The Intonation of Questions

Teacher: Welcome to daily tips on learning English. Today's tip is on the intonation of questions.

Teacher: Remember that intonation is the rising and falling of the pich of your voice. So "she is here." is a statement, but "she is here?" is a question. But it isn't true that all questions have a rising intonation.

Teacher: Today, let's just look at the intonation of three types of questions. Yes/no questions, wh questions. and choice questions. Yes/no questions have a rising intonation. Wh questions have a falling intonation. And choice questions have a rising intonation for every choice except the last choice which has a falling intonation.

Teacher: Let's look at some examples, Yes/no questions such as "do you like Taiwan?" "can you speak Chinese?" have a rising intonation. The listener must answer either yes or no.

Teacher: Wh questions start with words "who, what, where, when, why, which, and how". Wh questions have a falling tone. For example, "what time is it?", "where do you live?" Don't say "what time is it?", "where do you live?"

Teacher: In choice questions, the listener is expected to choose one item from several. For example, "would you like juice, coke, tea, or coffee?" A rising tone is used for every choice except the last which has a falling tone. Listen to another example, "do you like basket ball, base ball, soccer, or football?"

Teacher: So remember that yes/no questions, wh questions and choice questions have different intonation patterns and make sure to intone them properly.

Teacher: This has been today's tip on learning English. Tune in tomorrow for another tip on learning English.