Scribd
Upload
51 views

Sentence-Stress-1-WS

Sentence stress rules

Uploaded by

Minu George Vettamala
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
51 views

Sentence-Stress-1-WS

Sentence stress rules

Uploaded by

Minu George Vettamala
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

Sentence Stress Summary (part 1)

When you use the predictable rhythm of English, it is easier for native speakers to
understand you.

The combination of stressed & unstressed syllables and words creates the
rhythm of English.

Just like there are specific syllables we stress in words, there are also specific words we
stress in our sentences.

English sounds more natural when you combine short & long syllable words in your
sentences.
Ex: Big black dogs chase small white cats. vs. A big black dog is chasing a little cat.
(Dauer, 1993, pg. 84)

English is a stress-timed language. The time it takes to say a sentence in English does not
depend on the number of words in the sentence, but the number of STRESSED words in
the sentence. Ex: Boys eat treats vs. The boys will have eaten the treats.

The words that are stressed in a sentence depend on the intention or meaning of the
message. However, you can generally divide words into two categories:

Content Words (stressed) & Function Words (unstressed).

CONTENT WORDS: most important words in the sentence.


Stressed: longer, louder, with a higher pitch, and full pronunciation.
Nouns: person, place, or thing (mother, store, pencil)
Verbs: action words (jump, go)
Adjectives: describing words (beautiful, angry)
Adverbs: when, where, how (quickly, before)

Content words carry the most meaning in a sentence. If you were only to say the content
words, your listener would still be able to understand the general idea of your message.

When you stress words, you are telling your listener that those words are the most
important ideas in your message.

© 2012 PronunciationPro.com All rights reserved.


FUNCTION WORDS: show grammatical meaning, but not as important.
Unstressed: quicker, quieter, with a lower pitch, and reduced pronunciation.
Pronouns: replaces a noun (he, she, they)
Prepositions: shows spatial relationship (around, below, on top, under)
Articles: (a, the, and)
Helping Verbs: (might, should)
“to-be” Verbs: (am, are, is, was)

There isn’t an exact way to use sentence stress. The words we decide to stress in a sentence
depend on the meaning.

See ‘Sentence Stress part 2’ for more rules on how to use stress to change the meaning of a
message.

© 2012 PronunciationPro.com All rights reserved.


Sentence Stress Worksheet (part 1)
The combination of stressed & unstressed syllables and words creates the rhythm
of English.

Which sentence sounds more natural in English?


1. Big black dogs chase small white cats.
2. The big black dog is chasing the little cat.

Sentences that use short & long syllable words.


1. Pancakes make a good breakfast.
2.Are you going to call me this evening?
3.Have you seen Susan’s new haircut?
4.Chocolate is my favorite candy.
5. I enjoy gardening on sunny days.

Use the same stress pattern while saying these sentences.


1. TWINkle, TWINkle, LITtle STAR
2. KEvin CAME to FIX my DOOR
3. WHEN will STEven PAY the BILL?
4. I would LOVE to EAT that CAKE

CONTENT WORDS: most important words in the sentence.


Stressed: longer, louder, with a higher pitch, and full pronunciation.
Nouns: person, place, or thing (mother, store, pencil)
Verbs: action words (jump, go)
Adjectives: describing words (beautiful, angry)
Adverbs: when, where, how (quickly, before)

FUNCTION WORDS: show grammatical meaning, but not as important.


Unstressed: quicker, quieter, with a lower pitch, and reduced pronunciation.
Pronouns: replaces a noun (he, she, they)
Prepositions: shows spatial relationship (around, below, on top, under)
Articles: (a, the, and)
Helping Verbs: (might, should)
“to-be” Verbs: (am, are, is, was)

© 2012 PronunciationPro.com All rights reserved.


Practice Sentences: set 1
Underline the content (stressed) words in these sentences.
(see description of content words on previous page)
1. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
2. Chewing mint gum can freshen your breath.
3. Vegetables and fruits are healthy.
4. Driving in snow is difficult.
5. Spending time with family can be stressful.
6. Please buy more bread and milk.
7. Drinking water is good for you.
8. Tomorrow is my 80th birthday!
9. Cats enjoy sleeping in warm places.
10. My dentist appointment is tomorrow.

Practice Sentences: set 2


Underline the content (stressed) words in these sentences.
1. Ben will go to the store to get fried chicken.
2. Christmas and Thanksgiving are my absolute favorite holidays.
3. She scheduled the next meeting for Thursday morning.
4. Apple pie is one of Jill’s very favorite foods.
5. Lawyers can make a lot of money.
6. Rainy weather will usually make me feel sleepy.
7. Wendy is an accountant.
8. Nancy found the perfect pair of shoes.
9. Panda bears will always eat bamboo.
10. When can we meet up for lunch?

Practice Paragraph:
My new apartment is perfect for me and my family. The rent is cheap and I can have pets
there. The living room walls are painted light blue and the kitchen is painted yellow. There
are 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom that are small but very cozy. Fortunately, the kitchen and
living room are large. I enjoy cooking in a nice big kitchen and playing with our 4-year-old
is fun in a spacious living room.

© 2012 PronunciationPro.com All rights reserved.


Sentence Stress Practice
Say the bolded words longer, louder, with a higher pitch, and full
pronunciation.

America is a melting pot of many cultures. Many immigrants from different lands
have helped shape this unique country. Its earliest settlers were the Native
Americans whose unique contributions can still be seen today.

Native Americans have influenced American culture through language. Believe


it or not more than 2,000 words found in American English today have been
shaped by Native Americans. Almost half of our state names come from Native
American words. For example, Minnesota comes from a Dakota Indian word that
means “sky-tinted water.”

Native American influence can also be seen in our agriculture. Various tribes
taught the early European settlers how to grow crops in a new climate and soil.
Corn was one of those crops. It is a major crop even today. A lot of our corn is eaten
by people. It is also used to feed farm animals like cows and pigs. Corn is also used
to produce ethanol which is one kind of fuel we use for our cars.

Let’s not forget the important role Native Americans have played in shaping
America’s unique and diverse culture.

© 2012 PronunciationPro.com All rights reserved.


Sentence Stress Poem
Sick (shortened version)
by: Shel Silverstein

“I cannot go to school today,”


Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

**the stress pattern in this poem does not follow the rules of stress. This poem
is used to demonstrate stressed & unstressed words in sentences.

© 2012 PronunciationPro.com All rights reserved.

You might also like