Listening for Intonation: The Fox and the Grapes by Aesop

The Fox and the Grapes Audio (AmE)

This audio recording is from the site LibriVox where you can listen to hundreds of audiobooks recorded by volunteers. The text of the fable is from the book Aesop's Fables, Pan Books, 1975.

Эта аудиозапись с сайта LibriVox, где вы можете прослушать сотни аудиокниг, записанных добровольцами. Текст басни из книги Aesop's Fables, Pan Books, 1975.

Aesop's Fables

The Fox and the Grapes

A hungry Fox saw some fine bunches of Grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis, and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air. But it was all in vain, for they were just out of reach: so he gave up trying, and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking, "I thought those Grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour."

Text of Audio, with intonation marked

('This is a 'LibriVox re\cording. 'All 'LibriVox re'cordings are in the 'public do\main. For 'more infor/mation, or to volun/teer, 'please 'visit 'librivox dot \org.)

'Aesop's \FABLES

The 'Fox and the \GRAPES

A 'hungry 'FOX 'saw some 'fine 'bunches of \GRAPES |

'hanging from a \VINE |

that was 'trained along a 'high \TRELLis, |

and 'did his \BEST to 'reach them

by 'jumping as 'high as he 'could into the \AIR. ||

'But | it was 'all in /vain, | for they were 'just out of \REACH: ||

so he 'gave up /trying, |

and 'walked 'away with an 'air of 'dignity and 'uncon\CERN, |

re/marking, | 'I 'thought those 'grapes were \ripe, |

but I 'SEE 'now they are 'quite \SOUR. ||

('End of The 'Fox and the \Grapes)

Intonation marks used in this material

'saw – sentence stress on a content word;

'FOX – stronger sentence stress on the main word of the sense group (thought group);

\GRAPES – falling tone on the main word of the sense group or on the last stressed word of the sentence;

re/marking – rising tone;

| – short pause between sense groups or parts of the sentence;

|| – longer pause between sentences.