Sentence Stress
PHONETICS, DICTION AND LAB WORKS II
Rita Aldorino, MA - 2012
Sentence stress is the music of spoken English. Like word stress, sentence stress can help you to understand spoken
English, especially when spoken fast. This is what gives English its rhythm or 'beat'. Remember that word stress is
the accent on one syllable within a word. Sentence stress is the accent on certain words within a sentence.
Most sentences have two types of word:
content words
-
structure words
Content words are the key words of a sentence. They are the important words that carry the meaning or sense.
Structure words are not very important words. They are small, simple words that make the sentence correct
grammatically. They give the sentence its correct form or 'structure'.
If you remove the structure words from a sentence, you will probably still understand the sentence. If you remove
the content words from a sentence, you will not understand the sentence. The sentence has no sense or meaning.
Imagine that you receive this telegram message:
SELL
CAR
GONE
FRANCE
This sentence is not complete. It is not a 'grammatically correct' sentence. But you probably understand it. These 4
words communicate well. Somebody wants you to sell their car for them because they have gone to France. We can
add a few words:
you
SELL
my
CAR
because
GONE
to FRANCE
The new words do not really add any more information. But they make the message more correct grammatically.
We can add even more words to make one complete, grammatically correct sentence. But the information is the
same:
Will you
SELL
my
CAR
because
I've
GONE
to
FRANCE.
In our sentence, the 4 key words (sell, car, gone, France) are accentuated or stressed.
Why is this important for pronunciation? It is important because it adds 'music' to the language. It is the rhythm of
the English language. It changes the speed at which we speak (and listen to) the language. The time between each
stressed word is the same.
In our sentence, there is 1 syllable between SELL and CAR and 3 syllables between CAR and GONE. But the time
(t) between SELL and CAR and between CAR and GONE is the same. We maintain a constant beat on the stressed
words. To do this, we say "my" more slowly, and "because I've" more quickly. We change the speed of the small
structure words so that the rhythm of the key content words stays the same.
2
Will
you
SELL
1
my
CAR
3
because I've
1
GONE
to
FRANCE.
(* the numbers indicate the amount of syllables between each stress)
Sentence stress (S S) is the relative degree of force given to the various words in a sentence. Nevertheless,
not all the words that take stress in isolation are accented in CS (Connected Speech). Some stresses are
retained, according to the importance the word has in the sentence.
Generally, it’s the significant – content- words the ones that take full stress: nouns, …………………….,
demonstratives, …………… and ……………….. .
Form - ………….- words, on the other hand, can take weak form. Those are the words that join lexical
words together, such as …………….. , short ………….., ………………, ………………. and …………….
Stressed syllables occur at a regular pace, having the unstressed syllables adjusted between them. In
English, a degree of rhythm can be attained by moving steadily from one …………… to the next, filling in the
spaces between them with …………… syllables, even when the number of ………….…….. syllables separating
the ………… syllables are quite irregular.
PHONETICS, DICTION AND LAB WORKS II
IFD Nº 5 “J. E. Tello”
Rita Aldorino, MA - 2012
Sentence stress plays an important role in distinguishing the syntactic relationship of words in English.
NOUNS
Being among the most relevant words in a sentence, nouns are nearly always given SS under
normal circumstances.
Did the boys see the teacher after class?
-
The noise of the train in the tunnel was terrible.
But some other situations call for unstressed -and weakened- forms of the nouns.
Compound Nouns with
Man
_________
_________
- shire
_________
_________
day
_________
_________
ford
_________
_________
Saint
_________
_________
pence
_________
_________
land
_________
_________
sense
_________
_________
When a noun is repeated
What was the film like?
Oh, it was a good film.
Nouns with a wide meaning or denotation
Thing
That’s a nice thing to do.
Place
It was such a small place.
Person
All persons should exit through gate 9.
Nouns denoting large classes of persons or things. They usually take S S when standing by themselves to
name a member of a general class, but they are unstressed if preceded by an adjective
That’s the man I know.
He’s a professional man.
Woman
________________________
_______________________
Fellow
________________________
_______________________
Time
________________________
_______________________
Man
* These words are also used in single-stressed compounds: policewoman- school fellow- peanut- bedtime
The word street is unaccented when forming compound nouns
Oxford street
- ________________ - __________________
ADJECTIVES
They are generally stressed in connected speech
A beautiful girl ________________- A shallow river________________
Exceptions
When they are repeated in a sentence
Mary is clever but Paul is not clever at all.
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________________
PHONETICS, DICTION AND LAB WORKS II
IFD Nº 5 “J. E. Tello”
Rita Aldorino, MA - 2012
Adjectives old – little are usually unaccented
A pretty little girl -
_____________________
More and Most are stressed being adjectives or pronouns
Most of them speak French
- ___________________
But they are unstressed when used to form the comparative and superlative degrees
He is the most interesting person I’ve ever met - __________________________
Possessive adjectives are stressed in emphatic position to indicate contrast of possession
His canvasses sell more than her paintings.
_________________________
PRONOUNS
Normally unstressed
They didn’t give me one.
-
__________________________
Exceptions
In emphatic position to indicate contrast of persons
He came but she did not __________________________
When they are in apposition to a noun
I want you, the girl in blue, to stand up. -
__________________________
Before a parenthesis
He, the real king, gave the order. -
_________________________
The indefinite pronoun one is not accented. The premodifier usually takes the stress
I will buy the red one .
Which one do you prefer?
_________________________
__________________________
Possessive Pronouns
They are always stressed
Mine’s very nice. How about yours?
-
__________________________
Unstressed when meaning mere reflection
He looked at himself in the mirror
-
__________________________
Stressed when meaning alone
We ourselves did it
-
_________________________
Reflexive pronouns
Demonstrative Pronouns or Adjectives
Generally stressed used in the strong form
That house is very old. -
_________________________
NEGATIVE DETERMINERS
No / None usually stressed
I want no more
-
__________________________
Compounds someone, somebody, something, anybody, anyone, anything are stressed when acting as
subject, not object
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PHONETICS, DICTION AND LAB WORKS II
IFD Nº 5 “J. E. Tello”
Rita Aldorino, MA - 2012
Someone must have lost it
cf.
I saw someone there.
_________________________
__________________________
Compounds nobody, no one, nothing are almost always stressed
He did nothing at all.
__________________________
MODALS AND AUXILIARIES
Verbs like TO BE, DO, HAVE, CAN, MUST, SHALL, WILL, SHOULD, WOULD are usually unaccented and
used in the weak form in connected speech. They are stressed and used in the strong form in the following cases:
Contracted with the particle not
We weren’t here yesterday.
__________________________
They couldn’t say a word.
__________________________
Questions tags, where the pronoun is unaccented but in the strong form
They don’t work here, do they?
She has finished it, hasn’t she?
__________________________
__________________________
In affirmative short answers
Are you coming tomorrow? Yes, I am.
__________________________
To express contrast or intensity
She can speak Russian.
__________________________
They do act foolishly.
__________________________
In final position
We think she must.
__________________________
* These verbs are also used in stressed positions with a strong form in cases where they denote a special meaning
different from the uses mentioned above.
Verb TO BE
With the meaning of obligation (construction TO BE + TO - INF vb)
We are to meet them before 6 o’clock.
__________________________
To express arrangements or planning
They are to get married next spring.
__________________________
Verb TO HAVE
With the meaning of obligation
You have to do it.
__________________________
With the meaning of experience, receive, take, drink, smoke, get it is used in the strong form nut in
unaccented position
__________________________
We had a letter from Aunt Emma yesterday.
__________________________
Causative use of HAVE
Stressed: Did you have your hair cut?
________________
Unstressed but strong: I had my hair cut.
________________
She usually has a cup of tea.
With the meaning of possession without the particle GOT
We have a new car.
cf.
We’ve got a new car.
Do you have many friends?
Have you got many friends?
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PHONETICS, DICTION AND LAB WORKS II
IFD Nº 5 “J. E. Tello”
Rita Aldorino, MA - 2012
__________________________
__________________________
As a full verb
Let’s do the shopping.
_________________________
Verb TO DO
WILL/ SHALL
With the meaning of promise, threaten, insistence, determination
Payments shall be made by cheque.
_________________________
MUST
Unaccented position in the weak form when meaning supposition
She must have left early.
_______________________
WOULD
With the meaning of used to
We would spend hours talking.
_______________________
With the meaning of moral obligation
He should study harder for the tests.
____________________________
SHOULD
* Modals like MAY, MIGHT, OUGHT TO, DARE TO follow the rule for any of the auxiliaries mentioned above. These
verbs do not have a weak form.
ADVERBS
Most adverbs (manner, place, time) are usually accented.
She runs fast.
John speaks French very well.
_________________________
____________________________
EMPHATIC WORDS
Always accented
Whatever you like.
_________________________
Wherever it goes.
____________________________
EXCLAMATORY WORDS
Usually accented
What a lovely day!
_________________________
What beautiful eyes she has!
___________________________
INTERROGATIVE WORDS
They are usually stressed
What is your address?
_________________________
Which one do you want?
__________________________
In interrogatives formed with How….(many/ much/ far) the stress may shift from the interrogative word
to the adverb/ adjective following, due to rhythmical variation
How many people were there?
_________________________
How deep is the hole?
__________________________
CONJUNCTIONS
Coordinating conjunctions are usually unstressed
She came and spoke to us.
Are you single or married?
_________________________
__________________________
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PHONETICS, DICTION AND LAB WORKS II
IFD Nº 5 “J. E. Tello”
Rita Aldorino, MA - 2012
These are usually stressed before a parenthesis
She came and, as usual, spoke to us.
__________________________
Subordinating Conjunctions are stressed when they introduce a subordinate clause.
Unless you say the truth, you won’t leave.
She cried because she was sad.
_____________________________
_______________________________
PREPOSITIONS
Long prepositions are always stressed
It’s inside the house.
_________________________
I saw him between the two cars.
__________________________
Short prepositions are unstressed
He looked at her.
It’s on the floor.
______________
_____________________
That was for her.
________________
In final position, short prepositions are unstressed but used in the strong form
What is it made of?
What were they looking for?
_________________________
__________________________
In passive voice, i.e. when preceded by the object, prepositions are said in the strong form
She was laughed at by everyone there.
They girl they were looking for has been found.
_________________________
__________________________
PHRASAL VERBS
The adverbial/ prepositional particle is accented when the phrasal verb is in final position
You must go on.
They fire was put out.
_________________________
__________________________
When in middle position, the verb is more prominent than the adverbial/ prepositional particle.
Put on your coat.
You should put off the game.
_________________________
__________________________
When the object of the verb is between the verb and the particle, both elements are equally accented.
Take them off.
Put it off.
_________________________
__________________________
BIBLIOGRAPHY
* http://pronunciation.englishclub.com/sentence-stress.htm
English Phonetics and Phonology (Roach, P.) Longman
Better English Pronunciation (O’Connor, J.D.) Longman
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