Intonation is the melody of your voice: where it goes up and where it goes down. In American English the melody carries a lot of the meaning, and also the feeling. Learners often bring the melody of their own language into English, or speak on one flat note. In this episode: • Falling: statements and wh-questions • Rising: yes or no questions • Lists and choices • Tag questions • Feelings: polite, flat and sarcastic • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: Dinner's ready — voice falls on RED-ee I'm going to bed — voice falls on BED Where are my keys? — voice falls on KEYS What time is it? — voice falls on TIME Who's at the door? — voice falls on DOOR How was school? — voice falls on SCHOOL Are you hungry? — voice rises on HUN-gree Is Dad home? — voice rises on HOME Did you lock the door? — voice rises on DOOR Can you hear me? — voice rises on HEAR, on a phone call Hungry? — are you hungry? (casual, voice rises) Coffee? — would you like some coffee? (casual, voice rises) You done? — are you finished? (casual, voice rises) We need milk, eggs, and bread — rise, rise, fall I washed the dishes, folded the laundry, and fed the cat — rise, rise, fall Do you want tea or coffee? — rise on TEA, fall on COF-fee: choose one of these two You're coming Saturday, aren't you? voice falls — I think so, just checking The store closes at nine, doesn't it? voice rises — a real question Thanks so much — wide melody, warm and friendly (polite) Sure — high then falling, happy to help Sure — long and flat, I don't really want to Could you pass the salt? — gentle rise, polite request Season 2 · Real American English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — accent, everyday grammar, prepositions, articles, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang and real conversations at home. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.