It is really quite amazing how intonation makes all the difference when speaking Russian.

For example, in English, we say, "Is that a book?" and, "That is a book." But in Russian, both can be said with the phrase, "Eta Kneega." (Spelled Phonetically, of course. Pronounce the K and the N seperately, not as in "knee") The distinction between statement and question is all in intonation.

Question:

High -             KNE
                       /        \
Low -        eta        ga

Statement:

High -    ETA
                      \
Low -               kneega