Speaking: Pronunciation B2 - Lesson 3: Stress & Rhythm in Complex Sentences

Speaking: Pronunciation B2

Stress & Rhythm in Complex Sentences

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will master the control of English rhythm by stressing content words and de-stressing function words, enabling you to sound more fluent in long, 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.

• 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 in the audio.

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.

The beat is on: THOUGH - WEA - TERR - CID - GO - BEACH.

Practice Your Rhythm 🎯

Activity 1: Feel the Beat Drill

Read these sentences aloud and tap your finger on a table for each stressed syllable (in bold). This helps you feel the beat.

1. He went to the shop to buy some bread.
2. I'll call you tomorrow if I have enough time.
3. The teacher told us a story that was very funny.

Activity 2: Find the Stressed Words

Read the sentence below. Which group of words would normally receive the most stress?

Sentence: "Because the traffic was so bad, she missed her flight to Singapore."

1. Because, the, was, so, she, her, to
2. traffic, bad, missed, flight, Singapore
3. was, bad, she, missed, her, to

→ Answer: B. These are the content words (nouns, adjective, verb) that carry the core meaning of the sentence.

Key Vocabulary

• Rhythm (Noun) | ចង្វាក់
  The regular, repeated pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in speech.
• Complex Sentence (Noun Phrase) | ប្រយោគស្មុគស្មាញ
  A sentence with one main clause and at least one subordinate clause.
• Stress (Noun/Verb) | ការសង្កត់សំឡេង
  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.

1. Find a short paragraph in English from a news website, a book, or any text you are reading.
2. Identify and mark the content words. You can underline or highlight them.
3. 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.
4. Record yourself and listen back. Can you hear a musical rhythm in your speech? This is a highly effective way to improve your fluency.