Intonation is the rise and fall in the pitch or tone of your voice as you read aloud. Use this passage to practice reading with proper intonation. Print a copy of this passage from InsideNG.com to help you monitor your progress.
To his new fans in Pittsburgh, Roberto was like a jolt of electricity. He could score from first base on a single. He could hit line drives, bunts, towering home runs, sacrifice flies—whatever was needed. Once he even scored an inside-the-park GRAND SLAM!
Playing right field, he had no equal. He was always leaping, diving, crashing, rolling. Once, trying to catch a pop fly, running full speed, he SLAMMED into the right-field wall—and fell to the ground. At last, slowly, he lifted his glove. The ball was inside.
But it wasn’t just how he played. He had style. He was cool. He had this move he did with his neck before each at bat, creaking it one way, then the other.
Soon kids who wanted to be just like Roberto were doing it, too, twisting their necks this way and that.
Roberto did it to ease the pain he felt from playing his heart out in every game.
“If you don’t try as hard as you can,” he said, “you are wasting your life.”