1. Listen carefully to the following conversational situations. Concentrate your attention on the intonation of the replies:
| Verbal Context | Drill |
| Statements (conveying personal concern or involvement, disgruntled protest) | |
| I must see Mr. Roberts. | I'm afraid you can't. He's just gone out. |
| What did you think of the house? | I was rather taken with it. It seems quite nice. |
| He says he knows nothing about it. | I just can't understand it. I distinctly remember telling him. |
| Haven't you finished that book yet? | I've only just begun it. |
| I'm afraid I failed my exam. | I'm not at all surprised. You must try working a bit harder. |
| You ought to have informed me at once. | I didn't realize, it was so important. |
| Special questions (sounding displeased, unpleasantly surprised, protesting) | |
| What's that you say? | Why don't you listen? |
| I can't find the file anywhere. | What have you done with it? |
| You can't easily mend it. | What do you mean, easily? |
| I gave it to her personally. | But when did you see her? |
| Which one shall I have? | Which would you prefer? |
| I shall write to him again. | Whatever do you hope to gain by that? |
| I was too late. They'd sold out. | Whyever didn't you buy it when you had the chance? |
| General questions (protesting, impatient) | |
| I'm terribly hard up! | Aren't we all? |
| It's always possible. | But do you think it's likely? |
| I'm quite booked up next week. | Will the week after suit you better? |
| In my view he's a culprit. | Could you be mistaken? |
| I can't meet you this Tuesday, | Shall we leave it till next week? |
| 1 can't say I do like this coat. | Would you have preferred the plum coloured one? |
| Imperatives (lively, with a note of critical surprise) | |
| What on earth shall I do? | Try it again. You've no alternative. |
| What should I tell him? | Tell him exactly what you think. |
| How many sandwiches shall I make? | Make as many as you think we'll eat. |
| I don't want to go alone. | Come along with us, then. |
| I've lost my invitation. | Well write and ask them to send you another one. |
| Exclamations (conveying affronted surprise, protesting) | |
| I told him what I thought of him. | Good for you! |
| She says she's twenty-nine. | Absolute nonsense! |
| But I can't take you out tonight. I'm working late. | What a pity you didn't say so sooner. |
| Look. It works. | So it does. How very odd! |
| You're a bit grumpy today. | Not in the least! |
Listen to the replies and repeat them in the intervals. Pronounce the first stressed syllable as low as possible; the following stressed syllables of the head gradually rise to the high level. Start the fall on the nucleus high enough.
Listen to the Verbal Context and reply in the intervals.
In order to fix Intonation Pattern X in your mind, ear and speech habits, pronounce each reply several times until it sounds perfectly natural to you.
