When time to speak comes it is important to pronounce correctly and express ourselves with the appropriate intonation so that we communicate our ideas clearly and send the right message.
Click on the next buttons, listen and repeat.
Was and were have a weak pronunciation in affirmative sentences. Click on these sentences, listen and repeat trying to imitate the rhythm:
Ten years ago, Shakira was more patient than she is now.
Leonardo Da Vinci and Salvador Dalí were two high-talented artists.
Was, wasn’t, were and weren’t have a strong pronunciation in short answers and negative sentences. Click on these sentences, listen and repeat trying to imitate the rhythm:
Were you at home yesterday? Yes, I was.
Were your parents at your birthday party? No, they weren’t.
Shakira wasn’t thin in the past.
Beethoven was Haydn’s student, but after a while they weren’t close friends.
Listen to the following sentences and click on the verb you listen to (was / wasn’t / were / weren’t).
| Audio | was | wasn't | were | weren't | |
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Intonation makes the difference
Rising intonation
It is used when we need clarification or confirmation from the person we are interacting with. We use rising intonation on yes/no questions. Depending on the context, emotion or attitude you want to express, rising intonation may start earlier in the sentence (2) and then climb all the way to the end (3).
Check that in the following questions the 2-3 pattern is used. Click on each icon and repeat. Try to follow the same intonation.
Falling intonation
It is used on information questions or “wh-questions”. They follow the…
In the following questions, check that we start the question in a middle tone (2), then the tone goes higher (3) and finally the tone goes low (1).
Click on each icon and repeat. Try to follow the same intonation.
Click on the following icons, listen and identify if they have rising or falling intonation.
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