Podcast 126 - B2 Intonation practice

Learning intonation through poetry

Poem starts at 3:58

Today, I've got something special for you. I'm still on the theme of intonation and how important it is to place more emphasis or stress on the meaning words. That is: the nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and negative words especially, while the words which carry less meaning will receive less stress. Words like: prepositions, articles, the verb 'to be' and auxiliary verbs. But today I'm going to demonstrate this rhythm peculiar to English by reading a poem to you. This is a B2-level podcast. Here we go...

As I said, I'm going to try to demonstrate the rhythm of English by reading a poem. I tried this once before at podcast 43, where I also read a poem and explained about the importance of correct stress in English. You'll notice that the poem develops a rhythm to it as I read. This rhythm happens as the voice rises and falls, stressing the meaning words and passing quickly over the unstressed words. The voice actually does this in such a way as to develop a regular rhythm. The stressed words are spoken at regular intervals and the unstressed words spoken more quickly to maintain the rhythm. This is what a language such as English (called a stress-timed language) can sound like. It's probably not true to say that English is always spoken in this way because when we are speaking we stop and start and sentences can be longer or shorter or perhaps we want to stress a particular word even more. However, if you can try to read a text in this way, or try to bring this technique into your own spoken English, you will get close to the native intonation of this language.

There is nothing like a poem to demonstrate this because a poem is usually written so that the rhythm can be regular. Come over to PractisingEnglish.com so you too can read the poem I'm going to recite to you now. It's called 'God's Judgment on a Wicked Bishop'. 'Wicked' means very, very bad and a bishop is a member of the Christian church. The poem was written by an 18th century English poet called Robert Southey. I've changed a few words to make it a little more modern and comprehensible - but not many. Enjoy the poem and listen to the rhythm of English!

God's Judgment on a Wicked Bishop

B2 intonation - rat

The summer and autumn had been so wet,

That in winter the corn was growing yet,

It was a sad sight to see all around

The grain lie rotting on the ground.

Every day the starving poor

Crowded around Bishop Hatto's door,

For he had plenty from last-year's store,

And all the neighbourhood could tell

His granaries were filled up well.

At last Bishop Hatto agreed a day

To silence the poor without delay;

He invited them to visit his farm,

And they'd have food and shouldn't alarm.

Delighted at such news so good to hear,

The poor people came from far and near;

The great barn was full as it could hold

Of women and children, and young and old.

Then when he saw it could hold no more,

Bishop Hatto he locked the door;

And while for mercy on Christ they called,

He set fire to the barn and burnt them all.

"Well, well! It an excellent fire!" said he,

"And the country is greatly obliged to me,

For getting rid in these times forlorn* (*sad)

Of rats that only consume the corn."

So then to his palace returned he,

And he sat down to dinner merrily,

And he slept that night like an innocent man;

But Bishop Hatto never slept again.

In the morning as he entered the hall

Where his picture hung against the wall,

A sweat like death all over him came,

For the rats had eaten it out of the frame.

As he looked there came a man from his farm,

He had a face white with alarm;

"My Lord, I opened your granaries this morn*, (*morning)

And the rats had eaten all your corn."

Another came running presently,

And he was pale as pale could be,

"Run! my Lord Bishop, run," said he,

"Ten thousand rats are coming this way,...

The Lord* forgive you for yesterday!" (Lord Jesus)

"I'll go to my tower on the Rhine," said he,

"It is the safest place in Germany;

The walls are high and the banks are steep,

And the river is strong and the water deep."

Bishop Hatto now frightened rode away,

And he crossed the Rhine without delay,

And reached his tower, and shut with care

All the windows, doors, and entrances there.

He lay on his bed and closed his eyes;...

But soon a scream made him rise,

He sat up and saw two eyes of flame

On his pillow from where the screaming came.

He listened and looked;... it was only the cat;

And the Bishop he grew more frightened for that,

For she sat screaming, mad with fear

At the army of rats that was coming near.

For they have swum over the river so deep,

And they have climbed the banks so steep,

And up the tower they make their way

To do their work, to make him pay.

They don't arrive by the dozen or score*, (*score = 20)

By hundreds they come, and by thousands and more,

Such numbers had never been heard of before,

Such a judgment had never been witnessed before.

Down on his knees the Bishop fell,

And faster and faster his beads did he tell*, (*saying prayers on his rosary)

As louder and louder coming near

The sounds of their teeth he could hear.

And in at the windows and in at the door,

And through the walls everywhere they pour,

And down from the ceiling and up through the floor,

From the right and the left, from behind and before,

From inside and outside, from above and below,

And all at once to the Bishop they go.

They have sharpened their teeth against the stones,

And now they pick the Bishop's bones:

They chew his flesh from every limb*, (*arms and legs)

For they were sent to do judgment on him!

All for now. Good bye!