Introduction
Stress?
What is sentence stress?
Sentence stressing maybe new to some because they’ve always known only about word stressing but I believe some have used sentence stressing in conversations without realizing it.
This webquest will answer your queries about sentence stressing.
There are two types of stress
*Word stressing and
*sentence stressing
This webquest is focused only on sentence stressing.
*How it helps in the understanding of spoken English
*How a certain word is stressed can make a big difference on the sentence.
Task
The students are divided into 5 groups. Each group is given one sentence with different stress patterns. The students will discuss by group and practice reciting the sentences, they are only given 10 minutes for the group discussion after that they will be called by the teacher to recite a sentence with a specific stress pattern chosen by the teacher. After reciting the sentence the student is questioned as to what the sentence implies.
Process
Sentence Stress Rules
The basic rules of sentence stress are:
- content words are stressed
- structure words are unstressed
- the time between stressed words is always the same
The following tables can help you decide which words are content words and which words are structure words:
Content words - stressed
|
words carrying the meaning |
example |
|
main verbs |
SELL, GIVE, EMPLOY |
|
nouns |
CAR, MUSIC, MARY |
|
adjectives |
RED, BIG, INTERESTING |
|
adverbs |
QUICKLY, LOUDLY, NEVER |
|
negative auxiliaries |
DON'T, AREN'T, CAN'T |
Structure words - unstressed
|
words for correct grammar |
example |
|
pronouns |
he, we, they |
|
prepositions |
on, at, into |
|
articles |
a, an, the |
|
conjunctions |
and, but, because |
|
auxiliary verbs |
do, be, have, can, must |
Exceptions
The rules above are for for what is called "neutral" or normal stress. But sometimes we can stress a word that would normally be only a structure word, for example to correct information. Look at the following dialogue:
"They've been to Mongolia, haven't they?"
"No, THEY haven't, but WE have."
Note also that when "be" is used as a main verb, it is usually unstressed—even though as a main verb it is also a content word.
[video:https://youtu.be/ivnaOOF3wm4 align:center]
Evaluation
|
Category |
Needs Improvement 1 pt |
Satisfactory 2 pts |
Good 3 pts |
Excellent 4 pts |
|
Pronunciation |
Student was difficult to understand, quiet in speaking, unclear in pronunciation. |
Student was slightly unclear with pronunciation at times, but generally is fair |
Pronunciation was good and did not interfere with communication |
Pronunciation was very clear and easy to understand. |
|
Speaks Clearly |
Often mumbles or cannot be understood. |
Speaks clearly and distinctly most of the time. |
Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, but mispronounces one word. |
Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, and mispronounces no words |
|
Volume |
Volume often too soft to be heard by all audience |
Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience or members 80% of the time. |
Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience or members atleast 90% of the time |
Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience or members throughout the presentation. |
Conclusion
Sentence stress is the music of spoken English. Like word stress, sentence stress can help you to understand spoken English, even rapid spoken English. This is important for pronunciation because it adds "music" to the language, hence the rhythm of the English language. It changes the speed at which we speak (and listen to).