Nooooooooooo and what do you do? the role-play left me intrigued!!!
Introduction
Welcome!
Fluency
Warm-up!
Assimilation
Elision
Ellipsis
Formal and Informal Contractions
Quiz: Fluency
Stress
Strong and Weak Forms
Emphasizing For The Win
Emphasizing For Clarity
Emphasizing Questions
Quiz: Stress
Intonation
Giving Your Opinion
Comparisons and Contrasts
Request or Offer Help
Quiz: Intonation
Conversation
Continuing the Conversation
Adding Information
Showing Attitude
Replying with Questions
Quiz: Conversation
English around the world
Foreign Words in English
British vs American Vocabulary
British vs American Slang
Quiz: English around the world
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
You don't have access to this class
Keep learning! Join and start boosting your career
If you already have an account,
Resources
How to improve your conversational skills in English?
Initiating and maintaining a conversation in English can be challenging, but it is an essential skill that can open many doors. Learning to use stress and intonation correctly is key to making our interactions more dynamic and engaging. These tools not only help us to initiate conversations, but also to follow them with interest and participate actively.
What role do stress and intonation play in a conversation?
When we talk about stress, we are referring to which parts of a sentence we emphasize to give the conversation a certain dynamism and emotion. This is crucial not only to capture the listener's attention, but also to make our interaction more attractive and understandable. On the other hand, intonation is the variation we make in the tone of our voice throughout our sentences, which helps to indicate to the listener that we have finished speaking or that we expect them to continue participating.
- Dynamic intent: Proper use of these techniques can make any conversation engaging and energetic.
- Clarity of communication: Intonation can indicate the end of a statement or the invitation to continue conversing, helping to avoid misunderstandings.
How do we indicate that we are continuing the conversation?
To show that we are attentive and want the other person to continue, we can use words and phrases such as "Right," "Okay," "I see," or "Uh huh." These expressions are accompanied by rising tones, indicating that we are interested and willing to listen further. When finishing an idea, we usually use descending tones, letting the speaker know that we have finished speaking.
- Useful expressions:
- To continue the conversation: "Right", "Okay", "I see".
- To confirm understanding: "You know?", "Right?", "You get me?".
- To show interest: "Did you?", "Will they?", "Really?".
How to practice and improve these skills?
A good way to practice is to participate in role plays, simulated situations where you can experiment and apply these techniques in a controlled environment. This will help you feel more comfortable using them in real conversations. Also, sharing your experiences and participating in discussions about these exercises can further improve your fluency and comprehension.
- Practical exercise: After a role play, reflect on how you felt, did you use stress and intonation correctly? Discuss your experiences and get feedback.
As you become more confident, you can begin to incorporate these techniques into everyday interactions. Don't forget to share your recordings and receive feedback so you can continue to improve your skills and keep learning and discovering new ways to improve your English communication!
Contributions 16
Questions 2
Sort by:
- Hectic /ˈhek.tɪk/ (adjective): full of activity, or very busy and fast.
Jhon: Hey, Mariana. We haven’t seen each other in a while. How’s work? (RISE)
Mariana: It’s alright, I guess…
Jhon: Is everything ok? (FALL RISE)
Mariana: Well, it’s been a really hectic week.
Jhon: Would you like to tell me more about it? (FALL RISE )
Mariana: I guess I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to my new position.
Jhon: Really? (FALL RISE)
Mariana: Yeah. To be honest, when I took this position, I assumed I’d be capable of handling the pressure.
Jhon: Do you feel unsuited for the role? (FALL RISE)
Mariana: No, not at all. I do have the qualifications. It’s just that the workload is so much greater than anticipated, you know? (FALL)
Jhon: I totally get you. I felt exactly like that in my previous job. I spent months thinking I wasn’t a good fit and that I was the problem.
Mariana: So what did you do? (RISE)
xd hello
As it has already been mentioned, a question is what we need to start a conversation and stress helps us make it dynamic and fun.
Intonation will help us to keep the conversation going!
just like what we saw with giving and receiving instructions, it’s important to let the other speaker know that you are following what they are saying and that you want them to continue.
We use words and expressions like Right, Ok, I see, Uh huh and usually `rising` tones for this purpose.
We usually use `falling` tone to indicate that we have finished talking and now it’s the other speaker’s turn.
Some common words and phrases used to check that the other speaker has understood what is being said are: You know? Right? You get me? and usually `rising` tones are assigned to these type of speech units.
Finally, if we want to encourage the other speaker we use questions like: Did you? will they? Really? with a `fall-rising` tone.
## **Exercise**
* **Jhon:** Hey, Mariana. We haven’t seen each other in a while. How’s **work**? `↑`
* **Mariana:** It’s alright, I guess…
* **Jhon:** Is everything **ok**? `↓↑`
* **Mariana:** Well, it’s been a really hectic week.
* **Jhon:** Would you like to tell me more about **it**? `↓↑`
* **Mariana:** I guess I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to my new position.
* **Jhon: Really**? `↓↑`
* **Mariana:** Yeah. To be honest, when I took this position, I assumed I’d be capable of handling the pressure.
* **Jhon:** Do you feel **unsuited** for the role? `↓↑`
* **Mariana:** No, not at all. I do have the qualifications. It’s just that the workload is so much greater than anticipated, you **know**? `↑`
* **Jhon:** I totally get you. I felt exactly like that in my previous job. I spent months thinking I wasn’t a good fit and that I was the problem.
* **Mariana:** So what did you **do**? `↓↑`
[here](https://voca.ro/1dWJlMOFvSqp) is my recording! 💀
* Jhon: Hey, Mariana. We haven’t seen each other in a while. How’s work? ↗️
* Mariana: It’s alright, I guess… .
* Jhon: Is everything ok? ↘️↗️
* Mariana: Well, it’s been a really hectic week. .
* Jhon: Would you like to tell me more about it? ↘️↗️
* Mariana: I guess I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to my new position. . Jhon: Really? ↘️↗️
* Mariana: Yeah. To be honest, when I took this position, I assumed I’d be capable of handling the pressure. .
* Jhon: Do you feel unsuited for the role? ↘️↗️
* Mariana: No, not at all. I do have the qualifications. It’s just that the workload is so much greater than anticipated, you know? ↗️.
* Jhon: I totally get you. I felt exactly like that in my previous job. I spent months thinking I wasn’t a good fit and that I was the problem.
* Mariana: So what did you do? ↘️↗️
my proces:
Jhon: Hey, Mariana. We haven’t seen each other in a while. How’s work? ↗️
Mariana: It’s alright, I guess…
.
Jhon: Is everything ok? ↘️↗️
Mariana: Well, it’s been a really hectic week.
.
Jhon: Would you like to tell me more about it? ↘️↗️
Mariana: I guess I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to my new position.
.
Jhon: Really? ↘️↗️
Mariana: Yeah. To be honest, when I took this position, I assumed I’d be capable of handling the pressure.
.
Jhon: Do you feel unsuited for the role? ↘️↗️
Mariana: No, not at all. I do have the qualifications. It’s just that the workload is so much greater than anticipated, you know? ↗️
.
Jhon: I totally get you. I felt exactly like that in my previous job. I spent months thinking I wasn’t a good fit and that I was the problem.
Mariana: So what did you do? ↘️↗️
Practice!
Continuing the conversation
Phrases like “you know” and “I see”, I heard them a lot in conversations.
hectic: full of activity, or very busy and fast.
unsuited: not right for someone or something, usually in character, unfit, inappropiate.
than anticipated: than expected, than thought.
a good fit: very suitable, very apt.
Thank you
Jhon: Hey, Mariana. We haven’t seen each other in a while. How’s work? (RISE)
Mariana: It’s alright, I guess…
Jhon: Is everything ok? (FALL RISE)
Mariana: Well, it’s been a really hectic week.
Jhon: Would you like to tell me more about it? (FALL RISE )
Mariana: I guess I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to my new position.
Jhon: Really? (FALL RISE)
Mariana: Yeah. To be honest, when I took this position, I assumed I’d be capable of handling the pressure.
Jhon: Do you feel unsuited for the role? (FALL RISE)
Mariana: No, not at all. I do have the qualifications. It’s just that the workload is so much greater than anticipated, you know? (FALL)
Jhon: I totally get you. I felt exactly like that in my previous job. I spent months thinking I wasn’t a good fit and that I was the problem.
Mariana: So what did you do? (RISE)
https://voca.ro/1nvk0uwdb0uw - Recording
Jhon: Hey, Mariana. We haven’t seen each other in a while. How’s work?(Rising)
Mariana: It’s alright, I guess…
Jhon: Is everything ok?(Falling-rise)
Mariana: Well, it’s been a really hectic week.
Jhon: Would you like to tell me more about it? (Falling - rise)
Mariana: I guess I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to my new position.
Jhon: Really? (Falling-rise)
Mariana: Yeah. To be honest, when I took this position, I assumed I’d be capable of handling the pressure.
Jhon: Do you feel unsuited for the role? (falling-rise)
Mariana: No, not at all. I do have the qualifications. It’s just that the workload is so much greater than anticipated, you know? (Rising)
Jhon: I totally get you. I felt exactly like that in my previous job. I spent months thinking I wasn’t a good fit and that I was the problem.
Mariana: So what did you do? (Falling - rise)
My recording
You can listen to my recording, playing it here.
.
Jhon: Hey, Mariana. We haven’t seen each other in a while. How’s work? ↗️
Mariana: It’s alright, I guess…
.
Jhon: Is everything ok? ↘️↗️
Mariana: Well, it’s been a really hectic week.
.
Jhon: Would you like to tell me more about it? ↘️↗️
Mariana: I guess I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to my new position.
.
Jhon: Really? ↘️↗️
Mariana: Yeah. To be honest, when I took this position, I assumed I’d be capable of handling the pressure.
.
Jhon: Do you feel unsuited for the role? ↘️↗️
Mariana: No, not at all. I do have the qualifications. It’s just that the workload is so much greater than anticipated, you know? ↗️
.
Jhon: I totally get you. I felt exactly like that in my previous job. I spent months thinking I wasn’t a good fit and that I was the problem.
Mariana: So what did you do? ↘️↗️
Mariana: So what did you do?
Jhon: I resigned. Now I am working here in Platzi!
Jhon: Hey, Mariana. We haven’t seen each other in a while. How’s work? ↗️
Mariana: It’s alright, I guess…
Jhon: Is everything ok? ↘️↗️
Mariana: Well, it’s been a really hectic week.
Jhon: Would you like to tell me more about it? ↘️↗️
Mariana: I guess I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to my new position.
Jhon: Really? ↘️↗️
Mariana: Yeah. To be honest, when I took this position, I assumed I’d be capable of handling the pressure.
Jhon: Do you feel unsuited for the role? ↘️↗️
Mariana: No, not at all. I do have the qualifications. It’s just that the workload is so much greater than anticipated, you know? ↗️
Jhon: I totally get you. I felt exactly like that in my previous job. I spent months thinking I wasn’t a good fit and that I was the problem.
Mariana: So what did you do? ↘️↗️
My recording
Want to see more contributions, questions and answers from the community?