Read the following dialogues, put stress-tone marks on them using different types of scales and practice reading them.
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting, too.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies.
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise.
If you can dream and not make dreams your master,
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools;
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken
And stoop and build them up with warn out tools.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it at one turn of pitch and toss,
And lose and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone;
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will, which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much.
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a man, my son.
Unit 2. Theatre
1. Listen to the dialogue. Put stress-tone marks on the second part of the dialogue. Learn this dialogue by heart.
Transcribe the sentences in bold. Find and analyze vowel reduction in them.
A Date for the Theatre
MikeJackMikeJackMikeJackMikeJackMikeJackMike
Hallo, Jack. Why the rush? Where are you going?
Hallo, Mike. I’m on my way to meet Joyce at the station. We’re having dinner at a Chinese restaurant and then we’re off to the theatre.
Do you often go to the theatre?
Yes, Joyce and I usually go at least once a fortnight; sometimes more. Do you ever go?
Yes, but I don’t often find time these days. There are so many other things to do.
True, true.
Listen, perhaps Janet and I can arrange to meet you and Joyce one Saturday evening. We can have dinner together and go on to a theatre.
That’s a good idea. Look, I forget the name of the play, but there’s a good comedy on at the Theatre Royal next week. If you like, I can book four seats for next Saturday.
All right. I’m meeting Janet later this evening, so I can make sure that she’s free next Saturday. I’ll ring you tomorrow to confirm if we are coming.
Fine. I must fly now. It’s six o’clock already and Joyce’s bus arrives at ten past. She hates waiting around and I don’t want to spoil everything by upsetting her before we start our evening.
I’ll phone you tomorrow then. Give my regards to Joyce. Have a good evening.
2. Listen to the dialogue. Practice reading it imitating its intonation. Pay attention to the sentences with the Sliding and Scandent Scales. How do they sound? Write them down; practice saying them, transcribe them and draw tonograms to them.
After the Cinema
HarryNoraHarryNoraHarryNora
Harry
Nora
Harry
Nora
Harry
NoraHarryNoraHarry
ˈWe shall be ↗awfully ↗late ̬home| if ↘that ↘number ↘12 ˏbus| ↘doesn’t ↘come ̬soon…|| Let’s ˈstand in this ˎdoorway| ˈout of the ˎwind.||
ˈAll ˏright,| but we ˈmust be ˎcareful| ↘not to ↘miss the ˏbus…|| ˈHow did you enˎjoy the ˏfilm?||
I’d ˈnever have ˎgone| if I’d ↗known it was ↗going to ↗be ↗so ˎsilly.||
ˋWhy?|| ˈWhat was ˋsilly about it?||
Well, ↘no ↘sane ˏman| would have ↘married ↘that other ̬girl| so ˈsoon after he had ˎmurdered his ˏwife.|| It was ˎsure| to ˈmake ˈpeople suˎspicious.||
If he ˈhad ˈbeen ˏsane| he ˈwouldn’t have ˋmurdered her!|| Beˎsides| the ˈgirl wouldn’t have ˏwaited ˙for him| if he ↘hadn’t ↘asked her iˎmmediaˏtely.||
ˈAll the ˈbetter for ˏhim| if ˈshe ˎhadn’t.||
ˋYes,| but ˌthen he ˈwouldn’t have ˋpaid for his ˌcrime.||
ˎAnyhow, ↘I’d have en↘joyed the ↘film ˈmuch ̬more| if ˈElsa ˎHollywood had ˏbeen in it| inˈstead of ˈLinda ˋSpangle.||
And ˈI’d have enˈjoyed it ˏmore| if we ˈhadn’t ˈgone at ˎall.||
And ˈI’d have enˈjoyed it ˏmore| if you ↘hadn’t ↘been ↘so ˎrude| to ˈthat ˈwoman in ˎfront.||
Well, ˈI ˎshouldn’t have been rude to ˏher| if she had ˈstopped ˎchattering| when I ˎasked her.||
I ˎwish you’d beˌhave ˏbetter| in ˎpublic ˏplaces.||
ˈˈI beˈhave ˎbetter!|| I ˈlike ˋthat!|| Why, if ˈthat ˎwoman ˏhad…|| But ˎlook,| ˈisn’t it a ↗number ↗12 ↗bus ↗just ̬going?||
ˈYes, it ˎis,| and we’ve ˎmissed it| after ˎall.|| We should have ˎseen that ˌbus, ˏHarry,| if you ↘hadn’t ↘been so ↘busy ˎquarreˏlling.||
Oh, ˎreally, ˏNora,| I ˈthink it would have ˈbeen ↑much ˎbetter| if ↘I had ↘stayed at ˏhome to˙night| and let ˈyou ˈgo to the ↑cinema aˎlone.||
3. Read the text below with your own intonation using the Sliding, Scandent and Level Scales where possible. Comment on the emotions you have tried to convey using these scales.
(Avenues, p. 188)
I’m an opera singer who sings mezzo-soprano roles. That means I play a variety of young princes, kitchen boys, peasant girls and queens. Some composers, such as Puccini, don’t give mezzo-sopranos any parts, but I have had a lot of work in operas by Verdi and by contemporary composers. As I cannot afford to turn down good roles, sometimes I have a complicated timetable. Last year I had to commute daily between London, where I was performing in the evening, and Geneva, where I was rehearsing during the day. It’s surprising what you can get used to do! Rehearsing takes up most of an opera singer’s time. By the end of this year I will have given 63 performances and rehearsed almost every day of the year. I always look forward to performing in front of an audience. Often when I get home after a performance I can’t sleep because the music is still in my head.
4. Listen to the conversation about Liza Minnelli. Lay stress-tone marks, practice reading it and learn it by heart. Find reduction and assimilation in the dialogue and analyze all the cases in writing.
(Headway Adv. P. 136)
A Liza Minnelli is just fantastic! Her concert was amazing!
B It was, wasn’t it? And she puts so much energy into her songs, doesn’t she?
A Yes, she does. Who wrote that song about marriage, and the way it changes the world?
B She did. It’s one of the few songs she ever wrote, actually.
A So she can write as well as sing, can she? What a talent! Did you like her costumes?
B Yes, I did. I thought they were fantastic. I’ve seen most of then before.
A Have you? I haven’t. She’s playing again tomorrow, isn’t she?
B Yes, I think so. Let’s go again, shall we?
A All right. She’s one of the all time greats, Liza Minnelli is.
5. Listen to the following text. Practice reading it imitating its intonation and learn it by heart. Transcribe the sentences in bold. Find cases of reduction and assimilation in them and analyze them. Comment on the use of Descending Stepping Scale.
Theatres, Music-Halls and Cinema
ˎTheaˏtres| are ˈvery much the ˈsame in ˎLondon| as ˈanywhere ˎelse;| the ˈchief ˏtheatres,| ˏmusic-halls| and ˏcinemas| are in the ˈWest ˎEnd.|| If you are ˈstaying in ˏLondon| for a ˈfew ˏdays,| you’ll have ˈno difficulty whatˎever| in finding ˈsomewhere to ˈspend an enˈjoyable ˎevening.|| You’ll ˈfind ˏopera,| ˏballet,| ˏcomedy,| ˏdrama,| reˏvue,| ˈmusical ˏcomedy| and vaˎriety.|| ˏFilms| are ˈshown in the ˏcinemas| during the ˈgreater ˈpart of the ˎday.||
The ˈbest ˈseats at ˏtheatres| are ˈthose in the ˏstalls,| the ˏcircle| and the ˎupper ˌcircle.|| ˈThen ˈcomes the ˏpit,| and ˈlast of ˏall| the ˎgallery| where the ˈseats are ˎcheapest.|| ˈBoxes, of ˏcourse,| are the ˈmost exˎpensive.|| ˈMost ˈtheatres and ˏmusic-halls| have ˈgood ˏorchestras| with ˈpopular conˎductors.||
You ˈought to make a ˎpoint| of ˈgoing to the ˎopeˏra| at ˈleast ˎonce| during the ˈseason, if you ˎcan.|| ˏThere| you can ˈget the ˈbest of ˎeverything| – an ˈexcellent ˏorchestra,| ˈfamous conˏductors,| ˈcelebrated ˏsingers| and a ˈwell-ˈdressed ˎaudience.|| But, of ˏcourse,| if you’re ˈnot ˈfond of ˈmusic and ˏsinging,| ˈopera ˈwon’t ˎinterest you.||
Read the following dialogues, put stress-tone marks on them using different types of scales and practice reading them.
1.
- I’d like to book two seats for tomorrow.
- Would you like something in the front stalls?
- I suppose there’s nothing further back, is there?
- Not unless you go to a matinee.
2.
- Can I still get tickets for tonight’s show?
- The front row of the dress circle is fairly free.
- Are there any boxes?
- No, I’m afraid that’s all there is.
3.
- Are there any seats left for Saturday night?
- A11 and B14 are all that’s left.
- Haven’t you got anything cheaper?
- Only if somebody cancels.
4.
- Is it possible to get tickets for tonight?
- You can sit wherever you like in the first row.
- Isn’t there anything a little less dear?
- No, I’m afraid you’ve left it rather late.
7. Listen to the abstract from “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, lay stress-tone marks in the last 10 lines. Pay attention to the sentences in bold; comment on the additional shades of meaning of these sentences. Practice reading the poem, learn it by heart and act it out in front of your group.
Antony’s Address to Romans
“Julius Caesar”
(by W. Shakespeare)
ˏFriends,| ˏRomans,| ˎcountrymen,| ˎlend me your ˎears;|
ˈI ˈcome to ˎbury ˌCaesar,| ˈnot to ͵praise him.||
The ˈevil that ˈmen ˎdo| ˈlives ˎafter ˌthem,|
The ˌgood is ˈoft inˋterred with their ˎbones;|
ˈSo ˈlet it ˈbe with ˎCaesar.|| The ˈnoble ˏBrutus|
Hath ˏtold you| ˎCaeˏsar| was amˋbitious.||
̅If it were ˎso,| it was a ˎgrievous ˌfault,|
And ↘grievously hath ↘Caesar ˋanswer’d it|
↗Here ↗under ↗leave of ˏBrutus ˈand the ˏrest,|
For ˏBrutus| ˏis an ˋhonourable ̬man;|
So are they ˎall,| ˎall| ˈhonourable ˎmen,|
ˈCome I to ˎspeak| in ˈCaesar’s ˎfuneral.||
He ˈwas my ˎfriend,| ˏfaithful| and ˎjust to| ˎme;|
But ˈBrutus →says| he ˈwas amˋbitious;|
And ˏBrutus| is an ˎhonourable ˌman.||
He hath brought ˈmany ˋcaptives ˌhome to ˌRome,|
Whose →ransoms| did the ˈgeneral ˎcoffers ˌfill;|
Did ˈthis in ˏCaesar| ˈseem amˏbitious?|
When that the ↘poor had ̬cried,| ↘Caesar hath ˋwept;|
Amˏbition| should be ˈmade of ˋsterner stuff;|
ˏYet| ˏBrutus| ˏsays| he ˈwas amˎbitious;|
And ˏBrutus| ˏis an ˙honourable ˎman.||
You ↘all did ˎsee| that on the ˈLuperˏcal|
I ˈthrice preˈsented him a ˈkingly →crown,|
Which ↘he did ↘thrice reˋfuse:| was ˈthis amˏbition?||
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then to morn for him?
Oh judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar.
And I must pause till it comes back to me.
8. Listen to the following statements about celebrities. Choose one that you like most, write down a few ideas about the statement that you’ve chosen (up to 10 sentences) and tell them to your group-mates using the Sliding, Scandent and Level Scales.
1. A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized.
2. I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.
3. There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.
4. What goes up, must come down.
5. Winning isn’t everything, but it sure as hell beats losing.
6. Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies.
7. Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration.
8. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
9. Nothing succeeds like success.
10. Let me tell you about the rich. They are different from you and me.