Grammar Challenge - Pronunciation of Question Tags | Текст песни

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• Pronunciation of Question Tags

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1634_gramchallenge2/
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Catherine's Grammar Explanation: Pronunciation of Question Tags:

Catherine: Hi Giovanni! The language was exactly the same in both sentences, but
the pronunciation is different, and this changes the meaning of the sentence. In
the first one, the speaker's voice goes up. Listen to Hina:
Hina: He's a teacher, isn't he?
When she says 'isn't he?' with her voice going up, this means that she really doesn't
know the answer to the question, and she wants the listener to tell her.
Listen again:
Hina: He's a teacher, isn't he?
In the second one, the speaker's voice goes down when she says the question tag.
Here it is:
Hina: He's a teacher, isn't he?
When she says 'isn’t he' with her voice going down, she actually knows the answer
to the question. Now you might think that’s a bit strange: if she knows the answer,
why does she ask the question? Well, it's a way of keeping the conversation going,
or, she might just be checking that what she thinks is correct. She's expecting the
listener to agree with what she said.
Listen again:
Hina: He's a teacher, isn't he?
So, your voice goes up when you're asking a real question, and down when you're
checking information or just making conversation. That's all Corporation 2007
from me, good luck with your grammar challenge!
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