When you speak, are you listeners confused sometimes?

Or do you have trouble understanding a native speaker’s purpose or feelings when they talk?

English learners always focus on vocabulary, grammar and pronouncing letters the right way when they want to improve their speaking skills.

But intonation is so important so that your listener can understand two things:

• What kind of speech you’re making (question, sentence, list, announcement, etc.)

• And what your mood or feelings are (bored, excited, polite).

Intonation is the fall and rise of your voice, also known as pitch.

The more you’re aware of general patterns for tone in English, the better you’ll understand native speakers and the more clearly you can communicate.

To see if you recognize when to use the correct tone, do the challenge below.

Answer the question on each of the slides. Then check your answers below.

Where can you learn and practice intonation?

In my online lessons, I teach intonation for different types of speech and feelings.

If you want to learn English with quality materials at a low price…

If you’re looking for tools to improve your listening abilities…

And if you want to learn the pronunciation tips that can make you sound more fluent in English conversation…

Choose my online English course for beginners, which you can do at your own pace!

Through my podcast lessons, you will learn the vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation necessary for spoken English.

Answers:

For “It’s delicious,” the first one is excitement; the second is boredom or disinterest.

For “I just won the lottery,” the first one could be sarcasm; the second one is excitement.

For “It’s Rita,” the first one is the speaker announcing or stating a fact clearly; the second one means the speaker’s not sure who the item belongs to.