⏱ 5 Minutes · B1/B2
📖 From Experience
At the casino, tone of voice was everything. The same sentence — ‘Is there anything else I can do for you?’ — meant entirely different things depending on how I said it. A falling tone was sincere. A flat tone was tired. A rising tone was almost a challenge. Intonation carries meaning that words alone cannot.
📚 Three Basic Patterns
| Pattern | Shape | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| Falling ↘ | Voice drops | Statements, commands, finished questions: ‘He left at noon↘’ |
| Rising ↗ | Voice rises | Yes/no questions, checking, listing (more to come): ‘Are you ready?↗’ |
| Fall-Rise ↘↗ | Drops then rises | Showing doubt, reservation, polite contradiction: ‘Well… it’s OK↘↗’ |
✅ Examples
- Statement: ‘The meeting is at three.’ → falling ↘ (clear, definite)
- Question: ‘Is the meeting at three?’ → rising ↗ (asking for confirmation)
- Doubtful: ‘I suppose it could work…’ → fall-rise ↘↗ (but I have reservations)
- Surprise: ‘You’re LEAVING?!’ → high rising (disbelief)
✏️ Your Turn
Say these aloud with the right intonation:
- ‘Close the window.’ (command) → what pattern?
- ‘Could you close the window?’ (polite request) → what pattern?
- ‘It’s fine.’ (but you are clearly not happy) → what pattern?
💡 Check Answers
- Falling ↘ — clear instruction, voice drops at the end.
- Rising ↗ — polite question, voice lifts slightly at ‘window’.
- Fall-rise ↘↗ — the reservation is conveyed by the rise at the end.
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