A Talk on Listening and Speaking Skills By Dr. K. Ratna Shiela Mani

The Syllable Monosyllabic Words: - I, cat, dog, owl, harm, pen, cream, crisp, sheet, stream, spray, texts, tempts, jumps,blades,splash.

Disyllabic Words: - 'pencil, 'tailor, 'market, be'hind, re'ceive, 'message, 'crisis, 'order, a'pply, 'under, mis'take, 'beauty, 'colour, 'artist, de'fend, 'butter.

Three syllables: - ciga'rette, 'anything, 'beautiful, 'customer, 'eagerly, con'nection, di'rector, after'noon, des'tructive.

Four syllables: 'absolutely, 'comfortable, a'bility, for'getfulness, in'tentional, accidental, circu'lation, diplo'matic, unim'portant.

More than four syllables: a l ffili'ation, l agri'cultural, l nationali'zation, l au'thoritative, in l feri'ority, e l xami'nation, l oppor'tunity, per l sonifi'cation, i l dentifi'cation.

Stress Shift 'advertise / 'ædvətaiz / ad'vertisement/ æd'və:tizmənt / e'xamine/ ig'zæmin / exami'nee/ igzæmi'ni: / in'ferior/ in'fiəriə / inferiority/ in l fiəri'  rəti / res'ponsible/ ris'p  nsəbl / responsibility/ ris l p  nsə'biləti /

Stress on first element: 'air-raid'lifeboat'tea-party 'bookshelf'pickpocket'school-bus 'cardboard'postman''hairbrush 'footprint'rain-coat'crossword Primary Stress on 2 nd element: l After-'noon l post-'graduate l bad-'tempered l Vice-'chancellor

Functional Stress Stress change according to the function of the word Noun / Adjective Verb /'conduct / 'k  ndәktcon'duct / kәn'd  kt / /'contrast / 'k  ntrastcon'trast / kәn'tra:st / / 'convict / 'k  nvikt con'vict / kәn'vikt / / 'desert / 'dezetde'sert / di'zә:t/ / 'export / 'eksp  :tex'port / iks'p  :t/ / 'import / 'imp  :tim'port / im'p  :t / / 'object / '  bd iktob'ject / әb'd ekt/ / 'permit / 'pә:mitper'mit / pә'mit / / 'present / 'prezntpre'sent / pri'zent / exceptions a'ccount, 'limit, 'order,'promise, re'mark, 'visit

Word Stress – Some Rules Rule 1:Words with weak prefixes always take the accent on the root. For example, A'head, a'lone, a'cross, be'cause, be'come, bet'ween, be'neath

Rule 2:The inflexional suffices –ed, -es and –ing do not affect the accent.For example, -edrecom 'mendrecom 'mended re 'latere 'lated -escom 'posecom 'poses -ingad 'vancead 'vancing com 'mitcom 'mitting

Rule 3:The derivational suffixes –age, -ance, -en, -er, -ess, - ful, -hood, -ice, -ish, -ive, -less, -ly, -ment, -ness, -or, - ship, -ter, -ure and –zen do not normally affect the accent. For example, -age 'carry'carriage -ance an 'noy an 'noyance ap 'pear ap 'pearance -erat 'tendat 'tender per 'formper 'former -ess'actor'actress -ful'beauty'beautiful 'colour'colourful -hood'brother'brotherhood -ice'coward'cowardice -ish'fever'feverish

-ivea 'busea 'busive -less'colour'colourless -ly'certain'certainly -menta 'chievea 'chievement -ness'bitter'bitterness -orcol 'lectcol 'lector -ship'scholar'scholarship -ter'laugh'laughter -zen'city'citizen

Rule 4: Words ending in –ion take the primary accent on the penultimate syllable. admi'ration, appli'cation, combi'nation, deco'ration, exami'nation, 'question.

Rule 5: Words ending in –ic, ical, ically, -ious, -ial and –ially take the primary accent on the syllable preceding the suffix. -icme'chanic, apolo'getic, pa'thetic -icalme'chanical, bio'logical, e'lectrical -icallyme'chanically, 'chemically, eco'nomically -iouscere'monius, no'torious -ialcom'mercial, confi'dential, me'morial -ialllycom'mercially, dra'matically

Rule 6: Words ending in –ity take the accent on the ante-penultimate syllable, or the third syllable from the end. a'bility, ca'pacity, elec'tricity, gene'rosity

WORD STRESS - Practice 1. Functional Stress noun/adj – Verb 'conduct - Con'duct 'object- Ob'ject

2. Words with weak prefixes: (Stress in the root Word) a'bout - a'rise 3. Words with prefixes with meening: (stress on both the prefix and the root word) l Dis'loyal - l in sin'cere

4.Some disyllabic words (Stress on the second syllable) Mis'tress- dis'til - dis'band di'sease- dis'turb

5. - ate nar'rate mi'grate de'bate lo'cate pul'sate vi'brate

5. - ise 'chastise 'comprise 5. - ize 'capsize 'baptize

5. - ct at'tract con'nect de'pict in'fect in'ject se'lect pro'tect

6. - ate 'complicate 'separate 'educate 'cultivate ar'ticulate

6. - ise, - ize 'colonise 'enterprise 'brutalise 'realize 'recognise mo'nopolise 'jeopardise

6. - ify 'justify 'classify 'beautify 'certify 'gratify 'modify 'nullify 'satisfy

7. - ion l appli'cation l civili'zation l compo'sition l conver'sation l culti'vation exami'nation l qualifi'cation intro’duction imagi'nation 'question sug'gestion con'gestion indi'gestion

8. - ity a'bility elec'tricity possi'bility ac'tivity e'quality proba'bility curi'osity gene'rosity

9. - ic apolo'getic e'lectric sympa'thetic patri'otic scien'tific

9. - ical 9. - ical - ically apolo'getically -ial

9. -ially me'morial o'ffical presi'dential in'dustrial 'special resi'dential cere'monial e'ssential super'ficial

9. -ian vic'torian lib'rarian elec'trician mu'sician poli'tician discipli'narian

10. -ious 'anxious in'dustrious in'jurious la'borious re'bellious

10. -eous 'piteous 'courageous 'gorgeous 'hideous 'righteous simul'taneous 'spontaneous advan'tageous

11. - cracy au'tocracy de'mocracy tech'nocracy plu'tocracy aris'tocracy bu'reaucracy

11. - crat 'autocrat 'democrat 'technocrat 'plutocrat 'bureaucrat

12. - graph 'autograph 'paragraph 'photograph 'spectrograph

12. - graphy pho'tography spec'trography bi'ography

12. - meter ther'mometer lac'tometer di'ameter pa'rameter

12. - logy psy'chology bi'ology zo'ology

13. - ain ob'tain main'tain per'tain re'frain ascer'tain ex'plain re'tain

13. - aire millio'naire questio'nnaire

13. - eer engi'neer volun'teer ca'reer marke'teer mountai'neer

14. - ental experi'mental funda'mental acci'dental depart'mental pa'rental inci'dental - ential exis'tential

15. - ese Bur'mese Chi'nese Assa'mese Japa'nese Sia'mese - esce coa'lesce conva'lesce acqui'esce

16. - escence effer'vescence ado'lescence - escent ado'lescent effer'vescent conva'lescent

17. - esque Pictu'resque gro'tesque bur'lesque - ique phy'sique u'nique cri'tique tech'nique

18. - itis neu'ritis arth'ritis bron'chitis laryn'gitis

19. - ee pa'yee addre'ssee emplo'yee absen'tee

- ette - ette ciga'rette ga'zette silhou'ette

- ete - ete de'lete re'plete con'crete com'plete

- ade barri'cade cas'cade de'grade lemo'nade per'suade

20. - compounds 'blacksmith 'blackbird 'New castle 'birthday 'darning needle 'sheep dog

Sentence Stress Accent & Rhythm in Connected Speech In connected speech we stress those words which are important for meaning. They are called content words – nouns, demonstratives, interrogative pronouns, main verbs, adjectives & adverbs. Structural (grammatical) words are normally not stressed. They are – articles, personal and relative pronouns, auxiliary verbs, prepositions & conjunctions.

This 'house is for 'sale. I’ve 'finished my 'lunch. I 'want you to 'take the 'dog for a 'walk. English rhythm : In speech stressed syllables are pronounced carefully and unstressed syllables are weakened. Thus all the grammatical words will have weak forms. Eg:-and – strong from / ænd/ Weak form / Ə n / or / n /

butter and jam bread and butter I am 'coming = I’m coming am strong form / æm / ; weak form / m A girl / Ə gƏ:l, an apple /Ən æpl / The girl, the orange.

Stress in Connected Speech 1. They are pre'paring for their exami'nation. 2. Please per'mit me to pre'sent my 'case. 3. I’m dis'gusted with your be'haviour. 4. It’s a re'markable a'chievement. 5. He is a 'clever poli'tician 6. 'Meet the Di ' rector at 'ten in the 'morning. 7. 'London is the 'capital of 'England. 8. 'Green 'Vegetables are 'good for 'health. 9. I 'want to be'come an engi'neer. 10. We ex'port to'bacco to 'China.

Rhythm 'Jack and 'Jill went 'up the 'hill To 'fetch a 'pail of 'water 'Jack fell 'down and 'broke his 'crown And 'Jill came 'tumbling 'after. 'Twinkle, 'twinkle 'little 'star 'How I 'wonder 'what you 'are 'Up a'bove the 'world so 'high 'Like a 'diamond 'in the 'sky.

English Rhythm – Practice a.'Come`here 'Sit`down 'No`more 'Try`hard 'Ask`John b.'Trya`gain 'Note`nough 'Half an `inch 'Make the `tea 'Drop a `line

c.I `think so I 'd `like to I 'd `love to I `couldn't I `went there I d.It's `possible I 've `heard of it Get `rid of her He `borrowed it I `spoke to them

e.'Send him a `way 'Read it a `loud 'Give me a `pen 'Throw it a `way 'What have you `done f.I 'want to `know I 'thought I `could He 'had to `go He 'wants to `learn A 'glass of `wine

g.I 'wanted to `know She 'asked me to `go It 'used to be `mine You 'promised to `write I 'm 'glad you've `come I 'wanted to `see him There 's a 'hole in your `sock He 'put it on the `floor You 're 'wanted on the `phone 'What do you 'think you're `doing?

INTONATION Patterns of variation of the pitch of the voice constitute the Intonation of that language. It is an important feature of spoken language. Functions:Intonation indicates- a) the type of utterance said by the speaker (i.e. whether it is a question or a statement, a command or a request) b) the attitude of the speaker.

Intonation patterns vary from language to language. Tone -2 types (Static & Kinetic) Static Tone-stressed syllable said on a level pitch. Eg:- 'Sita is 'going to 'Delhi. Kinetic Tone-stressed syllable said with a changing pitch. Eg:- 'Sita is 'going to `Delhi.

Thus, Stress=Degree of prominence Tone=Stress + Pitch change All important words in a sentence are stressed. But one word (syllable) may be more important than others. It is the nucleus & it carries the tone. Eg:-I’ll 'ring you on `Monday. I’ve 'just 'bought a `car.

I.The Falling Tone. The pitch of the voice starts at a high level and falls to a low level on a single stressed syllable. `Thanks. `Yes. `No. Uses:- 1. In ordinary statements. 'Glad to `meet you. She can 'sing `well. I’m 'going to `London.

2.In wh-questions when said in a neutral way. 'What’s your `name? 'How’s your `father? 'When did you `come? 3.In commands, 'Go and `post it. 'Do it `tomorrow. 'Don’t `jump to coǹclusions. 4.In exclamations. 'How aǹnoyong! 'What 'lovely ròses ! 5.In question – tags when you expect agreement. You 'work in `London, / ‘don’t you? `yes, / I`do, You’re on `holiday, / `onen’t you? `yes, / I `am.

The Rising Tone The pitch of the voice starts from a low level and rises to a high level on a single stressed syllable. ِ Thanks. ِ Yes. ِ No. Uses:- 1.In incomplete utterances, often the first clause of a sentence. ِ Luckily, / the snake didn’t `bite anyone. 'When I ِ went there, / it was `dark. It I ِ go there, /I’ll 'buy you a `dress.

2.In Yes/No type questions. ' Can you ِ come? 'Are you ِ there? 'Is 'father at ِ home? 3.In wh-questions when said in a friendly way. 'What’s the ِ time? 'What’s the ِ matter? 'When are you ِ going?

4.In polite requests or encouraging invitations. 'Do sit ِdown. 'Come ِhere. 'Could I 'borrow your ِnewspaper. 'Please 'shut the ِdoor In question – tags when you do not expect agreement but simply seeking information. You 'work in `London, / ‘don’t you? `No, / I ِdon’t. You’re on `holiday, / ِ aren’t you? `No, / I’m ِ not.

Thank you