Intonation and Rhythm
Read out this paragraph and try to anticipate the tones. Have you ever been to the mountains? They’re so beautiful, aren’t they? Last summer, we visited a small village in the hills. The air was fresh, and the view was amazing. Every morning, we’d wake up to the sound of birds singing. By midday, the sunlight would shine through the trees, making shadows on the ground. It was peaceful, but at night, the wind would howl, and it felt a little scary. Wouldn’t you like to spend a few days there? Practise these sentences in the tones indicated. // ˈhæv ju ˈev.ə ˈbiːn tə ðə ↗maʊn.tɪnz // // ðeə ˈsəʊ ↘ˈbjuː.tə.fəl / ↘ɑːnt ðeɪ // // ˈ lɑːst ↗sʌm.ə / wi ˈvɪz.ɪ.tɪd ə ˈsmɔːl ˈvɪl.ɪdʒ ɪn ðə ↘hɪlz // // ði ˈeə wəz ↗ˈfreʃ / ən ðə ˈvjuː wəz ə↘meɪ.zɪŋ // // ˈ ev.ri ↗mɔː.nɪŋ / wiːd ˈweɪk ˈʌp tə ðə ˈsaʊnd əv ˈbɜːdz ↘sɪŋ.ɪŋ// / baɪ ↘mɪd↗deɪ / ðə ˈsʌn.laɪt wʊd ˈʃaɪn θruː ðə ↗ˈtriːz / ˈmeɪ.kɪŋ ˈʃæd.əʊz ɒn ðə ↘ɡraʊnd // // ɪt wəz ↘piːs↗fəl / bət ət ↗naɪt / ðə ˈwɪnd wʊd ↗haʊl / ən ɪt ˈfelt ə ˈlɪt.l ↘skeə.ri ...