PTE Lecture 3
Skill: Intonation Patterns
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes Goal: Learn how the voice rises and falls to sound natural,
clear, and expressive in English
🕐 Session Breakdown
Segment Time
What Is Intonation? 10 min
Falling Intonation 20 min
Rising Intonation 20 min
Intonation for Emotion & Lists 20 min
Practice & Games 20 min
1 WHAT IS INTONATION? (10 minutes)
1️⃣
Definition
Intonation is the rise and fall of your voice while speaking. It’s not about individual
sounds (like pronunciation) — it’s about the music of the sentence.
Why It Matters
Urdu speakers often speak in a flatter tone, which can make English sound robotic,
uncertain, or even rude by accident. Correct intonation makes speech sound natural,
confident, and clear in meaning.
Quick Demo for the Student
Say “Really?” three different ways: - Flat tone → sounds bored - Rising tone (↗) → sounds
surprised/curious - Falling tone (↘) → sounds like a flat statement, not a question
2️⃣FALLING INTONATION (↘) (20 minutes)
When to Use It
• Statements (giving information)
• Commands
• Wh- questions (what, where, why, who, how)
• Completed lists (last item)
Examples (voice falls at the end)
• I live in Bahawalpur. ↘
• Close the door. ↘
• Where do you study? ↘
• What is your name? ↘
Practice Sentences
Mark where the voice should fall, then read aloud: 1. My name is Rumaisa. ↘ 2. Where do
you live? ↘ 3. Please sit down. ↘ 4. Why were you late? ↘
👉 Tip: Falling intonation gives a sense of completion and confidence — important for PTE
Read Aloud and Describe Image tasks.
3️⃣RISING INTONATION (↗) (20 minutes)
When to Use It
• Yes/No questions
• Showing uncertainty or surprise
• Polite requests
• Non-final items in a list
Examples (voice rises at the end)
• Do you like tea? ↗
• Are you a student? ↗
• Can you help me? ↗
• Really? ↗
Practice Sentences
1. Is this your book? ↗
2. Do you speak English? ↗
3. Can I ask a question? ↗
4. Have you finished your homework? ↗
Common Mistake
Using falling intonation on Yes/No questions makes them sound like statements or even
rude commands.
↗“Are you coming.” (flat/falling — sounds like a demand) ✅ “Are you coming?↗ ” (rising —
sounds like a genuine question)
4️⃣INTONATION FOR EMOTION & LISTS (20 minutes)
Expressing Emotion Through Tone (10 min)
Emotion Intonation Pattern Example
Excitement Wide rise-fall “That’s amazing!” ↗↘
Boredom Flat, low tone “That’s… nice.” (flat)
Surprise Sharp rise “You got the
scholarship?!” ↗
Sympathy Soft falling “I’m so sorry to hear
that.” ↘
Lists — Rise, Rise, Rise, Fall (10 min)
When listing items, the voice rises on each item except the last one, which falls (showing
the list is complete).
Example
“I need to buy apples ↗, bananas ↗, oranges ↗, and milk. ↘”
Practice Sentence
“In this course, we will study grammar ↗, vocabulary ↗, pronunciation ↗, and
speaking. ↘”
🎮 GAMING EXERCISES (part of 20 min block)
Game 1: “Rise or Fall?” 🎯
Say a sentence — student must instantly say whether it should end with rising or falling
intonation, then repeat it correctly.
Examples to use: - Are you free today? (rising) - I finished my assignment. (falling) - Can
you pass the salt? (rising) - What time is it? (falling)
Game 2: “Emotion Match” 🎭
Give the student one sentence (“That’s great”) and ask her to say it 4 different ways —
excited, bored, surprised, sarcastic. Guess the emotion each time without looking.
Game 3: “List Builder” 📝
Give her 4 random words (e.g., books, pens, laptop, notebook). She must form a sentence
listing them with correct rising-rising-rising-falling pattern.
📝 HOMEWORK
1. Falling Intonation: Record 5 Wh- questions (what, where, why, who, how) with
correct falling tone.
2. Rising Intonation: Record 5 Yes/No questions with correct rising tone.
3. Emotion Practice: Record the sentence “I can’t believe this” in 3 different emotions
(excited, sad, surprised) and label which is which.
4. List Practice: Write and record 3 sentences that each list 3–4 items, using the rise-
rise-rise-fall pattern.
💡 Teacher’s Note
This is Lecture 3 of 4 in the Pronunciation & Fluency series. - Lecture 4 (final): Connected
Speech Techniques — Nasalization, Assimilation, and Linking (how native speakers blend
words together naturally)
Intonation is what makes speech sound alive — remind the student that even simple
sentences sound much more fluent and natural once the correct tone pattern is added.