For Day 25 of 30 Days of Intonation, we look at a super useful word that usually signals the tone or attitude that follows:

Well...

Forget what you think you know about the word "well" - this has nothing to do with the adverb.

"Well" is a extremely common thinking word used by native English speakers for all sorts of purposes.

Best of all, it is a simple transition expression that you can use to buy yourself time before starting to speak.

By changing your tone, you can also start a sentence with "Well" in order to signal your hesitation or doubt.

Remember, you show hesitation by lengthening the syllable, and doubt by dropping your tone.

But that's not it! You can also say "well" with checking and confirmation intonation (that questioning rise) in order to show someone you're curious to hear their story or hear the result of something you've previously discussed.

And you might hear someone in a position of authority use "Well" with strong falling intonation in order to demand a response or to express their power.

All this is possible just by changing your tone on this simple word!

Related Examples: