Arakin_1_kurs

Section Thirteen

Intonation pattern VIII

(Low pre-head + ) low head + low rise (+ tail)

Stress-and-tone marks in the text: a stressed syllable of the low head: | |

In the usual form of the low head, all the syllables contained in it are said on the same, rather low pitch. This intonation pattern is used:

1. I n s t a t e m e n t s , encouraging further conversation; reprovingly critical, guarded, reserving judgement, appealing to the listener to change his attitude.

e. g. I'm just back from seeing my mother. - I trust you found her /well. Take no notice of him. - We must do as he /says.

2. I n q u e s t i o n s :

a) s p e c i a l q u e s t i o n s , calm, but very disapproving.

e. g. I don't agree. - Why /not?

b) g e n e r a l q u e s t i o n s , expressing disapproval, scepticism.

e. g. I'm sorry, Mummy. - Are you /really sorry?

e. g. You can have it if you like. - Thanks very /much.

Exercises

1. a)* Listen carefully to the following conversational situations. Concentrate your attention on the intonation of the replies:

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b) Listen to the replies above and repeat them in the intervals. Make your voice follow the intonation line exactly. c) Listen to the verbal context and reply in the interval. d) In order to fix Pattern VIII in your mind and ear, pronounce each reply several times until it sounds perfectly natural to you. Don't forget to pay attention to the verbal context. e) Listen to a fellow-student reading the replies above. Try to detect any failure to reproduce the pattern. The errors must be pointed out and eliminated.

2. Listen to your teacher saying the context sentences below. Pronounce each of the following replies in two ways: first with Intonation Pattern VIII, then with Intonation Pattern IV. Be careful with the intonation line, observe the difference in attitudes. Make a fellow-student decide what attitude you are trying to render:

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3.Translate the replies above into Russian. Pronounce them trying to express the corresponding attitude in your mother tongue. Is the attitude expressed by means of intonation only, as in English, or do we use any additional words to render it?

4.Read the verbal context below silently and translate the replies into English. Pronounce the replies trying to render the attitude suggested in brackets. Concentrate your attention on the intonation line. Decide what Intonation Pattern you are using in each reply:

5. Your teacher will ask you the following questions. You in turn respond to them using Intonation Patterns III, IV, VIII. Decide what attitude you are trying to express in each response:

1. Shall we postpone the meeting then? 2. How did you come to lose it? 3. When did you see him? 4. Does John always forget? 5. Were there many people there? 6. What made you do such a stupid thing? 7. How many

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pencils do you want? 8. Where does he come from? 9. Can I see him if I come back later? 10. Can't we do something about it? 11. Shall I phone you? 12. What's your opinion of his work? 13. Can I come again tomorrow? 14. Could you send me another copy? 15. Do you mind waiting a little longer?

6. This exercise is meant to develop your ability to hear and reproduce intonation in the dialogue. a) Listen to the dialogue carefully sentence by sentence. Write it down. Mark the stresses and tunes. Practise reading each sentence after the cassette-recorder. b) Record your reading. Play the recording back immediately for your teacher and fellow-students to detect your errors. Practise the dialogue for test reading. Memorize and play it with a fellow-student:

H a r r : Do you want me to do anything this evening, Nora?r a : I don't think so.

H a r r y : You're sure there's nobody coming to see us? N o r a : No, I don't think there is.

H a r r y : And there's nothing you want me to listen to on the wireless? N o r a : I'm sure there isn't!

H a r r y : Then will it be all right for me to go round to the club? N o r a : Oh yes, I should think so.

H a r r : It's a long time since I went. N o r a : I suppose it is.

H a r r y : The chaps are wondering what's happened to me. N o r a : I suppose they must be.

H a r r : I'd like a game of billiards with the chaps. N o r a : I expect you would.

H a r r y : I'm fond of billiards. N o r a : Yes, I know you are.

H a r r y : I get out of practice if I stay away too long. N o r a : I dare say you do.

H a r r y : Besides, didn't Bonnet telephone last week and ask me to have a game? N o r a : Now you mention it, I believe he did.

H a r r y : So you won't mind if I go off just for this evening, will you? N o r a : Of course I won't.

H a r r y : I'll go up and change. N o r a : Yes, do. Only -

H a r r y : Only what?

N o r a : Well, Harry, don't you remember that today's the anniversary of our wedding day? H a r r y : Good heavens, so it is!

N o r a : And you promised we should always keep it. H a r r y : So I did!

N o r a : You know, Harry, there's a dance this evening at the Town Hall. H a r r y : So there is?

r a : So do you still think you'll go round to the club? H a r r y : No - somehow I don't think I will.

("Meet the Parkers", a Lingaphone Course)

) Listen to a fellow-student reading the dialogue above. Try to detect any failure to reproduce the pattern. The errors must be pointed out and eliminated. d) Give a conversational context with the following phrases:

1. I don't think so. 2. No, I don't think you will. 3. I'm sure there isn't. 4. So I did. 5. So there is. 6. Oh yes, I should think so. 7. I suppose it is. 8. I expect you would. 9. I think you are. 10. No - somehow I think I don't.

e) Make up a conversation with phrases from the dialogue.

7. Listen, to the verbal context suggested by your teacher or a fellow-student. Respond by using Intonation Pattern IV or VIII in your reply. Decide if you are going to sound reserved or friendly and encouraging.

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8. This exercise is intended to develop your ability to use different Intonation Patterns in reading, a) Read the dialogues "On the Road" and others silently to make sure you understand each sentence. Underline the communicative centre in each phrase. Decide what attitude should -be expressed in it. Mark the stresses and tunes, keeping the attitude constantly in mind. Practise reading the dialogues with a fellow-student. Memorize them, b) Make up a conversation with a fellow-student using any phrases from the dialogues below. Keep the attitude in mind:

a)J k : Are we on the right road? J i l l : I think so.

J a c k : You think so. Aren't you sure?

J i l l : No, I'm not sure. I've only been along this road once before. J a c k : Then we'd better ask someone, hadn't we?

J i l l : Yes, that's the right thing to do. We don't want to lose our way. Look, there's' a postman. He'll know. J a c k : Does this road go to Henfield?

P o s t m a n : Yes, this is the Henfield road.

k : Is it very far?

P o s t m a n : No, not very far. About an hour's walk.

J a c k : There are no buses to Henfield along this road, are there?

P o s t m a n : Oh, yes, but the buses don't come very often. Only about four times a day. J a c k : Do you know when the next bus comes along?

P o s t m a n : Not until half past seven. You can be in Henfield long before then if you walk. J a c k : Well, thank you. We'd better walk. It's no good waiting an hour and a half for a bus.

b)"Is Henry likely to play bridge at George's tonight?"

"I don't think so. He'll probably go to a concert instead." "What can Mary be doing now?"

"Well, she may be having dinner."

"And I think she must be writing a letter to me." "She is more likely to be writing a letter to Henry."

c) "What are you going to do on New Year's Eve?" "I haven't decided yet. What about you?"

"Mary and I have decided to go to a dance."

9.This exercise is intended to test your ability to hear and reproduce intonation in reading. a) Listen to the text "The Tailor and the Dressmaker" carefully, sentence by sentence. Write it down. Mark the stresses and tunes. Practise reading each sentence after the cassette-recorder. b) Record your reading. Play the recording back immediately and try to detect your errors. Make a careful note of your errors in each sound and tune and work to avoid them. Repetition should be done aloud. Practise the text for test reading.

10.This exercise is meant to develop your ability to hear intonation and reproduce it in proper speech situations. a) Listen to the joke sentence by sentence. Write it down. Mark the stresses and tunes. Practise the joke for test reading. b) Listen to the narration of the joke. Observe the peculiarities in intonation, word-group division, pitch, stress and tempo. Note the use of temporizers. Retell the joke according to the model you have listened to.

11.This exercise is intended to test your ability to analyse material for reading on your own outside the class. a) Read the story silently to make sure you understand each sentence. Underline the main sentence in the story. Split up each sentence into intonation-groups. Locate the communicative centres of them. Mark the stresses and tunes, concentrating your attention on the attitude expressed. It is not expected that each member of the class will mark the story in exactly the same way. Discuss your variants in class. Your teacher will help you to choose the best variant. Practise your corrected variant for test reading. b) Retell the story following the model above (See Ex. 10):

The story of narcissus

Long, long ago, when birds and flowers and trees could talk, a beautiful fountain sprang up in the midst of a forest. Little sunbeams crept between the leaves, and, as they fell upon it, made it shine like silver.

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One day a lad, who had been hunting in the forest, lost sight of his friends. While looking for them, he saw the fountain shining in the sunlight through the trees. He at once turned to it, for he was hot and thirsty.

He stooped down to bathe his burning forehead, and to cool his dry hot lips. But as he bent over the water, he saw his own face in it, as in a glass. He thought it-must be some lovely water-fairy, that lived within the fountain, and as he looked he forgot to drink. The bright eyes, the curly hair, the round cheeks, and the red lips were beautiful to him; and he fell in love with that image of himself, but knew not that it was his own image. It smiled when he smiled, and as he spoke, the lips of the face moved as though speaking too, though no sound came from them. "I love you with all my heart," said the lad. The image smiled and held out its arms, but still was dumb. The lad spoke to it again and again, and getting no answer, he at last began to cry. The tears fell upon the water, and ruffled it, so that the face looked wrinkled. Thinking it was going away, he said: "Only stay, beautiful being, and let me look at you, even if I may not touch you." He forgot everything but that lovely face. Day after day, night after night, he stayed there, till he grew thin and pale, and at last died. Just at the water's edge, where the lad had died, there grew one strange little flower, all alone. "He has been changed into a flower," his friends said. "Let us call it after our dead friend." So they named the flower Narcissus in memory of him and it is called Narcissus to this very day.

Supplement.

Texts not introduced in the exercises

Section Three

Ex. 13

Days and months. Asking the time

"Do you know the days of the Week?"

"Yes, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday." "Now, let's assume that today is Wednesday. What day will tomorrow be?" "Thursday."

"And the day after tomorrow?" "Friday."

"What day was yesterday?" "Tuesday."

"And the day before yesterday?" "Monday."

"As it happens, last Monday was my birthday." "Is that so? Well, many happy returns of the day."

"Thank you. And now, let's have the names of the months."

"Certainly. January. February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December."

"Good... Oh, can you tell me the right time please?"

"Well, my watch says five past two, but if's no use relying on it, because sometimes it's fast and sometimes it's slow."

Section Four

Ex. 13

"Have we time for another coffee?" "I think so."

"Shall I give you some?" "Yes, please."

"Do you take sugar?" "No, thank you."

"Will you have a cigarette?"

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"In a moment."

"Have you paid the bill?" "Not yet."

"Shouldn't we be going now?" "All right."

"Oughtn't we to take a taxi?" "If you like."

* * *

"How long will you be out?" "Not long."

"When will you be back?" "Soon after ten."

"What are you going to do?" "Nothing very interesting." "Where are you going?" "Just down the road."

"Who are you going to see?" "Tom."

"Why are you going to see him?" "Just for a little chat."

"What about?" "Nothing in particular."

Ex. 15

Our sitting-room

Let's have a look at this picture of our sitting-room. As you come into the room you notice a piano with a low music-stool in front of it. Next to the piano is a tall bookcase standing against the wall. On the left is a large window. Under the window there's a radiator, but, you can't see it because it's behind the settee. On the settee there are two cushions. The fireplace is at the other end of the room. On each side of the fireplace there's an armchair. An old lady is sitting in one of the chairs, but nobody's sitting in the other one: it's empty.

In the centre of the mantelpiece there's a clock and above it an oval mirror. On the right you can see a standard lamp. Opposite the fireplace you can see a small table with an ash-tray and some newspapers on it. By the table there's a small chair. On the extreme right there's a radio-set. The floor is covered with a beautiful thick carpet. An electric light is hanging from the middle of the ceiling. At night when it gets dark we switch on the light and draw the curtains: During the day, the light comes in through the window.

Section Five

Ex.22

A:You're on holiday, aren't you?

B:No, I'm not.

A:You're not working, are you?

B:Yes, I am.

A:You work in London, don't you?

B:No, I don't.

A:It's nearly time for tea, isn't it?

B:No, it isn't.

A:You're not hungry, are you?

B:Yes, I am.

A:You'll soon be going home, won't you?

B:No, I shan't.

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Section Six

Ex. 19

Balzac as a handwriting expert

Balzac, the famous French writer, was a man of great talent. But he himself was proud of his ability to tell a person's character by his or her handwriting. He often told his friends that he could tell anybody's character exactly by his handwriting.

One day a woman friend brought him a young boy's exercise book. She said that she wanted to know what Balzac thought of the boy's character.

Balzac studied the handwriting carefully for a few minutes. The woman, however, told him that the boy was not her son and that he might tell her the truth.

"All right," said Balzac. "I shall tell you the truth." And he said that the boy was a bad, lazy fellow.

"It's very strange," said the woman smiling. "This is a page from your own exercise book, which you used when you were a boy."

Section Seven

Ex. 9

A:Is it going to rain?

B:I hope not.

A:Ought we to take our coats?

B:I think so.

A:Shall we be late?

B:We might be.

A:Is the car all right?

B:I expect so.

A:Will it break down?

B:I doubt it.

A:Have you got enough petrol?

B:I hope I have.

Ex. 17

My bedroom

At night when I feel tired and sleepy, I go up to my bedroom and switch on the electric light. I take off my shoes, undress and put on my pyjamas. Then I get into bed and switch off the light.

After a few minutes I fall asleep. I sleep the whole night through.

Punctually at seven-thirty in the morning, the alarm-clock rings and wakes me up. I get out of bed, put on my dressing-gown and slippers, and go into the bathroom, where I turn on the hot and cold taps. While the water's running into the bath, I wash my face and neck, clean my teeth, and shave. My shaving things are on the shelf above the basin. Then I turn off the taps and have my bath. Sometimes I have a shower. When I've dried myself with a towel, I get dressed.

On the dressing-table in front of the looking-glass, you'll see a hairbrush and a comb, a hand-mirror, a bottle of scent and a powder-box. These, of course, don't belong to me, but to my wife. In the chest of drawers I keep clean linen such as shirts, collars and handkerchiefs, besides things like socks and ties. The dirty linen is put in a linen basket and sent to the laundry. In the wardrobe I keep my suits and other clothes, which I hang on coathangers.

Ex. 19

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The smoking chimney

One afternoon Professor N. was walking along a country road when he saw a farmer eating his supper alone in the road before his house. The professor approached the farmer and asked him:

"Why are you eating here alone?"

"Well, sir," answered the farmer after a short pause, "the chimney smokes."

"That is too bad," said the professor. "You must have it repaired. Let's have a look at it."

And before the farmer could say a word the professor tried to enter the farmer's house. As soon as he opened the door a broom fell on his shoulders and a woman's voice cried:

"Go away, you old rascal, or I'll kill you ..."

The professor left the house quickly. The farmer sat in the road looking very unhappy. The professor approached him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Never mind," said he, "my chimney smokes sometimes too."

Section Eight

Ex. 6

A:When I went out it was dark.

B:Was it?

A:Just at first I couldn't see.

B:Couldn't you?

A:After a while I got used to it.: Did you?

A:I went to Tom's and he wasn't there.

B:Wasn't he?

A:So I walked around and then came back home.

B:Oh?

A:And now if you like we'll go to the pictures.

B:Lovely.

Ex. 15

Mark Twain in France

Mark Twain, the famous American writer, was travelling in France. Once he was going by train to Dijon. That afternoon he was very tired and wanted to sleep. He therefore asked the conductor to wake him up when they came to Dijon. But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. "I'll probably protest loudly when you try to wake me up," he said to the conductor. "But do not take notice, just put me off the train anyway."

Then Mark Twain went to sleep. Later, when he woke up, it was night-time and the train was in Paris already. He realized at once that the conductor had forgotten to wake him up at Dijon. He was very angry. He ran up to the conductor and began to shout at him. "I have never been so angry in all my life," Mark Twain said.

The conductor looked at him calmly. "You are not half so angry as the American whom I put off the train at Dijon," he said.

Section Nine

Ex. 12

Planning a holiday

"I say, what are you and your sister going to do for your holiday this year?"

"Well, I don't know. I should like to take my sister for a tour to the Baltic Sea, but then she can't very well leave her children. What are you doing?"

"We shall go to the sea, I expect - for part of the time, anyhow. Then my wife and 1 may go off alone for a

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