Resource overview
Start with a dependable model
Use recordings from your current textbook or a teacher’s demonstration. The timing below is a planning suggestion; shorten it if needed. Tone marks alone cannot tell you whether your voice matches the model.
- For two minutes, listen to five words and write the tones you hear.
- For three minutes, repeat the words and check one item at a time.
- For three minutes, put the words into short sentences and listen for connected-speech differences.
- Use the final two minutes to replay your own recording and mark questions for a teacher.
Keep a small practice log
Date: ____ Material and page: ____ Confusing words: ____ Next question: ____. You can use mā, má, mǎ and mà as tone reminders, but connected speech needs real words and context. Do not stretch every syllable into an exaggerated contour.
External textbook and recordings: MIT OCW
Editorial practice · Updated 2026-10-20. For self-study and discussion; not a school offer, exam specification or guaranteed outcome.