Were You at Home Last Night?

Sergeant: Good evening, Sir. Mr Holmes?

Holmes: Good evening, officer. Yes, that's right — John Holmes. Won't you come in?

Sergeant: Thank you. May I ask you a few questions?

Holmes: Yes, of course. Won't you sit down?

Sergeant: Thank you. It's about last night. Were you at home, Mr Holmes?

Holmes: Yes, Sergeant, I was, actually. I wasn't feeling very well.

Sergeant: Were you alone?

Holmes: Er, yes. My wife had gone to the cinema with a friend.

Sergeant: Did you go out at all?

Holmes: No, I stayed in all evening — that is, except for a few minutes when I popped out to post a letter.

Sergeant: Do you remember what time this was?

Holmes: Yes, it was about — um — half past eight.

Sergeant: What time did you say? Half past eight? Anybody see you when you — er — popped out for 5 minutes to post your letter?

Holmes: No, I don't think so. Oh yes, just a minute. The caretaker said 'good evening'.

Sergeant: The caretaker, Mr Holmes? Mr Holmes, the caretaker was murdered last night.

UNIT 7. INTONATION OF SENTENCES WITH "THERE + TO BE"
ИНТОНАЦИЯ ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИЙ, НАЧИНАЮЩИХСЯ ОБОРОТОМ «THERE + ТО BE»

В предложениях, начинающихся оборотом "there + to be", обстоятельство места, как правило, неударно или полуударно и не образует отдельную синтагму. Обстоятельство места, стоящее перед оборотом "there + to be", обычно произносится восходящим тоном и выделяется в отдельную синтагму. Например:

Exercise I. Read the sentences, observe the correct pronunciation.

1. There are twelve months in a year. 2. There are four seasons in a year. 3. There are sixty minutes in an hour. 4. Is there a farm beyond the forest? 5. Are there any mistakes in your dictation? 6. On my table there are two exercise-books and a text-book. 7. In a fortnight there are two weeks. 8. In a month there are four weeks. 9. Are there thirty days in November? 10. Is there a blackboard in the room? 11. There are some flowers on the window. 12. Under the window there is a radiator.

Exercise II. Confirm the following statements using "there + to be".

1. You've got a book in front of you. 2. You've got many foreign books in your library. 3. You've got various animals at home. 4. She has got three mistakes in her test. 5. You've got no laboratory on the floor. 6. She's got no mistakes in her reading. 7. You can see a farm near the forest. 8. You can see a lot of interesting pictures in this book. 9. You can see nobody in this room. 10. You can see a large family in this picture. 11. You can't see any mistakes in her test. 12. You can see many countries on this map.

Exercise III. Read the questions and answer them.

1. Are there windows in your classroom? 2. Is there a blackboard on the wall? 3. Is there any chalk at the blackboard? 4. Is there a duster at the blackboard? 5. Is there a bookcase in the room? 6. Are there any pictures on the wall? 7. Is there a map on the wall? 8. Is there a tape-recorder on the table? 9. Are there many desks in your classroom? 10. Are there many books on your table? 11. Are there any flowers on the window? 12. Are there any flowers on the teacher's table? 13. Is there a teacher in the room?

Exercise IV. Read the text and retell it.

Let's have a look at this picture of our classroom. On the left there are two large windows. On the windows there are some nice flowers. Under the window there's a radiator. There is a blackboard in front of the desks. There is some chalk and a duster at the blackboard. There are ten desks in our classroom. On the desks there are tape-recorders and two tapes. There is a bookcase with many books on the right. To the left of the bookcase there is a large map.

Exercise V. (a) Describe your room at home or in your hostel, (b) Describe your house.

UNIT 8. INTONATION OF DISJUNCTIVE QUESTIONS
ИНТОНАЦИЯ РАЗДЕЛИТЕЛЬНЫХ ВОПРОСОВ

Разделительные вопросы состоят из двух интонационных групп. Первая интонационная группа обычно произносится с нисходящим тоном. Интонация второй синтагмы зависит от отношения говорящего. Если говорящий не уверен в ответе и ждет мнения собеседника, то вторая интонационная группа произносится с восходящим тоном. Например:

Если говорящий уверен в ответе и не ждет его, то вторая часть произносится с нисходящим тоном. Например:

Exercise I. In the following sentences read the statements and the tags with a fall. (The speaker expects the listener to agree with him.)

1. There are 18 faculties at our University, aren't there? 2. Our University is the oldest in our country, isn't it? 3. You finished school last year, didn't you? 4. He's got a new job, hasn't he? 5. That was most unfair, wasn't it? 6. We must hurry, mustn't we? 7. He teaches English, doesn't he? 8. He always has lunch at one, doesn't he? 9. You don't believe me, do you? 10. We shall see each other again, shan't we? 11. We had no choice, had we? 12. I was right, wasn't I? 13. Today's the tenth, isn't it? 14. She has three children, hasn't she? 15. I could try again, couldn't I?

Exercise II. In the following sentences read the statements with a fall and the tags with a rise.

(The speaker is asking the listener's opinion.)

1. You didn't tell anybody, did you? 2. You're taking the exam in June, aren't you? 3. It's quite impossible, isn't it? 4. She'll be starting school next year, won't she? 5. I asked you before, didn't I? 6. I suppose that is true, isn't it? 7. Everyone agreed, didn't they? 8. It's going to rain, isn't it? 9. No one was hurt, were they? 10. There was no answer, wasn't there? 1Г. She never waits, does she? 12. I'd better go, hadn't I? 13. You do smoke, don't you? 14. We last met in March, didn't we? 15. They were too late, weren't they?

Exercise III. Read the sentences according to the given model. Observe the difference in meaning.

1. There is a new time-table for this term, isn't there? 2. You don't know this student, do you? 3. We shall have two seminars today, shan't we? 4. There were many unknown words in this text, weren't there? 5. All the students study foreign languages, don't they? 6. You live in the hostel, don't you? 7. You have four exams this term, don't you? 8. The Institute course lasts five years, doesn't it? 9. You study at the historical faculty, don't you? 10. She is a bright student, isn't she?

Exercise IV. Complete the following sentences making them disjunctive questions. (The speaker is asking the listener's opinion.)

1. Jackie doesn't study at the Russian department. 2. Your University was awarded two orders. 3. The students are usually interested in the history of their University. 4. Its history dates back to November 1872. 5. She passed her exams with excellent marks. 6. There are many new words in Text 3. 7. There is no laboratory at our faculty. 8. Your University has become a great scientific centre of methodical and pedagogical activities. 9. Mary wants to stay at home. 10. It was very cold. It's not hot. 11. It isn't difficult. 12. Your name is Olga.

Exercise V. Complete the following sentences making them disjunctive questions. (The speaker expects the listener to agree with him.)

1. She'll wait. 2. He lives in Aberdeen. 3. She is beautiful. 4. He is tall for his age. 5. You finished school two years ago. 6. Jack has no sense of humour. 7. Now it's your turn. 8. It was useful. 9. You don't mind. 10. You're surely not frightened. 11. You can't speak German yet. 12. The text is easy.

Exercise VI. Listen to the dialogue. Mark the stresses and tunes. Practise and memorize it.

— It's a nice day, isn't it?

— Yes, it is.

— You are on holiday, aren't you?

— Yes, I am.

— It's a long one, isn't it?

— Yes, it is.

— You don't talk very much, do you?

— No, I don't. You ask a lot of questions, don't you?

— Yes, I do.

Exercise VII. Make up a dialogue with the phrases below.

I am not too early, am I?

It was difficult, wasn't it?

You've got an excellent mark, haven't you?

You like history, don't you?

You don't talk much, do you?

You are in a hurry, aren't you?

Exercise VIII. Read the dialogue and act it out.