This page will show you how sentence stress can help you understand rapid spoken English. Listen to the examples! Pronunciation for learners of English. Sentence stress is the pattern of stressed and unstressed words across a sentence. Normally this emphasis is on words that carry important information, although this can change significantly, depending on the specific meaning the speaker wants to communicate.
Definition
Are you having trouble understanding sentence stress? Don't worry, you're not alone. This is a common problem for English learners.
Sentence stress is the emphasis that we put on certain words in a sentence. It is important because it helps us understand the meaning of what someone is saying.
Types
There are three types of sentence stress:
1. Focus stress
2. Content stress
3. Contrast stress
Examples
Here are some examples:
1. Focus stress: I didn't see the cat.
2. Content stress: I didn't see the cat.
3. Contrast stress: I didn't see the cat.
As you can see, each type of sentence stress has a different effect on the meaning of the sentence.
1. Focus stress: The focus stress is used to emphasize the most important word in the sentence. In the example above, the focus stress is on the word "cat." This means that the speaker is emphasizing that they did not see the cat.
2. Content stress: The content stress is used to emphasize the most important information in the sentence. In the example above, the content stress is on the words "I didn't see." This means that the speaker is emphasizing that they did not see the cat.
3. Contrast stress: The contrast stress is used to emphasize the difference between two things. In the example above, the contrast stress is on the word "cat." This means that the speaker is emphasizing that they did not see the cat, but they might have seen something else.
Conclusion
Now that you understand the basics of sentence stress, try to listen for it when you are speaking with native English speakers. It will help you to understand what they are saying and it will also help you to improve your own English speaking skills.
