Pronunciation Clinic:
Intonation and Humor—
What is sarcasm?
∙
∙ 讽刺，讥讽，挖苦, 风凉话 When a person says one thing, but means the opposite of what
their words say. The person uses intonation to show that they
o Example: “That’s a great idea!” said in two ways
∙ Sarcasm can be funny, but it can also be very mean. Be careful
before you use it!
∙ Let’s look at 3 ways to show sarcasm….
1. Simple, One-word Sarcasm
∙ Sarcastic intonation starts low, rises to a high pitch, and then re
turns to low pitch again.
∙ This intonation shows you mean the opposite of what your word
says.
∙ Try it! One partner should create a sentence, and the other
partner should respond sarcastically using one word. Use the
words below:
o Interesting! Great! Exciting! Cool! Hilarious! Beautiful!
Funny! Awesome! Terrific! Terrifying! Wow!
2. Yeah, right.
∙ If you’re trying to show sarcastically that you disagree with som
eone, you can use sarcastic intonation to say the phrase “yeah, right.”
∙ Two sarcastic intonation bumps. Remember—keep your voice low
and slow!
∙ Try it again—one partner should make a sentence, and the other
partner should use “yeah, right” to show s/he disagrees.
3. Full Sentence Sarcasm
∙ Use full sentence sarcasm to make a joke in which you show tha
t you don’t mean what your words say.
∙
∙ Practice the following examples using both normal and sarcastic
intonation:
o John: Hey Jane, how’s your day going?
Jane: It was going OK until I saw your ugly face.
(Meaning: It’s nice to see you. This is a joke.)
o Mike sees Peggy at the bus stop
Mike: Hey Peggy, are you waiting for the bus?
Peggy: No, I just really like hanging out at the bus stop.
(Meaning: Obviously, I am waiting for the bus. What a du
mb question!)
o Sally: I think we should spend our whole weekend studying.
George: That’s the best idea you’ve ever had!
(Meaning: That’s an awful idea.)
Improvise Your Own Dialogue
∙
∙ Work in a small group. Two people should be actors. The audience should decide where actor should act normally and the other should be sarcastic. Act
for 1 minute, then switch to new actors.
Pronunciation Clinic:
Intonation, Sentence Stress + Emotion
In English, we stress certain words and change the pitch （音高）of our voice to show emotion.
Examples:
Normal/Neutral: Stress content words, not function words; Rising-Falling Intonation and Rising Intonation Happy: Like singing; emphasize changes in intonation; higher pitch.
Sad: Speak slowly; lower pitch; fewer changes in intonation
Angry: Use a falling intonation to stress words (like 4th tone in Chinese)
Worried/Afraid: Speak quickly, higher pitch, use rising intonation to stress words (like 2nd tone in Chinese) Let’s practice with an activity……
Simple Dialogue
A: Hi, how are you?
B: Fine, thanks. And you?
A: Very good. What are you up to these days?
B: Not much, but I’m always running around.
A: I see. Well...I’ve got to go now. See you.
B: Yes, see you...bye!
A: Goodbye.
With a partner, practice saying this dialogue with
neutral (normal) intonation
Adding Emotion
Now, each partner in your group should pick a piece of paper from the pile. Do not show anyone your paper. On your paper will be a scenario.
Examples: old friends bumping into each other; two actors who are out of work; an ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend Using intonation, hand gestures and body language, practice saying the same dialogue in a way that shows the emotion of your scenario.
After 3 minutes of practice, perform the dialogue for the other people in your group. See if your group can guess your scenario. Once everyone has performed once, pick up new pieces of paper and begin again.
Separation of Powers
Three important branches make up the American government
The Legislative Branch; The Executive Branch; The Judicial Branch
Legislative Branch: makes laws
Executive Branch: enforces laws
Judicial Branch: interprets laws
In order to prevent each group from becoming too powerful, the U.S. government uses a system called “checks an
d balances”
3 Branches Activity
In a small group, use the information I give you to fill in the chart about the American government.
You should split your group into 3 partners. Each partner should learn about 1 branch. Please only look at the information that is about your branch (Don’t read all three papers).
When you and your partner finish researching your branch, tell the other members of your group about it and complete the chart together.
State and Local Government
We have been talking about the U.S. Federal government
Every U.S. state also has its own government, with its own 3 branches. So do cities, towns, etc.
Sometimes (but not often), state/local government and the federal government act differently
Ex. Restricting illegal immigrants, gay marriage, health care
Elections and Voting
Originally, the Constitution gave only white males over 21 the right to vote
But the 14th Amendment to the Constitution gave all races the right to vote, and the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote
Today, as long as you are over 18 and an American citizen, you can vote
Federal elections happen every two years (for parts of the Congress) and every fourth year (for the President)
Homework, etc.
Next week, we will be learning more about the American political system.
Homework this weekend will be a journal entry and a listening activity about elections and voting in America. It will be on the class email account by Friday.
Also: English Film Society will have its first meeting this week. There will not be a movie, but the society will vote on our movie schedule for the semester. If you want to decide what movies we watch, go to the meeting! 7:00 pm, 综203.
Pronunciation Clinic:
Intonation and Humor—
What is sarcasm?
∙
∙ 讽刺，讥讽，挖苦, 风凉话 When a person says one thing, but means the opposite of what
their words say. The person uses intonation to show that they
o Example: “That’s a great idea!” said in two ways
∙ Sarcasm can be funny, but it can also be very mean. Be careful
before you use it!
∙ Let’s look at 3 ways to show sarcasm….
1. Simple, One-word Sarcasm
∙ Sarcastic intonation starts low, rises to a high pitch, and then re
turns to low pitch again.
∙ This intonation shows you mean the opposite of what your word
says.
∙ Try it! One partner should create a sentence, and the other
partner should respond sarcastically using one word. Use the
words below:
o Interesting! Great! Exciting! Cool! Hilarious! Beautiful!
Funny! Awesome! Terrific! Terrifying! Wow!
2. Yeah, right.
∙ If you’re trying to show sarcastically that you disagree with som
eone, you can use sarcastic intonation to say the phrase “yeah, right.”
∙ Two sarcastic intonation bumps. Remember—keep your voice low
and slow!
∙ Try it again—one partner should make a sentence, and the other
partner should use “yeah, right” to show s/he disagrees.
3. Full Sentence Sarcasm
∙ Use full sentence sarcasm to make a joke in which you show tha
t you don’t mean what your words say.
∙
∙ Practice the following examples using both normal and sarcastic
intonation:
o John: Hey Jane, how’s your day going?
Jane: It was going OK until I saw your ugly face.
(Meaning: It’s nice to see you. This is a joke.)
o Mike sees Peggy at the bus stop
Mike: Hey Peggy, are you waiting for the bus?
Peggy: No, I just really like hanging out at the bus stop.
(Meaning: Obviously, I am waiting for the bus. What a du
mb question!)
o Sally: I think we should spend our whole weekend studying.
George: That’s the best idea you’ve ever had!
(Meaning: That’s an awful idea.)
Improvise Your Own Dialogue
∙
∙ Work in a small group. Two people should be actors. The audience should decide where actor should act normally and the other should be sarcastic. Act
for 1 minute, then switch to new actors.
Pronunciation Clinic:
Intonation, Sentence Stress + Emotion
In English, we stress certain words and change the pitch （音高）of our voice to show emotion.
Examples:
Normal/Neutral: Stress content words, not function words; Rising-Falling Intonation and Rising Intonation Happy: Like singing; emphasize changes in intonation; higher pitch.
Sad: Speak slowly; lower pitch; fewer changes in intonation
Angry: Use a falling intonation to stress words (like 4th tone in Chinese)
Worried/Afraid: Speak quickly, higher pitch, use rising intonation to stress words (like 2nd tone in Chinese) Let’s practice with an activity……
Simple Dialogue
A: Hi, how are you?
B: Fine, thanks. And you?
A: Very good. What are you up to these days?
B: Not much, but I’m always running around.
A: I see. Well...I’ve got to go now. See you.
B: Yes, see you...bye!
A: Goodbye.
With a partner, practice saying this dialogue with
neutral (normal) intonation
Adding Emotion
Now, each partner in your group should pick a piece of paper from the pile. Do not show anyone your paper. On your paper will be a scenario.
Examples: old friends bumping into each other; two actors who are out of work; an ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend Using intonation, hand gestures and body language, practice saying the same dialogue in a way that shows the emotion of your scenario.
After 3 minutes of practice, perform the dialogue for the other people in your group. See if your group can guess your scenario. Once everyone has performed once, pick up new pieces of paper and begin again.
Separation of Powers
Three important branches make up the American government
The Legislative Branch; The Executive Branch; The Judicial Branch
Legislative Branch: makes laws
Executive Branch: enforces laws
Judicial Branch: interprets laws
In order to prevent each group from becoming too powerful, the U.S. government uses a system called “checks an
d balances”
3 Branches Activity
In a small group, use the information I give you to fill in the chart about the American government.
You should split your group into 3 partners. Each partner should learn about 1 branch. Please only look at the information that is about your branch (Don’t read all three papers).
When you and your partner finish researching your branch, tell the other members of your group about it and complete the chart together.
State and Local Government
We have been talking about the U.S. Federal government
Every U.S. state also has its own government, with its own 3 branches. So do cities, towns, etc.
Sometimes (but not often), state/local government and the federal government act differently
Ex. Restricting illegal immigrants, gay marriage, health care
Elections and Voting
Originally, the Constitution gave only white males over 21 the right to vote
But the 14th Amendment to the Constitution gave all races the right to vote, and the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote
Today, as long as you are over 18 and an American citizen, you can vote
Federal elections happen every two years (for parts of the Congress) and every fourth year (for the President)
Homework, etc.
Next week, we will be learning more about the American political system.
Homework this weekend will be a journal entry and a listening activity about elections and voting in America. It will be on the class email account by Friday.
Also: English Film Society will have its first meeting this week. There will not be a movie, but the society will vote on our movie schedule for the semester. If you want to decide what movies we watch, go to the meeting! 7:00 pm, 综203.