Speaking: Pronunciation B1
Sentence Stress for Emphasis
Changing Meaning with Stress 🎤
We can give special importance to a specific word in a sentence by changing our stress. This is called using stress for emphasis. Look at how the meaning of one sentence can change completely just by stressing a different word.
I didn't steal your red car.
→ Someone else stole it, not me.
I DIDN'T steal your red car.
→ I am strongly denying it. It's not true.
I didn't STEAL your red car.
→ I did something else with it (maybe I borrowed it).
I didn't steal YOUR red car.
→ I stole a different person's red car.
I didn't steal your RED car.
→ I stole your car of a different color (e.g., your blue one).
I didn't steal your red CAR.
→ I stole something else that was red (e.g., your red moto).
How and Why We Use Emphasis
💡 How to Emphasize a Word
When you stress a word for emphasis, you make it different from the other words. You can do this in three ways at the same time:
- 🔊 Make it LOUDER: Increase the volume on the stressed word.
- ↔️ Make it LONGER: Stretch the vowel sound of the stressed word.
- 🔼 Make the PITCH HIGHER: Make your voice go up on the stressed word.
💡 Common Reasons to Change Stress
1. To Correct Information
When someone says something wrong, you stress the correct information.
Example: A: "Is the meeting on Tuesday?" B: "No, the meeting is on WEDNESDAY."
2. To Show Contrast
When you compare two different things, you stress both of them.
Example: "I don't speak JAPANESE, but I do speak CHINESE."
3. To Emphasize an Opinion
When you want to show a strong feeling, you stress the important word.
Example: "Wow, that movie was AMAZING!"
Practice Your Emphasis 🎯
Activity 1: What's the Implied Meaning?
Listen to the audio. You will hear the sentence "She didn't buy a cheap phone" two times with different stress. Choose the correct implied meaning.
- Sentence 1: "SHE didn't buy a cheap phone."
→ Implied meaning: Someone else bought it. - Sentence 2: "She didn't buy a CHEAP phone."
→ Implied meaning: She bought an expensive phone.
Activity 2: Stress the Correction
Read the mini-dialogues. Which word should Speaker B stress to make the correction clear?
- A: Is your car blue?
B: No, my car is RED. - A: So, you'll see him at 8 o'clock.
B: No, I'll see him at NINE o'clock.
Key Pronunciation Terms
- Sentence Stress The pattern of stressed and unstressed words in a sentence.
- Emphasis Special importance or stress given to a word to show it is important.
- Contrast A clear difference between two things.
- Implied Meaning An idea that is suggested by your tone, but not said directly.
Your Pronunciation Mission ⭐
This week, your mission is to practice using stress for emphasis.
Practice saying this sentence aloud five times: "My brother bought a new moto yesterday." Each time, stress a DIFFERENT word. Think about how the implied meaning changes. Try it with a friend and see if they can understand your new meaning.