Introduction 
The tone group is the unit of intonation in English. When you speak, you can play with your voice to convey meaning. You can go up or down, up and down, or down and up. All combinations have different meanings.
Each tone goup is a thought group, that is, you state one idea in each tone group.
Activities
Read this paragraph and find the thought groups in it. This will give you the tone groups. Notice that most punctuation marks have been removed so that you have to provide them!
Once upon a starless midnight there was an owl who sat on the branch of an oak tree two ground moles tried to slip by unnoticed"You!" said the owl "Who?" they quavered in fear and astonishment for they could not believe it was possible for anyone to see them in that thick darkness.
Look at the examples and find where the emphasis lies in each sentence. Underline the word/s that carries/carry the tone of the intonation group.
1. John is leaving Paris next week. (Emphasize the time)
2. John is leaving Paris next week. (Emphasize the place)
3. John is leaving Paris next week. (Emphasize the action)
4. John is leaving to Paris next week. (Emphasize the truth)
5. John is leaving to Paris next week. (Emphasize the person)
Using pauses in different places can give a sentence different meanings.
(A) The teacher said, "That student is lazy." (The teacher was speaking.)
(B) "The teacher," said that student, "is lazy." (The student was speaking.)
Can you find the different meanings between two sentences?
David said, "That man is very rude!"
"David," said that man, "is very rude!"
Tongue twisters are very useful when trying to learn to keep up the rhythm of English intonation. First, try mastering this one. Then, try to create one yourself and share it with the rest of the class. Let’s see whose tongue twister most twists our tongues!!!
She sells sea shells by the seashore.The shells she sells are surely seashells.So if she sells shells on the seashore,I'm sure she sells seashore shells.
Practice your pronunciation
Try this site to improve your pronunciation
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/johnm/oi/oiin.htm Six different intonational versions of the same sentence
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/johnm/flash/flashin.htm
http://www.btinternet.com/~eptotd/vm/soundmachines.htm
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/johnm/eptotd/cat-inton.htm
Have a look at the movements of your organs of speech when you talk! Click on the Spanish and the American flags.
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/
Resources for FUN!!
Have a try on this one! Can you get some American expression! Click on the TEXT key. Then mouseover the text at the bottom and try to read it.
http://www.americanaccent.com/index.html
Listen to the ‘Tonguetwisters’!
http://www.manythings.org/pp/woodchuck.html
http://www.manythings.org/pp/rubber_baby_buggy.html
http://www.manythings.org/pp/she_sells_seashells.html
http://www.manythings.org/pp/lady_from_niger.html
Evaluation
Your tongue twister and how you come to master it will be the evaluation of this unit. Hope you enjoy it!
Conclusion
Now that you are at the end of your trip, write a sentence about what you have learnt. Conclude with a rating to your acquired knowledge.
