Unit 18: A detective story
Subject-object questions
Select a unit
- 1 Nice to meet you!
- 2 What to wear
- 3 Like this, like that
- 4 The daily grind
- 5 Christmas every day
- 6 Great achievers
- 7 The Titanic
- 8 Travel
- 9 The big wedding
- 10 Sunny's job hunt
- 11 The bucket list
- 12 Moving and migration
- 13 Welcome to BBC Broadcasting House
- 14 New Year, New Project
- 15 From Handel to Hendrix
- 16 What's the weather like?
- 17 The Digital Revolution
- 18 A detective story
- 19 A place to live
- 20 The Cult of Celebrity
- 21 Welcome to your new job
- 22 Beyond the planets
- 23 Great expectations!
- 24 Eco-tourism
- 25 Moving house
- 26 It must be love
- 27 Job hunting success... and failure
- 28 Speeding into the future
- 29 Lost arts
- 30 Tales of survival
Session 4
We meet Inspector Stone for the final time as he reveals the identity of the ring thief while explaining and practising a very important feature of English pronunciation.
Activity 2
Inspector Stone's case notes
Intonation and question tags
Just a little more work to do to tidy up the Case of the Missing Ring. Inspector Stone wants to keep a record of how the question tags were pronounced when he was speaking to the suspects.
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.
Listen to the recording. You need to decide if the intonation on each sentence goes UP or DOWN. Then try the activity to see if you are right.
Complete the activity
To do
Listen to the clip and try the activity. Think about whether the speaker was stating a fact or asking a real question. This should help you get the answer right.
Up or down?
6 Questions
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Question 1 of 6
Voice UP
Voice DOWN
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
Up or down?
6 Questions
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Question 1 of 6
Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Question 2 of 6
Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Question 3 of 6
Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Question 4 of 6
Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Question 5 of 6
Help
Activity
Sort these questions from the story into ones that were said with the voice going up (question tags) and ones where the voice went down (stating a fact)
Hint
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.Question 6 of 6
Excellent! Great job! Bad luck! You scored:
Your turn!
Try asking questions and stating facts by making your voice go up at the end for questions and down at the end for stating facts. To hear some examples, watch the video again. Practise with a friend! Now try being a detective and make up your own subject and object questions. You could base them on a story you have read or know. Sherlock Holmes maybe?! Play 'whodunnit' – that's a game in which you work out who committed a crime. Think up a simple crime story and get your friends to ask questions to work out 'whodunnit'.
Next
Inspector Stone's case is solved. You can download his case notes for episode 4 here (262KB). Next, we can hear about a real life murder mystery involving a man who faked his own death. Sounds interesting! Find out more in News Report next.
Session Grammar
Pronunciation: Question tags
When we use question tags at the end of a sentence, our voice goes up when we are asking a genuine question. Our voice goes down when we are stating a fact.
Session Vocabulary
skill
being able to do something wellgambler
someone who tries to win money by predicting results of races or other competitionsintonation
the way your voice goes up and down when you speak, which can affect the meaning of what you are saying