Thought Groups

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Thought groups are separated by a slash (/). You should make a slight pause between thought groups. Remember to focus on partial pitch fall and on full pitch fall.

• Data were collected / over a two-month period.
• In case you haven't heard / the lecture on vocabulary acquisition / has been rescheduled.
• Since cloning technology is far from being perfected / it is not unreasonable to believe / that the quality of cloned meat / may not be consistent.
  Click again.
  
• In terms of population, / the People's Republic of China / is the largest country / with an estimated 1.3 billion people.
• The graph illustrates / how sales fluctuated / over the year.
• Two students were suspended / for unprofessional conduct.
• We must conduct the experiment / with an even number of subjects.
• The election was so close / that they demanded a recall.

Pitch fall: Listen to the difference between each set of examples. Try repeating them.

sixty-five meter tubes four-week-long internships fifty-two-liter containers three-hour-long exams (A + B) / x C / = Y

sixty / five-meter tubes four / week-long internships fifty / two-liter containers three / hour-long exams A / + (B x C) / = Y

Practice pitch fall. Follow with the handout from class.
↓ = fall
↓↑ = fall and rise

a. The speaker passed out. ↓
b. The speaker passed out ↓↑ ...(the schedule of upcoming events).

a. My credit card number is 9876 5432 6789 ↓
b. My credit card number is 9876 5432 6789 ↓↑ ...(2345)

a. I registered for pronunciation. ↓
b. I registered for pronunciation ↓↑ ...(because it fit my schedule better).

a. I said the connection failed. ↓
b. I said the connection failed ↓↑ ...(to be a time-saver).

a. She was offered a new job but she doesn't want it. ↓
b. She was offered a new job but she doesn't want it ↓↑ ...(because she's already so busy).

This is the dialogue you listened to in Sentence Stress. Listen for the pauses.

Colleague A: Do you know if it's possible / to share a hotel room at the conference?

Colleague B: Yeah, / I heard there are a couple of options. / One is a room for two / and the other is a room for three.

Colleague A: What's the deal for two people?

Colleague B: A three-night package for two / is $250 plus tax. / Should we make a reservation?

Practice
Create sentences that contain a noun phrase, a verb phrase and a prepositional phrase. Pause between each phrase. Three examples are done for you. Listen for pitch fall and fall/rise.

• Many doctors ↓↑ / are on call ↓↑ / around the clock.↓
  
• Graduate students ↓↑ / often apply ↓↑ / for external funding.↓
  
• Business students ↓↑ / work together ↓↑ / on case studies.↓
  
• Mechanical engineers ↓↑ / ... ↓↑ / ...↓
• TAs ↓↑ / ... ↓↑ / ...↓