Unit 58. The Headteacher, Mr Lee, will be Talking to Parents.

Step-Downs - Adding Information and Ending Topics
Unit 58; Part A
Adding information When we use a noun phrase to add information about the previous nounphrase (and both refer to the same person or thing), we often step downand say the second noun phrase with a relatively low pitch in its ownspeech unit. The step-down is in the first prominent word of thisspeech unit. In these examples, step-downs are marked with ⇓: The headTEAcher ↓ //Mr ⇓ LEE ↓ will be talking to parents. The report is published // by the WHO ↓// the ⇓ WORLD HEALTH organisation ↓. The reSEARCH team ↓↑// ⇓SCIentists from the university of LEEDS ↓↑// will be spending six months in the Arctic. We can also add information in a whole clause beginning with a step-down: A mySTErious arc of LIGHT ↓// ⇓ KNOWN as the LYNX Arc ↓// has been found to be the biggest star-forming region ever seen in space. ![]() Notice that the same tone is usually used in the first noun phrase andin the stepped-down speech unit. However, this is not always the case: The AusTRAlian author PEter THOMas ↓ // ⇓ NOW based in New YORK ↓↑ is this year's Brook Prize winner. - herethe speaker 'tells' hearers that she is talking about Peter Thomas, but'reminds' them that Peter Thomas lives in New York - this isinformation she assumes hearers already know |
Unit 58; Part B
Ending topics Step-downs are also used, particularly in prepared speech, to show thatwe are ending a topic. Here is part of a conference talk given on thesubject of education. Notice that step-downs are often followed bystep-ups marking new topics (see Unit 57). ![]() |
Exercises
![]() | Unit 57 Unit 58 Unit 59 | ![]() |