A Focus: Pronunciation and intonation

ln the test
<- Sample test pp15*17
Speaking Test Questions 1-2
. ln each of these questions, you will be given a paragraph of 40-60 words to read aloud.
. You will be given 45 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to read the text aloud.
. You will be scored on your pronunciation, and the intonation and stress of your sentences
o ln this unit, we will focus on pronunciation and stress of individual words and intonation
in lists and questions.
. ln Unit 7. we will focus on pace, stress and intonation with transition words.

Test ti$iii; !i,ii'i:,,,',

;
1 Language building: Pronunciation practice
Practice the
sounds you find A {-} You will hear a native speaker reading the paragraph below. Listen
difficult in English carefully to how the words in bold are pronounced.
- lhe test, you will be l'd like to ask employees to see that all personal items are removed from the
's<ed
to read aloud a
floor when you finish work and leave the office tonight. During the weekend,
:,aragraph similar to
:-: one rn A. There
the air conditioning will be serviced, and the carpets, the windows, and the
*,, i be some sounds chairs in the lounge will be cleaned. Please make sure the lights are turned off
,',:hin words that you and all windows are closed. Thank you for your Gooperation.
-.='y find difficult to
;;-,. lt is a good idea {} Listen to one of the words in each pair in 1-9 being read aloud. Mark (/)
:: (now what these the one you hear in each pair.
:': and to practice
_-::rn .
1. a. see b. she +p226slJpractice
2. a. work b. walk = p225 s: / c: practice
3. a. fill b. hill + p226 f / h practice
4. a. live b. leave +p226 r/i: practice
5. a. hair b. air + p227 h / no h practice
6. a. chairs b. shares = p227 S/J practice
7. a. lights-- b. rights -- + p227 I / r practice
8. a. vat b. bat - + p227 v / b Practice
9. a. thank ______ b. sank =p227elspractice
Follow up: Now you will do some practice with the sounds you may have
problems with. Turn to pages 226-227.

Unit 1 | Speaking Test Questions 1-2 39

 {-l Listen again to extracts from the paragraph in A. The words in bold
include sounds that some learners may have problems with. Listeh carefully
and repeat.
1. l'd like to ask employees to see that all personal items ...
2. ... are removed from the floor when you finish work and leave the office
tonight.
3. During the weekend, the air conditioning will be serviced, ...
4. ... and the carpets, the windows, and the chairs in the loungewill be
cleaned.
5. Please make sure the lights are turned off ...
6. ... and all windows are closed.
7. Thank you for your cooperation.
Be aware of
influences from
D fi Listen to the words in 'l-15. Repeat them. Count the number of syllables.
your own One syllable
language 1. asked
Some people add 2. steak
extra sounds to words
because of how
3. cheap
words are written in 4. clothes
English or because of 5. make
the sounds that exist
in their own Two syllables
languages. When you
come across new
6. molney
words, learn the 7. chilcken
meaning, how to 8. olrange
pronounce them and
how many syllables
9. jalcket
they have. 10. wanlted
Three syllables
11. emlplollees
Be aware of which 12. perlsolnal
syllable to stress
13. malnalger
ln words of two or
more syllables, one 14. tellelphone
syllable will be 15. comlplelted
stressed more than
the others. Stressing
the wrong syllable of
E {*i ln words of two or more syllables, one of the sounds is stronger than the
other(s). Listen to the words in 5-15 again and mark which of the syllables is
a word is very likely to
emphasized in some way. The first is done for you.
cause problems of
misunderstanding. so a
learn where common
words and types of
6. molney
words are usually
stressed.

40 Unit 1 | Speaking Test Questions 1-2

 f) Listen and repeat the words in 1-5. Each one will be read aloud three
times.
kactice
pronouncing a
longer words 1. cololpelraltion
ln Questions 1-2, a
:here may be one or 2. dilsalppoinlted
two longer words o
udth four or five
sy,llablesto read 3. inlconlvelnilence
aficud. Practice saying a
tfrese, learn which 4. prolfiltalbillilty
sylhble is stronger a
dtan the other ones
and how the syllables
5. unlforltulnatelly
run together.
G {-t Listen to the words in F being read in the context of sentences. Repeat
each sentence after you have heard it.
Word stress can 1. The main aim of this meeting isto improvethe cooperation between us.
vary depending 2. I am very disappointed in their decision to close the department.
qr accent
3. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.
ln some cases, the
stress in a word
4. At this point in time, the company's main concern is its profitability.
cronounced in 5. Unfortunately, this service will be canceled until further notice.
Arnerican English will
oe different than that H Read sentences 1-10 and decide what parts of speech the words in bold are.
,n Canadian, British,
c{r Australian English.
'1. I can't find any record of your order.
in the TOEIC Speaking 2. I have to record your name and number before you can enter.
Test, any form of
English is acceptable,
3. Mr. Basenji exports carpets to Europe.
as long as you are
4. Exports of car parts have decreased recently.
consistent. 5. I wanted to get a refund on the broken gift.
5. The store refused to refund the money.
7. At the ehd of the year; we present achievement awards.
A word can 8. lt was so very thoughtful of you to buy a present.
sometimes be
different parts of
9. Metals expand and contract when the temperature changes.
speech 10. Congratulations! ljust heard they've renewed your contract.
Some words can act Ct Fottow up: Listen to the sentences in H and mark the stress on the words in
irke a noun or a verb
bold.
rvrthout changing
form. When they are
used as a different
part of speech, the
stress placement will
sometimes be
different.

Unit 1 | Speaking Test Questions 1-2 41

 2 Test tactic: Intonation in lists and questions
A f) tn this part of the test, the text you read aloud will include a list. Make
sure you are familiar with the common intonation pattern for lists. Listen to
the sentence in sections and repeat each part. Try to imitate the intonation
used by the speaker.
vv\t
l'd like some apples, some plums, and a melon.

B fi tn pairs, read sentences 1-4 aloud and mark the intonation of the words in
bold. Then listen, repeat, and check your answers.

1. Appointments may be made on the third, tenth, and twenty-first of each

month.
2. Destinations include Greece, Turkey, and Egypt.
3. You will be introduced to the president, the vice president, and the senior
manager.
4. You will.have to pay for food, accommodation, and transportation.
Follow up: Now tell your partner:
. three things you have bought recently
o three places you have been on holiday
. three foods you have eaten in the last week.
fI tn this part of the test, the text you read aloud may include a question.
Make sure you are familiar with the common intonation patterns for questions.
Listen to 1 and 2 and repeat each. Try to imitate the intonation used by the
speaker.
v
'1. May I interest you in these products?
\t
2. Who will volunteer?

42 Unit 1 | Speaking Test Questions 1-2

 'ln{nn'a,tiir+i,i*,q:uestionr , ': .:rl
ln Questions 1-2, there may be a question to read aloud. Learn the common intonation

illt+hiii;queslion an *uxiliary,word {& urd /i'are wa5,.Were g'to{a* .1,

:.':.{fis#"$drlrrti$d;.1ifiald,ieic.), ther* wili bc an upward intonation on the:last*lfaEig;a}::dhe.',' r , ,

last word. . . ::::: a .,. ..t \. : -. . ::l

','lf 'qrlestion,$eginswithawh-word twhich,wh€re,wllst,w*y;: whenlor:fiow;th€,r,1,1,,',,

.
r.,

,..i-nisnatianwilf.gqd*.wnonthelartsyflableofthe,lastword. - :. : .],

D f} tn pairs, read sentences 1-3 out loud and mark the intonation of the words
in bold. Then listen, repeat, and check your answers in the Key on page 2.
1. Can I make an announcement?
2. Where can you go for big savings?
3. Does anyone have any questions?

Follow up: Now ask your partner:

. three questions about their family.
o three questions about their hobbies.
. three questions about their job.
Prepare the announcement below by following steps 1-5. Highlight pauses,
emphasized words, and intonation patterns on the text itself.
Prepare for this
task ln the 45 seconds you have to prepare, read the paragraph silently and
It- is good practice to consider the following:
read through texts in
your preparation time 1. Are there'any sounds that you may find difficult to pronounce?
and make mental 2. Practice the numbers of syllables, especially in longer words.
notes to help you
when reading aloud"
3. Note which words make up the list, and remind yourself of the up, up,
down (v, v, \l) intonation you need to use.
4. Are there any questions? What sort of intonation do they require?
Remember auxiliary/model v, or Wh- word s.
5. Relax. Speak slowly and clearly. Make sure that you pause where necessary
and that your voice goes up and down appropriately.

May I have your attention for a moment, please? Unfortunately, the

lecture originally scheduled for this time, "An introduction to
accounting", has been canceled for personal reasons. You may attend this
lecture on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday of next week, however. lf
those days are inconvenient, we will be pleased to give you a full refund.
Thank you for your attention.

Unit 1 | Speaking Test Questions 1-2 43

 B Tactic practice
E took out for any
unknown words, Prepare texts 1-4 following the steps in the Test technique. After each step
or words that are compare your answers with your partner. Then choose one text each and read
difficult to it aloud.
pronounce.
1.
Z Think about
where the stress Thank you for calling Union Motorcycles. We have the city's largest selection of
goes in individual
sport and cruising bikes, and also a full selection of parts, accessories, and riding
words.
wear. Visit between nine a.m. and nine p.m. on weekdays, and let our
E took for the list in
each read-aloud experienced staff attend to all your riding needs. Where else could you go for
task, and better riding advice?
remember the up,
up, down 2.
pattern.
Iwould like to summarize the initial response to our recent early retirement
M Are there any
questions? proposal. lt is no secret that this program aims to reduce monthly salary costs,
Remember the cut our health premiums, and increase our profits. Nevertheless, it has turned
common
intonation out to be very populal especially among our most senior workers.
patterns in
questions. 3.

And noW the local news. The Bailey Brothers Carnival opens tonight at the city
fairground. This thrill-packed show will feature clowns, acrobats, and exotic
Prepare quickly
animals from around the world. Tickets go fast, so be sure to get yours soon.
but carefully
You have 45 seconds
You don't want to miss the most exciting show on the planet!
to prepare the
paragraph. lf you 4.
' practice preparing lots
Before I start our meeting, I would just like to thank all of you who contributed
of texts, you will soon
know what to look to John's retirement gift. lf you didn't make it to his party, we used the money
out for and be to buy him a set of pens, a new watch, and a season ticket for his favorite
familiar with how to
prepare. baseball team.

f\ Using natural English

ln natural spoken English, sounds are sometimes changed, combined, or dropped. Listen to a
native speaker saying the following sentences and write in the words they say.

l- record your name and number.

We will be give you a full refund.
You don't miss the most exciting show.

Check your answers in the Key on page 3.

-
Listen again and practice these sentences with the correct sound and rhythm.

4 Unit 1 | Speaking Test Questions 'l-2

 C Mini-test
Now apply the Test tactics to prepare for and read aloud the following text.
Use the recommended test time for Questions 1-2.

Questions 1-2:
text aloud
Read a

Questions 1-2: Read a text aloud

Directions: ln this part of the test, you will read aloud the text on the screen.
You will have 45 seconds to prepare. Then you will have 45 seconds to read

the text aloud.

Question 1

On Monday, May 7, we will start installing new telephone lines in most

of your offices. Unfortunately, you won't be able to use your
telephones untilthe work is completed later in the week. This will
affect your work on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning.
However, you can use the telephones in the main reception area
during that time.

00:00:00

Unit 1 | Speaking Test Questions 1-2 45

 Question 2

All right everyone, we've come to the end of our tour of the downtown
area, and we're about to enter the public gardens, where we'll take a
short break. There's a caf6 here, where you can rest, get something to
drink, and look over the schedule for the rest of the day. Let me know
if you have any questions.

00:00:00

Ur*t f I Speaking Test Questions 1-2

ffir,,,,,,,