This is especially challenging when English is not your native language. However, this course can be valuable for native speakers as well

The Melody of English: Intonation & Primary Phrase Stress | Download

Everyone wants to sound dynamic and not at all boring. You certainly want listeners to follow you with ease.


This is especially challenging when English is not your native language. However, this course can be valuable for native speakers as well! Intonation signals to your audience that you are connecting thought units or ending them. Sometimes we end them with finality, uncertainty, questions, or excitement, for example. Intonation helps listeners follow you with ease. Intonation also gives language a melody and keeps it from sounding boring. This course will teach you:

Proper breathing that works in sync with your intonation.

How to divide vowels so that the parts of the vowels can carry the intonation.
How to apply the vowel movement knowledge to intonation patterns
How to use intonation to highlight the most important word in a chunk of information
How to pick the most important word so that your listeners can easily follow you.

Each video lesson invites you to either repeat a word or phrase after the instructor or repeat along with the instructor. The lessons include instructor explanation and examples, along with charts, intonation drawings and stress markings so that you can see what you are hearing.


The course is accompanied by written lessons that you can print out and use to follow along and take notes. (located at the bottom of the list of audio files) After each lesson, you are invited to use the repetition audio provided to build muscle memory of your newly developed skills.


The more you use the repetition audio the better! There are extra sentences in the repetition audio that are not in the videos, for extra exposure and practice. The instructor is always making new lessons to add, so the course will grow with you. Your feedback is invited so that the instructor can made new lessons that will be useful for you.


This class pairs well with “The Rhythm of English: Sentence stress.” Find the instructor and her other offerings, such as free monthly Zoom office hours where you can receive face to face feedback and correction, at www.smooth-english.com

1 The Melody of English
2. 2 Intonation Introduction
3. 3 Breathing Exercises for Intonation and connected speech
4. 4 How to divide front vowels
5. 5 How to divide central vowels
6. 6 How to divide back vowels
7. 7 How to divide moving vowels
8. 8 Sirening Practice
9. 9 Beginner Intonation
10. 10 Which word do I stress? PPS General Rules
11. How to avoid speaking too fast
12. 12 Advanced intonation patterns
13. 13 Beginner Intonation with advanced add ons
14. 14 PPS Exceptions noun constructions
15. 15 PPS Noun Construction Review v 16. 16 PPS exceptions: context setting time adverbials & strong adjectives or adverbs
17. 17 PPS parentheticals finished
18. 18 PPS Review: a famous story