Ex. 1 Show the difference in the expressiveness of speech through modifications of the speaker’s attitude and the subject matter.

1 a) – Why didn’t you answer? Didn’t you want or couldn’t you understand?

– I couldn’t under stand.

b) - Oh, dear. How did you lose them?

     - I couldn’t think.

 

2 a) – Why don’t you say anything?

  - I can’t hear you.

b) – Don’t be silly, Harry. Staying in bed is the only sensible thing to do.

- No seriously, Nora, I can’t bear it.

 

3 a) – You may call at the bookshop on your way home.

- Where’s that.

 b) - You don’t mean to say you’ve forgotten about the interview tomorrow?

- What interview? Oh, that.

 

4 a) – I’ll do it myself.

   - It isn’t easy.

b) – I suppose you ought to make another try and do it.

   - But I tell you it isn’t easy.

 

Ex. 2 Replace the nuclear tone in the following utterances by an emphatic variant so as to express the suggested feelings. Provide an appropriate context for the original and the transformed utterances.

1 I’ll be back at about six. (insistence)

2 I didn’t ex pect them to be back soon. (contrast)

3 Look at those files. (impatience)

4 I went there last year. (disagreement)

5 By the underground? (incredulity, surprise)

Ex. 3 Showing degrees of enthusiasm:

1 He’s ‘quite nice. (not very enthusiastic)

2 He’s nice (more enthusiastic, neutral)

3 He’s ‘’really `nice (very enthusiastic)

Ex. 4 Read the following dialogues, using numbers at the end of phrases as a guide to decide which attitude to choose.

1   A: What’s the film like? - B: Mmm. It was good. (1)

2  A: What was the meal like? - B: Mmm. It was good. (2)

3 A: What was the weather like? - B: Mmm. It was nice, really hot and sunny! (3)

4 A: What’s Sandra like? - B: Oh, she’s nice. (2)

5 A: What’s Sue like? – B: Oh, she’s a bore. (1)

6 A: What was the play like? - B: It was marvelous. (3)

7 A: What was the film like? - B: It was quite good. (2)

8 A: What was the tour like? - B: It was interesting. (2)

9 A: How was your trip? – B: It was awful. (3)

10  A: What do you think of her play? – B: She was superb. (3)

11 A: How did you spent the holiday? – B: Not bad. (2)

12 A: What do you think of Mary’s party? – B: Never again! (3)

 

Ex. 5 Intonation with absolutely, etc.  

a) Fill in the missing words. Make your utterances sound expressive. Example: His ideas … - His i’deas are |’absolutely `terrifying.:

1. The kitchen floor … 2. My boss … 3. Our neighbour’s dog … 4. Violence on TV … 5. The fish soup … 6. The bedroom … 7. The inside of the car … 8. Her theories about politics … 9. The new hypermarket … 10. Moving house … 11. The new Woody Allen film … 12. The end of that book …. 13. His adventure proved to be ….

Adjectives: hilarious, astonishing, fascinating, disgusting, furious, vast, exhausting, delicious, freezing, filthy, disastrous, boiling, terrifying.

 

b) Now read the following mini-dialogues:

A: This kitchen floor’s absolutely filthy! – B: Well let’s clean it then.

A: What did your boss say when you told him you were leaving? – Oh, he was absolutely furious!

A: Your neighbours have got a big dog, haven’t they? – B: They certainly have … It’s absolutely terrifying!

A: I think all this violence on TV is absolutely disgusting! – B: Well, write to the BBC and tell them!

A: This fish soup’s absolutely delicious! How do you make it? - B: It’s out of a tin actually.

A: What’s the heating like in your new flat? – B: Not very good – the bedroom’s absolutely freezing.

A: Why have you left all the car windows open? – B: Oh, it was absolutely boiling inside!

A: Cynthia knows an awful lot about politics, doesn’t she? – B: Yes … some of her theories are absolutely fascinating!

A: Have you been to that new hypermarket yet? – B: Yes, it’s absolutely vast!

A: How was it moving house? – B: Absolutely exhausting!

A: Have you seen the new Woody Allen film yet? – B: Mmm. It was absolutely hilarious!

A: Doesn’t that book have rather a strange ending? – B: Yes, it’s absolutely astonishing! You don’t expect it at all!

 

Ex. 6 Think of five situations in your own recent life where you could apply these adjectives. Tell your partner about them.

Example: My mother cooked a Chinese meal for us last night, and it was ‘’absolutely delicious! Or    The hotel we stayed on our holiday was ‘’absolutely filthy!