Your teacher will suggest a verbal context. You in turn reply by using statements, expressing contradiction, correction, contrast, concern, reproach, sometimes soothing

8. Read the following sentences, containing the opposition. Use Intonation Patterns VI or VII to express the opposition:

1. There was a beautiful vase on the piano and above it there hung a picture. 2. On the dressing table in front of the lookingglass you' ll see a hair-brush and comb, a hand-mirror, a bottle of scent and a powder-box. In the wardrobe I keep my suits and other clothes, which I hang on coat-hangers. 3. Then there's the motor cycle, with which you can travel quickly and cheaply, but for long journeys it's rather tiring. With a motor-car one can travel comfortably for long distances without getting too tired. 4. I saw members of the crew carrying out their duties in various parts of the ship, while the captain watched the operations and gave his orders from the bridge. 5. You'll probably want to sit as near to the stage as possible. But if you're at a cinema, you may prefer to sit some distance from the screen. 6. She kept the books in the bookcase and the dictionaries stood on the shelf above her writing table. 7. The sun was shining brightly but the air was still cold. 8. It takes 45 minutes to get there by bus. But if you go there by metro it won't take you half an hour. 9. The lawns were already green, but the apple-trees stood still bare. 10. The Smiths enjoyed the view of the whole city from the Vorobyev Hills while the Wilsons liked the historical monuments of Moscow. 11. We'd better put the table to the wall and the armchairs in the corner of the room. 12. The elder children were tobogganing, skiing, making snowmen while the smallest were just watching them. 13. You may have a good time in town, going to the museums, theatres and cinemas. But if you want to have a really quiet holiday you'd better go to the country at the week-end. 14. It was already summer. The days were hot and stuffy. But the mornings were still fresh.

9. Read the following sentences. Observe the position of the communicative centre. Use Intonation Patterns VII in the clauses of condition and time to make the communicative centre more prominent:

1. If you are going to stay in England for some time, you ought to spend at least a week at the seaside. 2. But if you'r,e at a cinema, you may prefer to sit some distance from the screen. 3. If you can stay only a few days in London, you won't have much time for your sightseeing. 4. If you want to send a telegram, you can either take it to the nearest post-office or dictate it over the telephone. 5. If you want to send a parcel, you hand it to the assistant. 6. If you want a guide to show you round, they'll get you one. 7. If the price of a reel of cotton is fourpence, you hand over four pennies for it. 8. If you feel too ill to go to the doctor, you'll have to send for him. 9. While we were watching the last scene, her hand small and hot touched mine. 10. When I met her at the entrance to the theatre, she looked excited and her eyes sparkled. 11. And before their tour came to an end, they had seen and learned a lot of interesting things about our country. 12. When we were children, we used to enjoy playing on the beach, making castles and forts and channels in the sand. 13. When you are tired of London, go down to the sea for a week or a fortnight. 14. When summer comes, the weather gets warmer still.

10. Read the sentences according to the situation suggested in brackets. Observe the position of the communicative centre:

1. It was my first visit to London (not the second one). 2. I hope Mary will come soon (not John). 3. She's coming on Sunday at four (not on Tuesday). 4. I'd like to have a few English books (not Russian ones). 5. May I go and see Tom? (not only ring him up) 6. This house is situated on the left side of the street (not on the right one). 7. You'll find the magazine in the desk (not on the desk). 8. I must see him (not his sister). 9. I did it (not anyone else). 10. Will you lead the way? (I can't do it myself).

11. This exercise is meant to develop your ability to hear the intonation and reproduce it in proper speech situations. a) Listen to the Conversation "Asking the Way" (See p. 253) sentence by sentence. Mark the stresses and tunes. Practise the dialogue. b) Record your reading. Play the recording back immediately for your teacher and fellow-students to detect the errors in your pronunciation. Practise the dialogue for test reading. Memorize and dramatize it. c) Give conversational situations for the phrases of the following type:

I. Excuse me.... 2. Excuse me, (officer).... 3. Can you tell me the way to...? 4. Certainly. 5. Thank you very much. 6. How far is it from here? 7. There's sure to be. 8. Yes, (sir), any (bus) will take you. 9. Sorry, (sir)....

12. Read the following dialogues:

"Take matches." "What's the time?"

"Where are they?" "Ten to eleven."

"In the usual place, I expect." "We shall have to be quick, then."

"I can't see them."

"He tells me you've been very good to him."

"Oh we do what we can for him. He is a nice boy."

13.*** Make up a conversation with one of your fellow-students using phrases from the Conversation "Asking the Way".

14. This exercise is meant to develop your ability to hear the intonation and to reproduce it in reading. a) Listen to the text "A Street in London" sentence by sentence. Write it down. Mark the stresses and tunes. Practise the text. b) Record your reading. Play the recording back immediately for your teacher and fellow-students to detect the errors in your pronunciation. Practise the text for test reading.

This exercise is meant to develop your ability to read and narrate a story with proper intonation. a) Listen to the joke. Write it down. Mark the stresses and tunes. Practise reading the joke. b) Listen carefully to the narration of the joke. Observe the peculiarities in intonation-group division, pitch, stress and tempo. Note the use of temporizers. Retell the joke according to the model you have listened to.

16. Read the jokes silently to make sure you understand each sentence. Find the main sentence in the text. Split up each sentence into intonation-groups if necessary. Mark the stresses and tunes. Underline the communicative centre and the nuclear word of each intonation-group. It is not expected that each student will intone the text in the same way. Your teacher will help you to correct your variant. Practise reading the joke several times. Retell the joke according to the model above (see Ex. 15):

When a group of women got in the car every seat was already occupied. The conductor noticed a man who seemed to be asleep, and, fearing he might miss his stop he said to the man: "Wake up."

"I wasn't asleep," the man protested.

"But you had your eyes closed."

"I know. I just hate to look at ladies standing up in a crowded car."

* * *

A very stout lady said angrily that she wanted to report the conductor of the bus that had just gone.

"He's been rude," she shrilled.

"How?" asked the official.

"Why," went on the lady. "He was telling people the bus was full up and when I got off he said: "Room for three inside."

Section Eleven

Поиск по сайту: