Miss Tooley.       How do you think we ought to start?
J.D. O’Connor.     My idea is this. Suppose we just say a few ordinary
                   sentences. After that we’ll go back again and notice
                   how we’ve said them and what sort of tune we’ve
                   used, and then we’ll try to make some clear and
                   [bad word] about them.
Miss Tooley.       Yes, that’s a good idea. Now the first thing I said
                   was this: «How do you think we ought to start?»
                   I wonder if the listeners can hear the tune. «How
                   do you think we ought to start?»
J.D.               You see, listeners, that sentence starts on a fairly
                   high note and it continues on that same note
                   until it reaches the word «ought». Just listen.
Miss Tooley.       «How — How do you think we — How do you
                   think we ought to start?»

72
J.D.           Like that, you see. The word «ought» is said on a
               slightly lower note, and the sentence continues
               on that lower note until it gets to the very last
               syllable.
Miss Tooley.   How do you think we ought to start? How do you
               think we ought to start?
J.D.           Again, you see. The word «start» is on a slightly
               lower note and not only that, it falls as you say it:
               «start — start».
Miss Tooley.   Yes, it does. It falls right down to the bottom
               of my voice, listen: «How do you think we ought
               to start? How do you think we ought to start?»
J.D.           So the sentence is really in three parts,
               corresponding to the number of stressed syllables:
               «how», followed by four weak syllables, then
               «ought», followed by one weak syllable; and, lastly,
               «start», followed by nothing at all.
Miss Tooley.   How do you think we — ought to — start?