Lesson 13: The Melody Word – How to Find the Right Intonation

Ever wonder why some English sounds natural and some sounds robotic—even when all the words are correct?

The answer is intonation—the music of the sentence.

Find the Melody Word

In every English sentence, there is one word that carries the melody. That’s the word you should:

• Say slightly louder
• Say with a higher pitch
• Say with clear vowels (not schwa)

Ask: “If I could only shout ONE word in this sentence… what would it be?”

That’s your melody word. Everything else? Use rhythm and schwa to keep the sentence smooth.

Examples

• I LOVE this song. → LOVE rises, others relax.
• I’m GOING to the store. → GOING carries the tone.
• What do you WANT? → WANT is the melody word. (Not always the last word!)

This is why fluent speakers sound so confident—they mean what they say, and the intonation shows it.

Final Tip

Fluent English doesn’t mean perfect grammar—it means emotional timing.

Next time you read a sentence, don’t just decode the words. Feel which word matters most—and let your voice rise.

—Symeon