Владимира Дмитриевича Аракина одного из замечательных лингвистов России предисловие настоящая книга
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B. CONVERSATIONAL PHRASES1. Handling a DialogueI say... Honestly... If you ask me ... You know what I think ... The point is ... Don't you agree that...? Tell you what... Have you heard about...? Do you happen to know that...? Have you got any idea ...? Someone has told me that... I hear that... That's what I heard. I'm afraid I don't know much about... Not that I know of ... I wonder if you remember ... Have I got it right? Am I right to believe ...? But why should (shouldn't) I? Well I don't (didn't) think ... But how could I? If I were you ... I wish I could but ... I really couldn't imagine ... What a silly way to talk! I wish you would ... I'm really sorry but... I really feel bad about it. What do you think I should have done? 2. Reacting to NewsOh, really! Never thought about it. You don't say so! Just (only) fancy! Indeed? Why! Is that so? Dear me! Who'd have thought of it! Does it strike you as unusual? I'm surprised. I'm shocked. It's amazing! It's incredible! Looks like that. I have no idea. Goodness knows. 3. Discussion. OpinionsI would like to begin the discussion on the subject by ... From the point of view of ... Additionally ... It has been pointed out that... I'd just like to say ... I think, (suppose, guess, believe, dare say) ... Personally I believe (I feel) ... In my opinion (view) ... As I see it ... The way I see it ... Well, my opinion is that... My view is that... This is my way of looking at it. I don't think it would ... There's one more thing to be noted. Moreover ... What's more ... I might as well add that... In addition ... On top of that ... Something else I'd like to say is ... Talking of... You may be right, but all the same ... If you ask me ... I wouldn't say that... Yes, but on the other hand ... There's nothing like ... I don't quite see what people find in ... I don't know anything more exciting than ... Absolutely marvellous. I like it immensely. All things considered I must say that... I'd rather not say anything about it. Generally speaking ... It depends. 4. Agreeing. DisagreeingJust so. Quite so. I quite agree here. Naturally. Certainly. Sure. Exactly. Definitely. Quite. Most likely. Absolutely. True enough. I couldn't agree more. I should think so. Beyond all doubt. I won't deny it. Looks like that. Happy to hear it. I'm not sure I quite agree. Why do you think that...? I'm afraid I don't agree. I think you're mistaken (there). I don't think you are right. I can't agree with you there. I see what you mean, but... I'm not so sure. I see nothing exciting in ... I doubt it. I (you) shouldn't say so. There's something in what you say, but I disagree with you. You're wrong. You're mistaken. Not me! How can you say such a thing! On the contrary! You can't be serious. I object to it. Surely not. Nothing of the kind (sort). Just the other way round. Certainly not. Impossible. It's unfair. It's unjust. 5. Giving AdviceMight it be an idea to ...? Have you ever thought of You could always ... If I were you, I'd ... Why don't you ...? You'd better ... EXERCISES IN INTONATIONSECTION ONE. Review of Fundamental Intonation Patterns and Their UsePATTERN 1: (LOW PRE-HEAD+ ) LOW FALL (+ТАП.) Models: ,Yes. I'm a ,doctor. PATTERN П: (LOW PRE-HEAD +) DESCENDING HEAD + LOW FALL (+ TAIL) Model: It isn't 'quite 'what I ,want. PATTERN III: (LOW PRE-HEAD +) LOW RISE (+TAIL) Models: "Yes. "Is it? Go "on. PATTERN IV: (LOW PRE-HEAD +) DESCENDING HEAD + LOW RISE (+ TAIL) Model: Haven't 'we 'met 'somewhere "before? PATTERN V: (LOW PRE-HEAD'+) (HIGH HEAD + ) MID-LEVEL Model: Sometimes | I >hate it. PATTERN VI: (LOW PRE-HEAD + ) FALL-RISE (+TAIL ![]() PATTERN VII: (LOW PRE-HEAD+) FALLING HEAD + + FALL-RISE (+ТАП.) ![]() PATTERN VIII: (LOW PRE-HEAD+) LOW HEAD + + LOW RISE (+TAIL) ![]() EXERCISES The exercises below are meant to revise the intonation patterns you already know. I. Read the following conversational situations. Define the communicative type of the replies. Say what attitudes are conveyed in them. Give your own replies to the same conversational contexts;
2. Read the following dialogues. Express the suggested attitudes:— What troubles you? [sympathetically interested) — I'm quite unwell. I feel giddy and I can hardly stand on m legs. (serious) — Any pain? (sympathetically interested) — Yes, I've a sore throat. (conveying personal concern) ------------- — Shall I have to stay in bed long? (genuinely interested) — No, not more than a week, I hope. (uncertain) — And shall I take any medicine? (genuinely interested) — Yes, certainly. Here is a prescription for you. (weighty, catt goric) ------------- — What is your temperature? (sympathetically interested) — It's thirty-eight point seven. — Please strip to the waist. I shall examine you. How long have you felt this way? (sympathetically interested) — Several days already. I've been taking pills, but I don't feel any better. ------------- A.: Hello, Pete, what's happened to you? Why is your arm in a sling? (sympathetically interested) P.: I had a bad fall and broke my arm. A.: How awful! Have you any pain now? (interested) P.: It still hurts, but not so much as before. (reserving judgement) ------------- D.: What's troubling you? (interested) A.: One of my front teeth is working loose. D.: You have to have this one out. It's a pity you didn't have it looked at before. (grumbling) A: I wish I had. (conveying personal concern) ------------- — I have an abscess on my finger, it hurts me awfully. (serious) — Did you run a splinter into your finger? (interested) — No, I happened to pick it with a wire. — What did you do for it? (searching) — I did nothing, I thought it would heal by itself. — That was not very clever of you. (reprimand) ------------- — Your voice is hoarse and your face is flushed. You must have a cold. I'm sure. Where did you manage to get it? (sympathy) — Idon't know myself. I must have caught cold last night, when I took my coat off. — How thoughtless of you, the evening was cold and windy. (reproachful) Now you'll have to stay in. 3. a) Listen to the dialogue. Mark the stresses and tunes. Find sense-groups and sentences pronounced with intonation Patterns I, II; III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII. Say what kind of sentences they are used in. Define the attitudes expressed in them:— Let's have tea in the garden, shall we? — That's a good idea. Shall I take the table out? — Yes, please. And the chairs too. — Right. Where shall I put them? — Oh, anywhere. I'll bring the tea. — Good. We'll have the table here and the chairs here. — Why have you put the table there? — Well, you said anywhere. — Yes, but you must be sensible. It'll be too hot there. — Where shall I put it then? — Bring it under the tree here. That's better. — Now perhaps we can have some tea. — Oh, dear. I'm sorry I've forgotten the sugar. Would you mind getting it for me? — Not at all. — Now where did I put the milk? Ah, here it is. — Here's the sugar. — Thank you. That's your cup. — Thank you. This is very pleasant. — It is, isn't it? But I'm a bit cold here. Do you think you could move the table again? I'm sorry to be a nuisance. — All right. I'll put it back where it was. Is that better? — Much. Where are you going? — I'm going indoors. For a bit of peace and quiet. b) Record your reading of the dialogue. Play the recording back for the teacher and your fellow-students to detect the possible errors. Practise the dialogue for test reading. Memorize and dramatize it.c) Make up conversational situations, using the following phrases:Let's .... shall we? It'll be too ... . That's a good idea. That's better. Yes, please. Now, perhaps, ... . Right. Oh, dear, I'm so sorry. Oh, ... . Not at all. Well, you said ... . Do you think you could ... ? d) Use the same phrases in a conversation.4. This exercise is meant to develop your ability to hear and reproduce intonation in different speech situations.a) listen to the story "Helen's eyes were not very good..."82 carefully, sentence by sentence. Mark the stresses and tunes. (The teacher will help you to correct your variant.) Practise reading your corrected variant b) Listen carefully to the narration of the story. Observe the peculiarities in intonation-group division, pitch, stress and tempo. Note the use of temporizers. Reproduce the model narration of the story. 5. This exercise is meant to test your ability to read and reproduce a story with correct intonation.Read the jokes silently to make sure you understand each sentence. Find the sentence expressing the essence of the joke. Split up each sentence into intonation-groups if necessary. Mark the stresses and tunes. Underline the communicative centre and the nuclear word of each intonation-group. It is not expected that each student will intone the text in the same way. The teacher will help you to correct your variant Practise reading the joke several times. Reproduce the model narration of the joke: Young Peter came in one day bursting with excitement. Walking down the main street he had suddenly discovered he was side-by-side with movie actor Clark Gable. — Did you talk to him? we asked. — Well, it was like this, he said slowly. I knew who he was and he knew who he was — and it just didn't make sense us discussing it. ------------- Some people were gathered on the verandah after dinner. A young lady asked: "Can you name five days of the week without mentioning Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday?" Nobody could guess. At last the young lady said: "It is very easy. Here are the five days: today, yesterday, the day before yesterday, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow". |