Rising and Falling Tone

 Intonation refers to the fall and rise in the pitch. Hence, when we speak, the way the voice rises and falls is called intonation.

1. It is also called the music of the language.
2. We usually do it daily, without thinking about it when speaking our native language.
3. It is as important as words.
4. Intonation is about how we say things, rather than what we say.

Intonation and stress are very closely linked. We cannot separate them. They go hand in hand. Just as words have stressed syllables, likewise sentences also have certain patterns of stressed words and the voice tends to rise, fall, or remain flat depending on the meaning or feeling of the speaker. Intonation therefore indicates the mood of the speaker.

INTONATION: BASIC PATTERNS 

There are two basic patterns of intonation in English:

A.    Single intonation Pattern

1. Rising intonation: An upward arrow (➚) indicates a rise in intonation.
2. Falling intonation: A downward arrow (➘) indicates a fall in intonation

B.     Double intonation Pattern

1. Rise-Fall Intonation (➚➘)
2. Fall-Rise Intonation (➘➚)

1. FALLING INTONATION (➘)

The pitch of the voice falls at the end of the sentence. Falling intonation is the most common intonation pattern in English. It is commonly found in

1. statements,
2. commands,
3. wh-questions (information questions),
4. confirmatory question tags
5. exclamations.

Statements

1. Reema doesn’t work here ↘anymore.
2. I want to change my ↘car.Nice to meet ↘you.
3. I’ll be back in a ↘minute.
4. She doesn’t live here ↘anymore.
5. Dad wants to change his ↘car.
6. Here is the weather ↘forecast.
7. Cloudy weather is expected at the end of the ↘week.
8. We should work together more ↘often

Commands

1. Write your name ↘here.
2. Show me what you’ve ↘written.
3. Leave it on the ↘desk.
4. Take that picture ↘ down.
5. Throw that ↘out.
6. Put your books on the ↘table.

Wh- questions (requesting information.)

(questions beginning with 'who', 'what', 'why', 'where', 'when', 'which', and 'how')

1. What country do you come ↘from?
2. Where do you ↘work?
3. Which of them do you ↘prefer?
4. When does the shop ↘open?
5. How many books have you ↘bought?
6. Which coat is ↘yours?

Questions Tags (that need confirmation.).

1. He thinks he’s so clever, doesn’t ↘he?
2. She's such a nuisance, isn't ↘she?
3. I failed the test because I didn't revise, did ↘ I?
4. It doesn't seem to bother him much, does ↘ it?

Exclamations
1. How nice of ↘ you!
2. That's just what I ↘need!
3. You don't ↘ say!
4. What a beautiful ↘ voice!
5. That's a ↘surprise!

When the speaker is in low energy and depressed tone.

2. RISING INTONATION (➚)

Rising intonation invites the speaker to continue talking. The pitch of the voice rises at the end of a sentence. It is commonly found in -
1. yes/no questions,
2. question tags that are real questions.
Yes/no Questions
(Questions that can be answered by 'yes' or 'no'.)
1. Do you like your new ➚teacher?
2. Have you finished ➚already?
3. May I borrow your ➚dictionary?
4. Do you have any ➚magazines?
5. Do you sell ➚stamps?
Questions tags that need more clarity
1. We've met already, ➚haven't we?
2. You like fish, ➚don't you?
3. You're a new student ➚aren't you?
4. The view is beautiful, ➚isn't it?

When the speaker is in high energy and happy emotions, he uses rising intonation