1. Intonation and Speaking Styles

2. What is Intonation? Intonation describes how the voice
rises and falls in speech.

3. The way we feel about what we’re saying is indicated through the use of pitch and the use of rhythm.
Intonation is about how we say things, rather than what we say.

4. Types The two basic types are
falling intonation and rising intonation.
Other main types of intonation include :
Fall-rise and Rise-fall.

5. Falling Intonation (➘)
Falling intonation describes how the voice falls on the final stressed syllable of a phrase or a group of words.
Statements, commands and exclamations, those are the three instances in which we use this falling intonation.

6. It is used for asking and giving information in normal, quiet, unemphatic style.
Sounds more categorical, confident and convincing than rising intonation.

7. Examples of Falling Intonation
#1 Statements
A falling intonation or downward intonation pattern, would simply mean that the pitch of the voice drops down.
Statements Nice to meet ↘you.
I’ll be back in a ↘minute.
She doesn’t live here ↘anymore.
Dad wants to change his ↘car.

8. #2 Commands Write your name ↘here. Show me what you’ve ↘written.
Leave it on the ↘desk.
Take that picture ↘ down.
Throw that ↘out.
…all of which would have falling intonation.

9. #3 Wh- questions (requesting information.)
What country do you come ↘from?
Where do you ↘work?  
Which of them do you ↘prefer?
When does the shop ↘open?

10. #4 Questions Tags
…that are statements requesting confirmation rather than questions.
He thinks he’s so clever, doesn’t ↘he?
She's such a nuisance, isn't ↘she? 
  I failed the test because I didn't revise, did ↘ I?

11. #5 Exclamations How nice of ↘ you! That's just what I ↘need!
You don't ↘ say!
What a beautiful ↘ voice!

12. Rising Intonation (➚) 
Rising intonation describes how the voice rises at the end of a sentence.
We tend to use this rising intonation pattern when we’re asking questions. So the pitch of our voice tends to go up.

13. Examples of Rising Intonation
# Questions:
‘when does the meeting start?’
– ‘…start?’ rises up, it comes up in the voice
’would you like a cup of tea?’
– ‘…tea?’ rises up

14. #2 Lists
Another instance in which we would use this upward or rising inflection would be on lists. 
‘I’d like some eggs, some milk, some cheese and some bread.’
Each item is spoken with a rising intonation,and we would use a falling intonation on ‘bread’ to say that we’ve finished the list.

15. Other Types
Sometimes a combination of rising and falling intonation is used in the same sentence. The combination is called Rise-Fall or Fall-Rise intonation.

16. Fall-rise intonation (➘➚)
Fall-rise intonation describes how the voice falls and then rises.
We use fall-rise intonation at the end of statements when we want to say that we are not sure, or when we may have more to add:
Hesitation/reluctance: So you'd be willing to confirm that? ...Well ... I ➘sup➚pose so ...
You didn't see him on Monday?   I don't quite ➘re➚member ...

17. Politeness-Doubt-Uncertainty
This intonation pattern makes the questions sound more polite or to show doubt
(You are not sure what the answer might be.)
Perhaps we could ➘vis➚it the place?
Should we ➘cop➚y the list?
Do you think it's ➘al➚lowed?

18. Rise-Fall Intonation (➚➘)
The intonation rises and then falls. For : choices, lists, unfinished thoughts and conditional sentences.
Choices (alternative questions.)
Are you having ➚soup or ➘salad?
Is John leaving on ➚Thursday or ➘Friday?

19. Rise fall
Lists (rising, rising, rising, falling) Intonation falls on the last item to show that the list is finished.
We've got ➚apples, pears, bananas and ➘oranges
The sweater comes in ➚blue, white pink and ➘black

20. Unfinished thoughts (partial statements) In the responses to the following questions, the rise- fall intonation indicates reservation. The speaker hesitates to fully express his/her thoughts.
Do you like my new handbag? Well the ➚leather is ➘nice... ( but I don't like it.)

21. Functions of Intonation
- attitudinal functions
- accentual functions
- grammatical functions
- discourse functions

22. Attitudinal functions
It allows us to express emotions:
Emotions of finality, confidence, interest surprise, doubt, joy, pain, irony, etc.

23. Accentual functions
When it is said that intonation has accentual function, it implies that the placement of stress is somewhat determined by intonation.

24. Grammatical functions
The listener is better able to recognize the grammar and syntax structure of what is being said by using the information contained in the intonation , e.g. the difference between questions and statements.

25. The discourse functions
Intonation can signal to the listener what is to be taken as „new” information and what is already „given”. In conversation it can convey to the listener what kind of response is being expected from him.

26. Conclusion
A rising intonation pattern would be used typically for questions or for lists.
Falling intonation, this downward intonation tends to be used for exclamation, statements and commands and at the end of our sentences.

27. Tips to improve speech style
listen to short recordings of everyday dialogues
(from TV/Movie) and then 'shadow read' the script, or read it along with the tape using the same stress and intonation as the speaker, till your voice sounds similar to the voice on the recording.
Modern English songs are also a useful way of learning English stress, rhythm and intonation. Try singing (or saying loudly) the lyrics of songs that you find easy to understand.