t/, /d/ with /j/
* /t/ + /j/ = /tʃ/
what you need /wɑːtʃu niːd/
the ball that you brought /ðə bɑːl ðətʃuː brɑːt/
last year /lɑːstʃɪr/
* /d/ + /j/ = / dʒ/
Could you help me? /kʊdʒu hel mi/ (/p/ in help is reduced)
Would your laptop work? /wʊdʒʊr _______ wɜːk/
Do you live here? /dʒə lɪv hɪr/

5. Vowel sounds changed

5.1. “have to”
have to /hæv tuː/ -> /ˈhæftə/
has to /hæz tuː/ -> /ˈhæstə/
I have to go! /aɪ ˈhæftə ˈgoʊ/. But in NAme you can say: I gotta go /ai ˈɡɑː.t̬ə goʊ/
Want to => wanna
Be going to => be gonna

5.2.“used to”
used to /juːzd tuː/ -> /ˈjuːstə/
I used to live near you. /aɪ ˈjuːstə ˈlɪv nɪr ˈjuː/

5.3.“supposed to“
supposed to /səˈpəʊzd tuː/ -> /səˈpəʊstə/
You were supposed to leave ! /juː wə səˈpəʊstə ˈliːv/ (/r/ in “were” is reduced

6. Glottal T: Reduce /t/ when it is -nt+vowel sound

International, interview
Try this if you can: interest (is there something wrong?)

Button, captain, certain, gotten, kitten, written, I couldn’t

PRACTICE:

Draw all the flowers My father would like to see you.

Australia or New Zealand He asked me to do something for him.
It’s near enough Can you give me any advice?
It’s quite far away There are lots of books that you could read.
The doctor agrees You may want to ask an advisor.
There are three places What kind of job do you want to get?
There’s a tour along the river I’ve done lots of different things.
It’s made of fur and leather What did you do there?
Law and order I don’t know
The actor and playwright I was going to be a writer
I can’t hear anything I met you at school
Could you please lend me some money? Do you mind if we ask you some questions?
What do you mean? What do you want to know?
How about you? You can walk to a lot of places.
What’s your name? Why don’t you come with us?
I want to go to café You should have seen her face
Will you have to take the exam this week? You should’ve seen her face.
Where are you living now? We were able to move in.
What do you do? But use your head!
How do you feel about this? Linda and I were there at that moment.
You can walk from here. Could you call and ask?
Can you make it this evening? We had to do a lot of work.
See you then. She had university students.
Do you own it?
 STRESS - INTONATION

1. Stress

Words are made up of syllables.

Words having one syllable have one stress on that syllable.

EX: chair, board, glass, mom, dad, share, up, down, cool, jar, etc

Your turn: Give 3 one-syllable words

In a word with more than one syllable, there is no rule about which syllable is stressed.
You will need to learn the stress of words by heart.

In two-syllable words, there are primary stress, sometimes they have also secondary
stress:

Try looking these words up: usually, table, marker, notebook, scissors, trousers,
number, meaning, telephone, computer, exchange, arrangement, discuss, withdraw,
excellent, upstairs, forest, comprehend, understand, represent, conversation, economic
 2. Intonation

2.1 Tone of voice / Feeling

To convey the right intonation, you must first understand that: The intonation, not the words, is
what conveys real meaning.

“I have something to tell you”.

Listen carefully. How does the speaker feel?

A. happy and excited

B. sad and worried
C. nervous

Practice:

Intonation Exercise #1: Yeah

First, we’re going to start with the word “yeah.” (It’s a little more common in everyday speech
than the word “yes.”)

Yeah (neutral) Yeah! Yeah?? (uncertain)

(enthusiastic/excited)
Yeah. (falling) Yeah??? (surprised)
Yeah!!! (super excited)
Yeah? (rising) Yeah… (disinterested)

Please note that there are more emotions you can show here, like annoyance, doubt, disbelief,
or uncertainty.

Intonation Exercise #2: No

No (neutral) No! (authoritative)

No. (falling) No...?? (uncertain)

No? (rising) No?? (disbelief)

Intonation Exercise #3: Okay

Okay (neutral) Okay! (annoyed)

Okay. (falling) Okay!! (irritated)

Okay. (agreeing) Okay....?? (insecure)

Okay? (rising)

Intonation Exercise #4: Right

Right (neutral) Right! (authoritative)

Right. (falling) Right...??? (insecure)

Right? (rising)

Intonation Exercise #5: Hey

Hey (neutral) Hey? (rising)

Hey. (falling) Hey! (enthusiastic)

Hey. (disinterested) Hey!! (excited)

Hey! (authoritative)

Intonation Exercise #6: Maybe

Maybe (neutral) Maybe. (unconvinced) Maybe?? (uncertain)

Maybe. (falling) Maybe? (rising) Maybe… (noncommittal)

Intonation Exercise #7: Please

Please (neutral) Please! (authoritative) Please??

(pleading/begging)
Please. (falling) Please? (rising)

2.2 Purpose
Try changing your purpose for each time you read.

● I didn’t say he stole the car.

● He came here by train.
● She started learning French two years ago.

2.3 What to stress and not to stress in a sentence

In spoken language, grammatical words (auxiliary verbs, prepositions, pronouns, articles, …)

usually do not receive any stress. Lexical words (delivering main idea), however, (nouns,
verbs, adjectives, adverbs, …) must have at least one stressed syllable.

Remember: This is not applied in all cases, you also need to base on 2.1 when you speak.

He’s talking. She loves him. How old are you?

He’s good. I think so. What’s your job?

We’re here I hate him. What’s your name?

How do you do? Shera likes him. How are you?

We love them. I can read. Nice to meet you.

2.4 Rising, falling intonation

In
tonation describes how the voice rises and falls in speech. The two main patterns of intonation
in English are: falling intonation and rising intonation.

For each example in this part, please pick up your

pencil and draw the intonation pattern like an artist!

Falling intonation
Falling intonation describes how the voice falls on the final stressed syllable of a phrase or a
group of words. A falling intonation is very common in wh-questions.
● Where’s the nearest post-office?
● What time does the film finish?
We also use falling intonation when we say something definite, or when we want to be very
clear about something:
● I think we are completely lost.
● OK, here’s the magazine you wanted.
 Rising intonation
Using this kind of intonation, you’ll sound friendlier and more approachable. Rising intonation
can also show curiosity, surprise, or excitement; or even disbelief or doubt, such as when you
are checking and confirming because you don’t believe what the other person said.

- YES-NO QUESTIONS:
Rising intonation describes how the voice rises at the last word of a sentence. Rising intonation
is common in yes-no questions:
● I hear the Health Centre is expanding. So, is that the new doctor?
● Are you thirsty?

Let’s make it clearer with this example:

● Are you ready to go?
By using rising intonation, you’re checking with the other person to see if they’re ready, and
you’re genuinely curious to hear if they’re ready to go. If you use a different type of intonation or
a flat tone, it may sound like you’re annoyed at the other person. Practice more:
● Do you have any time to meet this afternoon?
● Have you seen it?
● Wouldn’t he have told us?
● Do you want to have lunch now?

- TO CONFIRM:
You can also use rising intonation for statements, not just for yes-no questions, in order to
confirm something you’re not sure but you think maybe you’re right.
● I’m from Boston.
● You’re from Boston?

● I went to the gym.

● You went to the gym?
When you turn this type of statement into a question, you’re signaling that you’re not entirely
sure, maybe you misheard a certain word that person said, or it surprises you.
● I’m not hungry.
● You’re not hungry?
You’re asking this statement as a question because you find it a little bit surprising or you’re not
sure you understood. That rise at the end of the question signals that you’re genuinely
interested in hearing whether or not the other person is hungry. Practice more:
● I moved here 3 years ago.
● You moved here three years ago?

● I’ve never seen it before.

● You haven’t seen it?
Instead of asking, “Have you seen it?” as in the previous example, you’re asking, “You
haven’t seen it?” because perhaps you find that a little surprising, or you’re not sure, you can’t
quite remember, so you’d like the other person to give a little more information.

Some other examples:

● Right?
It’s super common to use rising intonation with the word “right” in order to check and
confirm that the other person is following.
● You know?
Similarly, if we want the other person to say that they understand, we may say, “You
know?” in order to signal that we would like the other person to confirm they understand what
we feel.
● Okay?
We’re using that checking and confirming intonation on the word “okay” in order to check and
confirm that things are okay.
 - MID-SENTENCE (MID-IDEA):
Rising intonation mid-sentence may signal that you haven’t completed a thought yet, especially
when naming many things (you can use non-rising intonation instead of rising to sound more
natural in this case). At times, people will end sentences with rising intonation when they’re not
done with the full idea. They may have finished a particular statement, but they’d like you to not
interrupt them until they finish completing their thoughts. Compare between each pair of
sentences below:
● I bought a book.
● I bought a book, but I didn’t read it.

● I finished school.
● When I finished school, I moved to the city.

● I’ll study hard.

● If I study hard, I’ll get an A.

● I’m going inside.

● I’m going inside to get something to eat.

● I like football.
● I like football, basketball, tennis and golf.

● I left work.
● I left work, came home and had dinner.

● I need milk.
● I need milk, eggs, apples and sugar.

You may also hear rising intonation mid-thought in order to sound a little more interesting, to
keep the other person listening, to keep them waiting to hear what’s going to come next.
● I walked inside, I saw an old man, who looked very creepy that I almost cried.
 - FILLER WORDS:
We often use them when we don’t know what else to say. We only raise our voice at these filler
words when they’re not at the end of the sentence. Here are some examples:
● um, uh, oh, er, ah
Basic filler words—or filler sounds to show reluctance or hesitation.

● Well
Well, what shall we do now?l

● you know, you see, right

I'm not happy with the situation but, you know, there isn't much I can do about it.

● just
● I mean, I guess, I suppose
I mean, he's a good teacher, but I just don't like him.

- CHOICE QUESTIONS (questions with “or”):

Is your birthday in April or in May?
Do you like milk tea, tea or coffee?
Which part do you prefer - the first one or the last one?

More information to know:

When you’re hearing rising intonation in these situations, pay attention to the context.
- Not that polite:
Because there may be a negative use of rising intonation at the end of the sentence. If
someone doesn’t believe that you understand them or that you follow their idea, they may use
a little bit of rising intonation at the end of all of their sentences in order to see if you
understand what they’re saying.
 In this case, rising intonation can sound a little rude, like they don’t think the other person
understands exactly what it is you’re trying to express, or they don’t understand why the other
person has a particular opinion.
- Less authoritative:
For the most part, people think that they sound less authoritative when they use more rising
intonation. They tend to use more falling intonation in order to show they’re in charge.

Try reading all the examples again by changing your

purpose and emotion. Feel the difference.

Tag questions:
We also use rising intonation when asking tag questions to double check the information you’re
not sure, but we use falling intonation to signal that you’re just making an observation. Try these
examples in 2 ways:

● It’s raining, isn’t it?

● You’ve been waiting for a while, haven’t you?
Practice:
Decide which to rise or fall + add emotion as you wish (then explain it).

● My name’s Mike. ● She’s not beautiful?

● Will you call me? ● Henry makes music.
● What’s your name? ● It’s beautiful, isn’t it?
● Isn’t it too dark in here? ● Casey makes noise.
● Really? ● I ask again, who is she?
● Have a nice day. ● She combs her hair.
● What the hell is that? ● Ben writes articles.
● In my opinion, it’s too expensive. ● He isn’t stupid, isn’t he?
● Does he know about it? ● It’s not that good, don’t you think?
● Why haven’t you been home yet? ● John lives in Vietnam.
● I’m going to the coffee shop. ● What’s his name?
● I’m going outside. ● You don’t know? Really?
● She came at ten, then she left right ● Come here, will you?
away. ● If you don’t mind, I’d like to close the
● I’ll be back in a minute. window.
● Where are you now? ● Why did he leave?
● Do you know her? ● Where are you going?
● He said: “I’ll be back in a minute”. ● When does it start?
● He asked me to dance. ● You called me, didn’t you?
● Could you call me at five? ● The little girl doesn’t think the Sun’s in
● Are you Japanese? the sky.
● Mike likes bikes. I like books.
● As far as I’m concerned, you did
great.