Intonation in polite requests
What is intonation ?
Intonation consists in using a rising tone or a falling tone that is marked on the last word of all kinds of sentences :
interrogative ,positive and negative sentences.
↗ ↘
1.Are you tired ? 2 . No, I’m not.
↘
3. She is very quiet these days.
Why do we use intonation?
Intonation plays an important role when we say things. It expresses our emotions when we are angry, sad or happy. It helps us make the person we are talking to get the message.
When we make polite requests, we use a rising tone.
Look at the arrow : it goes up: ↗ ; it is a rising tone
We mark the intonation at the end of the sentence, on the last word of the sentence.
↗
1. Will you open the door, please?
↗
2. Can you call a taxi, please?
↗
3. Could you drive more slowly, please?
↗
4. May I ask you a question, please?
↗
5. Could you do me a favour, please?
We use a rising tone ↗ at the end of Formal and informal polite requests .
Formal requests | Informal requests |
Could you tell me when you are ↗ available, please? |
Can you email me your phone ↗ number, please? |
We also use a rising tone ↗ at the end of yes/no questions.
- Do you live in Edinburgh ?
↗
- Is she available at the weekend ?
However, we use a falling tone ↘ in wh-questions, declarative and negative sentences and imperative sentences.
↘
- Where do you live?
↘
- She isn’t British.
↘
- Shut the door!
↘
- Don’t say it again.
- إختبارات
- 10
- الأجوبة الصحيحة
- False
- الأجوبة الخاطئة
- False
- مجموع النقاط
- False
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