Module 5 – Intonation | Phonetic Flipbook

Introduction

What is Intonation?

Intonation is the rise and fall of pitch in speech. It tells listeners whether you are asking, stating, uncertain, or emphasising something.

English has three main intonation patterns:
↘ Falling — statements, wh-questions, commands
↗ Rising — yes/no questions, polite requests
↘↗ Fall-Rise — uncertainty, contrast, unfinished thoughts

↘

"She left." "Where did she go?"

Falling — conveys certainty, finality

↗

"Did she leave?" "Really?"

Rising — conveys a question or surprise

↘↗

"I suppose so." "That I can do."

Fall-Rise — doubt, reservation, contrast

Pattern 1

Falling Intonation ↘

The pitch starts relatively high and drops at the end. Used for certainty and completeness.

↘

Falling Intonation

Statements · Wh-questions · Commands · Exclamations

↘ "She's leaving." — statement

↘ "Where did she go?" — wh-question

↘ "Close the door." — command

↘ "What a beautiful day!" — exclamation

↘ "Thank you." — closing phrase

Key point: A falling tone signals that the speaker has finished and is confident about the information. Wh-questions fall because the speaker expects a real answer.

Pattern 2

Rising Intonation ↗

The pitch rises toward the end. Used when the speaker wants a response or is unsure.

↗

Rising

Yes/No questions · Polite requests · Lists (except final item)

↗ "Did she leave?" — yes/no question

↗ "Could you help me?" — polite request

↗ "I bought apples ↗, oranges ↗, and pears ↘." — list

↗ "Really?" — surprised echo question

Key point: A rising tone signals the speaker expects a response. In a list, each item except the last rises to show "there's more coming". The final item falls to show completion.

Pattern 3

Fall-Rise Intonation ↘↗

The pitch falls then rises. Used to signal uncertainty, reservation, or contrast.

↘↗

Fall-Rise

Doubt · Reservation · Contrast · Implication

↘↗ "I suppose so." — reluctant agreement

↘↗ "That I can do." — contrast (not everything, just that)

↘↗ "I liked the food…" — but implies "not something else"

↘↗ "It's possible." — hedging, not fully sure

↘ Falling

"It's cold."

Definite statement

↘↗ Fall-Rise

"It's cold…"

But I'll go anyway

Quiz

Intonation Quiz