The Power of Prosody

When we think about reading fluency, we often focus on accuracy (reading the correct words) and rate (reading with appropriate speed). These two elements are regularly assessed and widely emphasised. But there is a third, often overlooked, component—prosody.

Prosody refers to the rhythm, stress, and intonation that bring spoken language to life. It’s what makes reading expressive rather than robotic, and it offers vital clues about whether a child truly understands what they’re reading. Alongside accuracy and rate, prosody forms the trinity of fluent reading, as recognised by the National Reading Panel (2000).

The word fluency itself comes from the Latin word fluens, meaning to flow—a fitting origin for a skill that allows reading to move with ease, expression, and meaning. When reading flows naturally, with phrasing and intonation that match the structure and sense of the text, comprehension is enhanced. A more comprehensive definition describes fluency as ‘reasonably accurate reading at an appropriate rate with suitable prosody that leads to accurate and deep comprehension and motivation to read’ (Hasbrouck & Glaser, 2012).

Yet despite its recognised importance, prosody remains the forgotten component of fluency. While we count words per minute and correct errors, we may miss how a child’s voice reflects their grasp of meaning. Prosody connects decoding to comprehension. It allows readers to convey emotion, highlight structure, and signal emphasis, all of which support a listener’s understanding and reflect the reader’s own.

Consider the following sentence: ‘Woman, without her man, is nothing.’ Read one way, it conveys dependence. But punctuate and read it differently — ‘Woman, without her, man is nothing’ — and it expresses the opposite. The words remain the same, but the meaning shifts entirely. This shift occurs because of a change in punctuation, which in turn influences prosody. Imagine if a child read it with the wrong prosody: the entire meaning would change, leading to a misinterpretation of the text.

Prosodic reading shows us that a child isn’t just recognising words on a page, they’re interpreting, feeling, and understanding what they read.

What Is Prosody?

Prosody is often described as the music of language. It brings rhythm, nuance, and expression to spoken and written words, transforming flat reading into something meaningful and engaging. At its core, prosody means reading with expression, and can be defined as ‘the compilation of spoken language features that includes stress or emphasis, pitch variations, intonation, reading rate, and pausing’ (Osborn & Lehr, 2003).

Key elements of prosody include:

• Pitch – the highness or lowness of the voice, which can convey emotion or signal questions versus statements.
  

• Stress – the emphasis placed on certain syllables or words, which can alter meaning or highlight importance.
  

• Pausing – the natural breaks in speech that reflect punctuation and phrasing.
  

• Phrasing – grouping words together in meaningful units or ‘chunks.’
  

• Intonation – the rising and falling of the voice across a sentence, which adds expression and helps listeners interpret meaning.
  

These features combine to help a listener make sense of spoken language. When applied to reading aloud, they influence not just how something sounds but how it’s understood.

Importantly, prosody depends on both accuracy and automaticity. A reader must recognise words quickly and correctly in order to read expressively. Research also suggests a reciprocal relationship between prosody and comprehension: not only does prosodic reading indicate a reader’s understanding, it actively supports it. When readers use phrasing, tone, and emphasis effectively, they are both demonstrating and deepening their grasp of the text.

Why Prosody Matters in Reading

Prosody is more than just nice-sounding reading. It's closely linked to comprehension. Fluent readers don't just decode accurately; they read with expression, pacing, and phrasing that reflect an understanding of the text. When children read with appropriate prosody, it often means they are integrating several key processes:

• Automatic word recognition: so cognitive resources are freed up for expression.

• Syntactic awareness: recognising sentence structures and where to pause.

• Comprehension monitoring: adjusting tone and pace to reflect meaning.

Researchers like Kuhn, Schwanenflugel, and Rasinski have long argued that reading fluency reflects the bridge between decoding and comprehension. In fact, when children read with good prosody, it's a strong sign that they are making meaning from the text rather than simply decoding word by word.

Prosody is a powerful indicator of reading proficiency. It reflects a reader’s ability to group words into meaningful phrases and use pitch to convey meaning, supporting both fluency and comprehension. Although research on prosody remains limited, a number of studies have shown a reliable link between prosodic skill and reading ability (Deacon et al., 2018; Wade-Woolley et al., 2022; Wolters et al., 2022; Godde et al., 2020). Aspects of prosody develop gradually, with phrasing emerging after decoding becomes more automatic, and more nuanced features like sentence-final pitch continuing to evolve into adolescence.

Sentence-final pitch refers to the change in pitch (usually a drop or rise in tone) that occurs at the end of a sentence, helping to signal meaning, sentence type, or emotion.

Falling sentence-final pitch (common in declarative statements):

‘I went to the park.’
In English, the pitch typically falls at the end of a statement like this, signalling that the thought is complete.

Rising sentence-final pitch (common in yes/no questions):

‘Did you go to the park?’
Here, the pitch rises at the end, indicating uncertainty or a question.

Recognising and using sentence-final pitch appropriately helps listeners distinguish between statements, questions, and emotions, which is crucial for reading aloud with understanding and expression.

How to Support Prosody in the Classroom

Teaching prosody isn't about telling children to be more expressive. Instead, it's about modelling what expressive reading sounds like, helping children understand why it matters, and giving them opportunities to practise.

Prosody prompts when children are reading:

• ‘Make sure you pay attention to the punctuation’

• ‘Read the way you talk (to a friend)’

• ‘Where should you change your voice?’

• ‘Where should you stop or slow down?’

Here are several ways teachers can support prosodic development:

1. Model expressive reading Read aloud regularly and with expression. Vary your pitch, tone, and pace to reflect the meaning of the text. Use this as a chance to explicitly draw attention to how your voice changes and why.

2. Use echo reading Have children echo your expressive reading as a class. This builds confidence and provides a scaffold for children to try on different prosodic patterns.

3. Use Readers’ Theatre Scripts allow children to focus on delivery without worrying about what comes next. Rehearsing and performing builds fluency and encourages attention to expression, pacing, and phrasing.

4. Draw attention to punctuation and phrasing Teach children how punctuation affects reading. Ask, ‘What happens to our voice at a full stop? A question mark? A comma?’

5. Record and reflect Let children record their reading and listen back. Encourage them to evaluate their own expression and phrasing.

6. Use poetry and song Rhymes, chants, and poems have natural rhythm and musicality. These are ideal for practising stress and intonation in a fun and engaging way.

What Prosody Reveals About the Reader

Observing how a child uses prosody can reveal important information:

• Flat, monotone reading may suggest the child is focused solely on decoding and not comprehending.

• Inappropriate pausing can signal a lack of syntactic awareness or trouble recognising sentence structure.

• Overly robotic pacing might indicate limited automaticity and a need for more fluency practice.

• Expressive, well-paced reading typically reflects stronger comprehension and confidence.

In other words, prosody is not just an output of fluent reading, it's also a diagnostic clue to what’s happening internally as a child processes text.

Prosody reminds us that fluency is not just about speed. Reading too quickly can sometimes be a sign of surface-level processing. Effective fluency instruction balances accuracy, rate, and prosody, ensuring that expression supports meaning-making.

Books That Beg to Be Read Aloud with Prosody

The following books are full of voice, character, and emotion, and are perfect for modelling expressive reading or affording children the chance to practice reading with prosody.

1. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

The pigeon’s dramatic tone, pleading voice, and sudden mood shifts make it perfect for experimenting with pitch, volume, and expression.

2. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Each crayon has its own voice and personality—ideal for exploring characterisation through tone and inflection.

3. The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak

A hilarious exploration of voice, this book forces the reader into dramatic expression and nonsense sounds—children love it, and it highlights the power of delivery.

4. We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

With a cheeky narrator and emotional shifts, this book offers great opportunities for expressive reading and dramatic pauses.

5. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Dry humour and understated dialogue require careful pacing and tone to bring out the irony—great for subtle prosody practice.

6. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

The shift between narration and animal demands lets readers alternate between calm and indignant voices—fun and rhythmic!

Final Thoughts: Prosody as a Bridge

In many ways, prosody is the bridge between decoding and comprehension. It represents the moment when reading becomes more than recognising words. As teachers, we have the opportunity to highlight this dimension of reading in ways that are joyful, purposeful, and deeply supportive of literacy development. The National Reading Panel (2000) recognised fluency as a critical component of reading development, but it's worth noting that they defined fluency as reading ‘with speed, accuracy, and proper expression.’

That final element—expression—deserves more attention in both classroom practice and assessment.

We must not let prosody continue to be the forgotten component.

So the next time a child reads aloud, listen closely. Not just to whether the words are right, but to how they sound. Their voice may be telling you more than you think.