The rise-fall

The rise-fall in questions shows that the speaker is greatly impressed. According to the situation it can express irony, mockery, putting up, sarcasm, challenge, reproach, admiration. So it may express attitude both pleasant and unpleasant from quizzical to challenging and from being pleasantly impressed to admiration. It is often used in echoing prior remarks.

Exercise 1.

Read the following special questions. Sound categoric and anxious.

1. ˄Why? 2.ˈ What ˄for? 3. ˄How? 4. ˄When? 5. ˄Where?

Exercise 2.

Read the following conversational situations. Express your attitude.

1. What are you doing in the bathroom? – What? (irony) I’m having a wash – what do you think?

2. – Why are you having a wash now? – Why? (irony) You know very well I always have a wash when I get home on Saturday, after football.

3. – Dad will miss his lunch if he doesn’t come home soon. Where is he? – Where? (irony) Don’t be silly, you know exactly where he is.

4. – Here, Peter, what are you doing with that cake? – What? Don’t be silly. (sarcasm)

5. – Nora, you look a bit tired. What have you been doing all day? – What? (reproach) I’ve been cleaning the whole house. I said I was going to.

6. – What is it now, Harry? – What? (reproach) I’m tired of lying here on my back wit nothing to do. I hate doing nothing.

7. – Robert, I want you to do something for me. – Why? (reproach) I’m busy – I’m doing my homework.

8. – Well, as a matter of fact the doctor wasn’t called until this morning. – Why not? (reproach)

9. – Oh, I expect we shall be seeing you sooner than that. – When? (admiration)

10. – How many beers do you have after the game of squash? – How many? (challenge)

Alternative Questions

In alternative questions consisting of two sense- groups only the sequence rise+fall is used, as a rule. The two facts expressed in such a question are mutually exclusive, the choice is limited and exhausted. For this reason the final sense-group is pronounced with the falling tone.

E.g. ˈIs the ˈmirror ̗round ∣ or ˎsquare?

Shall ̗I look after the luggage ∣or will ˎyou?

Exercise 1.

Read the following alternative questions. Concentrate your attention on the nuclear tones of both sense-groups.

1. Are the bedrooms on the ̗ground floor ∣or on the ˎfirst floor?

2. Is the furniture in his house modern or old?

3. Is it a large house or a small one?

4. Do you prefer tea or coffee?

5. Shall I go on or stop here?

6. Does the dress fit you or do you want a larger one?

Exercise 2.

Complete the following sentences using the words in brackets. Concentrate your attention on the nuclear tones of both sense-groups.

1. Do you usually have dinner at home or…? (at the canteen)

2. Do you get up at six …? (at seven)

3. Will you have clear soup…? (cabbage soup)

4. How do you like your tea strong…? (week)

5. Does she study French…? (English)

6. Do you usually have breakfast at eight…? (nine)

7. Do you usually sit up late…? (go to bed early)

8. Did it take you half an hour…? (a quarter of an hour to get there)

9. Did you lay the table for six…? (foe twelve persons)

10. Did you take your exam in English on the 10^th…? (on the 12^th of June)

11. Will you have black…? (white coffee)

Exercise 3.

Complete the questions using the words in brackets. Begin each sentence with a special question and complete it with an alternative one. Concentrate your attention on the intonation.

Model: The man selling fruit came in the morning. (the postman)

– Who came in the ˎmorning, ∣ the man selling ˏ fruit ∣ or the ˎpostman?

1. The dog disappeared while you were buying meat. (took him for a walk)

   • When…

2. Robert will go to the University. (to a technical college)

   • Where…

3. Robert is studying science. (history)

   • What…

4. Robert has gone on to the station. (is packing his suit case in the sitting-room)

   • Where…

5. The family will go to the dining car. (will be able to buy something to eat at the junction)

   • Where…

6. The Woods are going to Brightshore. (to Spain)

   • Where…

7. Harry thinks he had better get back to bed. (might stay up to see his mother-in- law)

   • What does Harry prefer…

8. Nora wants Robert to make up the stove for her to have a bath. (to go for a walk with Rex)

   • What…

9. Harry is going to relight the stove. (Robert)

   • Who…

10. The doctor was sent for last night. (thus morning)

    • When…

11. Jack is going to book four seats for next Saturday. (Mike)

    • Who…

12. Joyce’s bus arrives at ten past six. (at six)

    • When…

13. When Peter Parker finished his university studies, he began teaching in a secondary school. (began teaching adults)

    • What did Peter Parker begin…

14. Peter Parker found he was more interested in teaching his own language to foreigners. (foreign languages to schoolboys)

    • What was Peter interested in…

15. First Peter went to Africa for two years. (Arabia)

    • Where…

16. Mike is looking for the red tie he bought in London a couple of weeks ago. (the black one he wore to the college party)

    • What…

17. Malcolm is sitting some examinations this month. (Jack)

    • Who…

18. James is keen on games. (interested in history)

    • What…

19. Tennis is James’ favourite sport. (football)

    • Which…

20. Pete failed in Latin. (mathematics)

    • What subject…

21. The police arrived to the place of the road accident first. (ambulance)

    • Who…

22. Young Patrick Ellis drives madly. (carefully)

    • How…

23. Felix plays golf. (squash)

    • Which game…

24. Charles had his first swim in his new pool this morning. (yesterday)

    • When…

25. Charles’ new swimming-pool is 25 feet long. (50 feet long)

    • How long…

26. Charles is holding a swimming party on Sunday. (on Friday)

    • When…

Tag Questions

1. Balanced Tag Questions (the Basic Structure):

1) Tags with the low rise

2) Tags with the low fall

2. Unbalanced Tag Questions:

1) Positive-to-positive tag questions

2) Negative-to-negative tag questions

3. Other Structures Possible in English

Tag (disjunctive) questions are used to verify or check information that we think is true or to check information that we aren’t sure is true. English tag questions can have a rising or a falling intonation pattern.

We show the meaning of the tag question through intonation.

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