Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INTONE
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pronounce
INTONE:
Say it "in TONE."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
As we check out the word intone today, see if you can recall a related word:
Something t___ has a high, fashionable "tone:" it's hip, cool, trendy, stylish, swanky, and fashionable.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
We took the word "intone" from a French one meaning "to sing, or to chant." It has Latin roots that mean "to sing according to the tone," or more literally, "to tone in."
To intone something is to recite it in the form of a song, to say it in the form of a rhythmic chant, or, most commonly, to say it with a careful, often serious, tone of voice.
Above, Danny Tanner intoning serious information at the end of the episode. For example: "I was wrong asking you to lie, even though I was trying to make Grandma feel better."
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Verb, the transitive kind: "They intoned their comments;" "With his head bowed, he intones a prayer."
Other forms:
Intoned, intoning; intoner(s); intonation(s).
It's worth noticing that the noun, "intonation," has another common meaning besides "an instance of someone saying something in a careful tone of voice." Intonation can also be the way that someone's voice goes up or down in tone as they speak.
how to use it:
The word "intone" is a serious one. It's semi-common, so it's great for drawing a little extra attention to the fact that someone is speaking in a careful, measured way.
Most often, we use "intone" to attribute dialogue:
--"No," he intoned.
--She eyed us, intoning, "You know better than that."
--Boromir intones, "One does not simply walk into Mordor."
But we can also talk about people intoning threats, comments, questions, messages, warnings, prayers, etc.
examples:
"'Science today is locked into paradigms,' he intoned solemnly."
— John Horgan, Scientific American, 7 April 2020
"Tiara closed her eyes and blew out five sharp exhales. Then she opened her eyes again. 'I'm a winner, I'm a winner, I'm a winner,' she intoned."
— Libba Bray, Beauty Queens, 2011
has this page helped you understand "intone"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "intone" without saying "say somberly" or "articulate seriously."
try it out:
Thinking back to your childhood, talk about some phrase, saying, warning, or word of advice that a parent, grandparent, or teacher would often intone to you.
What was the message they intoned? Why did they say it so seriously, so thoughtfully, or so deliberately? Is there a chance that you'll intone this same message to your own children--or have you already?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Everyday Etymologies!
If you're in the habit of looking up the etymologies of everyday words (wait, you aren't?), then you find, occasionally, certain ones that strike you as particularly apt, cute, strange, or poetic. I'd like to share some of those finds with you this month. In each issue, I'll give you the etymology of an everyday word, and you supply the word. We'll start easy and move into some tougher ones as the month goes on, but every answer will be an everyday kind of word, one you've been familiar with since, say, adolescence at least. To see the answer, scroll to the bottom of the issue.
Try this one today: This old-fashioned two-syllable noun comes from Old English and is simply a contraction (a smash-up) of a phrase meaning "fourteen nights."
(I was an adult when I realized this. I facepalmed.)
review this word:
A. PULLING and EXTRACTING.
B. HINTING and CONCEALING.
C. RELAXING and ATROPHYING.
2. In the Guardian, David Hytner wrote: "[José Mourinho] is gloriously theatrical and holds his audience with those long pauses, the exaggerated facial expressions, the hypnotic intonation to his _____."
A. lips
B. eyes
C. voice
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
As we check out the word intone today, see if you can recall a related word:
Part of speech:
The word "intone" is a serious one. It's semi-common, so it's great for drawing a little extra attention to the fact that someone is speaking in a careful, measured way.
"'Science today is locked into paradigms,' he intoned solemnly."
Explain the meaning of "intone" without saying "say somberly" or "articulate seriously."
Thinking back to your childhood, talk about some phrase, saying, warning, or word of advice that a parent, grandparent, or teacher would often intone to you.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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