READING FLUENCY
How to Improve Intonation
Intonation is the rise and fall in the pitch or tone of your voice as you read aloud. Pitch and tone both mean the highness or lowness of the sound.
How to read with proper intonation:
• Change the sound of your voice to match what you are reading.
• Make your voice flow, or sound smooth while you read.
• Make sure you are pronouncing words correctly.
• Raise the sound of your voice for words that should be stressed, or emphasized.
• Use proper rhythm and meter.
• Use visual clues. (see box below)
| Visual Clue and Meaning | Example | How to Read It |
|---|---|---|
| Italics: draw attention to a word to show special importance | She is smart. | Emphasize “smart.” |
| Dash: shows a quick break in a sentence | She is—smart. | Pause before saying “smart.” |
| Exclamation: can represent energy, excitement, or anger | She is smart! | Make your voice louder at the end of the sentence. |
| All capital letters: can represent strong emphasis, or yelling | SHE IS SMART. | Emphasize the whole sentence. |
| Bold facing: draws attention to a word to show importance | She is smart. | Emphasize “smart.” |
| Question mark: shows curiosity or confusion | She is smart? | Raise the pitch of your voice slightly at the end of the sentence. |
Use the rubric below to measure how well a reader uses intonation while reading aloud. For intonation passages, see Reading Fluency Practice, pp. 634–657.
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| The reader’s tone does not change. The reading all sounds the same. | The reader’s tone changes sometimes to match what is being read. | The reader’s tone always changes to match what is being read. |