Speaking: Pronunciation B2
Stress & Rhythm in Complex Sentences
The Beat of English: Content vs. Function Words 🎵
A key feature that separates intermediate and advanced speakers is their control of English rhythm. English is a "stress-timed" language, meaning we create a beat with the important words. To find this rhythm, you must know which words to stress.
✅ Content Words (Stressed)
These key words carry the meaning. Speak them more loudly, clearly, and slowly.
- Nouns: house, tea, schedule
- Main Verbs: go, study, decide
- Adjectives: big, tired, expensive
- Adverbs: always, quickly
❌ Function Words (Unstressed)
These small grammar words are less important. Speak them quickly and softly (they are often reduced to sounds like 'schwa' /ə/).
- Articles: a, an, the
- Prepositions: in, at, to, for
- Conjunctions: and, but, so
- Auxiliary Verbs: is, do, have, can
Finding the Beat in Complex Sentences
The rhythm continues even across sentences with multiple clauses. The stressed content words are the main beats, and the unstressed function words are the quick little notes in between. Listen to the rhythm.
If you want to improve your English, you should practice every day.
da da DA da da DA da DA | da da DA-tice DA-ry DA.
Although the weather was terrible, we decided to go to the beach.
Beat is on: THOUGH - WEA - TERR - CID - GO - BEACH.
Practice Your Rhythm 🎯
Activity 1: Feel the Beat Drill
Read these sentences aloud. Tap your finger on a table for each stressed syllable (in BOLD/UPPERCASE). Click 🔊 to listen first, then copy the rhythm.
- He went to the shop to buy some bread.
- I'll call you tomorrow if I have enough time.
- The teacher told us a story that was very funny.
Activity 2: Find the Stressed Words (Self-Check)
Read the sentence below, then choose the group of words that would normally receive the most stress.
Sentence: "Because the traffic was so bad, she missed her flight to Singapore."
Key Vocabulary
- Rhythm The regular, repeated pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in speech.
- Complex Sentence A sentence with one main clause and at least one subordinate clause.
- Stress The emphasis placed on a syllable or word to make it louder and longer.
- Content Words Words that carry the main meaning (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs). These are usually stressed.
- Function Words Grammar words that connect content words (prepositions, articles, conjunctions). These are usually unstressed.
Your Rhythm Mission ⭐
Mark and Read
Your mission is to apply this knowledge to a real text.
- Find a short paragraph in English from a news website, a book, or any text you are reading.
- Identify and mark the content words. You can underline or highlight them.
- Read the paragraph aloud. Put clear stress on the content words you marked. Speak the function words quickly and softly to create a steady beat.
- Record yourself and listen back. Can you hear a musical rhythm in your speech? This is a highly effective way to improve your fluency.