Rhythm and intonation

Let's master 5 basic pattern in Rhythm and intonation

1) consonant at the end of the word and vowel at the top of the word are connected

examples

take it easy

2) two continuos same consonant are connected

examples

Take care

at times

3) stop sound at the end of the phrase is disapper

all right

talk about

look at

get up

4) shwa sounds tend to disapper

animal, mistery, family professional

Also, stressing vowel is important

I can't teach you

I can teach you

5) t sounds like r in Japanese

Shut up

Get up

Get out

For TOEIC test

Get example from TOEIC test problems which fake examinee in terms of sounds

INTONATION

One of the first things you learn about intonation is that nouns carry the new information, and consequently, they carry the stress in a sentence.

Dogs eat bones.

But what if you have an adjective with the noun, or two nouns together -- which word do you stress?

In this case, you have to make a simple decision: Either stress the first word or the second word (rarely both). How do you know which one to stress? Well, if it is a description (with no contrast), skim over the adjective and stress the noun:

a nice guy

a big house

a good idea

If you have a two nouns that form a compound noun, stress the first word:

a hot dog

a notebook

a picture frame

This will explain why we say:

He lives in a white house.

He lives in the White House.

A good exercise to demonstrate the variety of meaning through intonation changes is to take a single sentence, try stressing each word in turn, and see the totally different meanings that come out.

1. I didn't say he stole the money.

2. I didn't say he stole the money.

3. I didn't say he stole the money.

4. I didn't say he stole the money.

5. I didn't say he stole the money.

6. I didn't say he stole the money.

7. I didn't say he stole the money.

Once you are clear on the intonation changes in the seven sentences, you can add context words to clarify the meaning:

1. I didn't say he stole the money, someone else said it.

2. I didn't say he stole the money, that's not true at all.

3. I didn't say he stole the money, I only suggested the possibility.

4. I didn't say he stole the money, I think someone else took it.

5. I didn't say he stole the money, maybe he just borrowed it.

6. I didn't say he stole the money, but rather some other money.

7. I didn't say he stole the money, he may have taken some jewelry.

After you have mastered first-word or second-word stress, you can go on the more complex intonation:

It's a pot.

It's new.

It's a new pot.

It's brand new.

It's a brand new pot.

It's a tea pot.

It's a new tea pot.

It's a brand new tea pot.

It's a tea pot lid.

It's a new tea pot lid.

It's a brand new tea pot lid.