Speaking English

Intonation is important because it gives English its rhythm.  It is the emphasis that is placed on some words and not others.  The extra emphasis placed on the nouns, main verbs, adjectives, and adverbs makes them stand out and if you only hear these words you will still have some idea about what the person is saying.  This is done in a few ways, but the most common is to elongate (make longer) the main vowel sound in the word.  ...