说明情况、给出信息

回答问题也好、随口说一句也好、提醒别人要紧事也好，句子里承载最重要信息的那个词都有一个很明显的降调：nine、garden、rain、mosquito。前后的词都低、轻、快。

Sometimes we give information in answer to a WH-question; sometimes we make a remark, either just for conversation or to say something important.

一句话里常常有两条信息，比如地点和时间。对方问得很笼统（有什么打算？有什么新闻？），两条信息就同样重要，各降一次：France 降，September 也降。

Very often we give two pieces of information in the same sentence; for instance a place and a time. Listen and repeat David's answer.

很多时候两条信息一轻一重。不重要的可以放句首，重要的放句尾；英语也可以反过来，把不重要的挪到句尾，重音位置不变，句尾那段用一个轻轻的升调收住。

Very often, however, one piece of information is more important than the other.

你会听到一句把次要信息放在句首的话，请把它倒过来说：主要信息在前面降下去，次要信息挪到句尾，用升调轻轻收住。

Here are some reversible sentences for you to practise. You will hear the sentence with the not-so-important information at the beginning; you turn them round.

次要信息常常是表示地点、时间、方式、频率的状语，或者 if you like 这类条件。但也可以是名词：前面刚提过的词（cream、money），或者虽然没人说出口、但大家心里已经想到的东西（送奶工来了，当然是送 milk）。这些「旧信息」都不重读，重音落在前面的动词上。

The not-so-important information is often an adverbial showing where, when, how or how often something happens, or part of a condition. But it can also be a noun. Listen and repeat Harriet's part.

表达喜欢、讨厌的时候，重音落在表示态度的动词上（stand、love、hate、keen、enjoy），后面那样东西已经提过或者大家都知道，就轻轻带过。

Now listen to Miss Roke and Mr Watkins. Repeat Mr Watkins's part.

有时候最重要的新信息就在句首：Dr Green、This、Cambridge。句首那个词降下去，后面一大串都是已知的，低低地带过，句尾常常再轻轻扬一下。

Sometimes the new, important information is right at the beginning of the sentence. Listen and repeat Miss Roke's part.

I thought、They promised、I hoped 这类转述句，降调落在 thought / promised / hoped 上，句尾再扬起来（先降后升），意思是「果然如此，我想对了」。

We use this intonation pattern in many sentences beginning with I told you …, He said …, They promised …, I thought … etc.: indirect speech with the main verb in a past tense.

发现事实和自己原先听说的、以为的不一样时，降调落在那个「想错了的」词上，句尾不再扬起：I thought it was Tuesday（我还以为是周二）。意思都是「我想错了」或「你说错了」。

Here are some more examples of what people say when they learn the truth about something, and that truth is different from what they had heard or thought before. In all cases the idea is 'I was wrong' or 'You were wrong'.

小测验：听句子的语调，判断说话人是想对了还是想错了。句尾扬起（先降后升）= 果然如此；句尾降下去 = 想错了。

Now for a quick test to see how well you recognize the difference between the intonation pattern that means 'I was right' and the one that means 'I was wrong'. Listen to Mr Watkins and then answer the question.

同一句话，写出来一模一样，读出来重音不同，回答的就是不同的问题。对方问的是什么，新信息就是什么，重音就落在那里。

Now for some more contrasts between sentences that look the same when we write them, but sound different when we speak them, because of the change in stress.

最后来点简单的：列举。一项一项往下数时，每一项都往上扬，表示「还没完」；最后一项降下来，表示「数完了」。

Lastly something much easier: lists. Listen and repeat Miss Roke's part.