Are you "in tune"?

INTONATION

Have you ever listened to a guitar that was out of tune? Not enjoyable to say the least. You can have your fingers in the right place, be hitting all the right notes and even be playing with proper pacing. However, when the intonation is off, the sound just doesn’t seem right.

The very same thing can happen when we are learning to speak the English language. You may have mastered grammar, pronunciation, pace and even those pesky English idioms. But if you do not use proper intonation, you can be misunderstood or even misinterpreted as a rude or demanding person.

Here is a very simple example:

Where does she come from?

This is an open question (who, what, when, where, why, how) that could have a variety of answers. The proper intonation for these types of questions is to let your voice fall down at the end of the sentence. If you were to have your voice rise at the end of the sentence, this could be misinterpreted as a sarcastic or condescending way of speaking.

On the other hand, let’s consider the opposite scenario:

Do you live in California?

This is a closed question (requires a simple yes or no answer). Most closed questions call for a slight rise in your voice at the end of the sentence. If you were to let your voice fall down, you may be misinterpreted as speaking in a dictatorial way or totally disinterested in the actual response.

Intonation is an aspect of language that is secondary to the fundamentals of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Still, it is an important part of becoming a fluent English speaker.

I enjoy working with students on intonation. This is especially important for those that will use English in a professional environment or for public speaking. I look forward to working together on this frequently forgotten aspect of learning a language!
30 de mayo de 2018
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Stephanie Rumori

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Hi there! My name is Stephanie and I live in California, USA. I lived for a couple of years in the Dominican Republic and four years in Italy. I have been teaching English online for about one year but teaching in general for over 20 years. I am certified to teach English through ACCREDITAT, certificate #100-17087. I have enjoyed teaching people from many Asian countries and I would like to expand my teaching experiences to those of all countries. English is such an important language and I love to part of someone's journey to becoming a "native-like" speaker. I love having fun when teaching English. However, I can be adaptable to whatever style of learning each student prefers. I love to engage in free-talk, teach English idioms and focus on proper pronunciation and intonation. I hope to have the opportunity to prove to you my value as your one-on-one teacher! See you soon!
Flag
Inglés
globe
EE. UU.
time
Nuevo!
Habla:
Español
C2
,
Italiano
B2
Hi there! My name is Stephanie and I live in California, USA. I lived for a couple of years in the Dominican Republic and four years in Italy. I have been teaching English online for about one year but teaching in general for over 20 years. I am certified to teach English through ACCREDITAT, certificate #100-17087. I have enjoyed teaching people from many Asian countries and I would like to expand my teaching experiences to those of all countries. English is such an important language and I love to part of someone's journey to becoming a "native-like" speaker. I love having fun when teaching English. However, I can be adaptable to whatever style of learning each student prefers. I love to engage in free-talk, teach English idioms and focus on proper pronunciation and intonation. I hope to have the opportunity to prove to you my value as your one-on-one teacher! See you soon!
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