Sentence stress & rhythm

English is a stress-timed language.
We stress the words that carry meaning and reduce the words that are grammatical.

Content Words vs Function Words

Content words (usually stressed)

• Nouns (people, knowledge, friends, education)

• Main verbs (study, want, decide, promise, hope)

• Adjectives (fantastic, amazing, motivating, inspired, scary)

• Adverbs (actively, slowly, quickly, well, emotionally)

• Numbers (first, third, twenty-five, a million)

• Wh-question words (why, where, what, who)

Function words (usually unstressed)

• Pronouns (I, you, we, they, he, she, it)

• Articles (a, an, the)

• Prepositions (at, after, for, from, in, on, with)

• Auxiliary/helping verbs (am, is, are, do, does, did, have, has)

• Conjunctions (and, or, then, so)

Nouns Are Usually the Strongest Word

Nouns carry key meaning, so they are often stressed more strongly than verbs.

Examples:

1. Mike likes BIKES.

2. Elsa wants a BOOK.

3. Adam plays TENNIS.

4. She needs some MONEY.

5. They bought a new LAPTOP.

6. The kids love CHOCOLATE.

7. He works in a RESTAURANT.

8. We watched a great MOVIE.

9. I work with my COLLEAGUE.

10. I speak three LANGUAGES.

Verbs Are Stronger Than Pronouns

Nouns are stressed the most, but if there are no nouns, verbs take the dominant position. Pronouns are rarely stressed.

Compare:

1. Mike sells CARS.

2. He SELLS them.

3. Jane bought a CAR.

4. She BOUGHT one.

5. Kids like CANDY.

6. They LIKE it.

Pronouns are usually weak unless contrasted:

• I said HER, not HIM.

Nouns vs Verbs Practice 

Read both versions. Notice how stress shifts.

1. Bob sees Anna → He sees her.

2. Ann and Mark called the kids → They called them.

3. John fixed the car → He fixed it.

4. We joined the meeting → We joined it.

5. The tourists bought souvenirs → They bought them.

Nouns vs Adjectives

We usually stress the noun more than the adjective.

• a nice CAR

• a beautiful CITY

• a long MEETING

• a serious PROBLEM

• a cheap FLIGHT

If there is no noun, the adjective carries stress:

• I’m TIRED.

• She’s FANTASTIC.

• That’s AMAZING.

• It’s AWFUL.

Compare:

• She’s a smart teacher vs She’s smart.

Adjectives vs Adverbs

Adjectives are usually stronger than adverbs.

• It’s very COLD.

• She’s really BUSY.

• That’s extremely IMPORTANT.

• He’s quite FUNNY.

But adverbs can be stressed for emphasis:

• It’s VERY cold. (not slightly cold)

• I’m REALLY tired.

Meaning changes with stress:

• It was very BORING. (not interesting)

• It was VERY boring. (extremely boring)

Compound Nouns

Compound nouns stress the first element.

• a SWIMMING pool

• a BUS driver

• a CREDIT card

• a MOVIE star

• a WEBSITE address

• a PARKING lot

• a CELL phone

Contrast with adjective + noun:

• a deep POOL

• a fast DRIVER

• a plastic CARD

• a famous STAR

Meaning changes:

• a GREENhouse (building)

• a green HOUSE (color)

Adjective + Compound Noun

Stress the compound noun’s first element.

• a white WEDDING dress vs a white DRESS

• a large COMPUTER screen vs a large SCREEN

• a funny YOUTUBE video vs a funny VIDEO

• a tall PALM tree vs a tall TREE

• a deep SWIMMING pool vs a deep POOL

More Compound Nouns Practice

Everyday words

• toothbrush
  
• bedroom
  
• classroom
  
• notebook
  
• football
  
• sunlight
  
• rainfall
  
• haircut
  
• homework
  
• weekend
  

People / jobs

• firefighter
  
• policeman
  
• postman
  
• housewife
  
• spokesperson
  

Technology

• smartphone
  
• keyboard
  
• laptop
  
• website
  
• password
  

Nature / science

• sunflower
  
• earthquake
  
• snowfall
  
• raindrop
  
• moonlight

Intonation Patterns 

Falling Intonation (↘)

Statements, wh-questions, commands

• I don’t KNOW. ↘

• What’s the MATTER? ↘

• Bring some WATER. ↘

• He bought a BOOK. ↘

Rising Intonation (↗)

Yes/No questions

• Can you hear me? ↗

• Are you ready? ↗

• Did he call you? ↗

Fall–Rise (↘↗)

Uncertainty, contrast, politeness

• I LIKE it… ↘↗ (but…)

• It’s OKAY… ↘↗

Guided Practice – Find the Main Stress

Where is the strongest stress?

1. Sam sees Bill.

2. She wants one.

3. They play with them.

4. Mary wants a car.

5. She likes it.

6. He works there.

7. Mark lived in France.

8. I will call you later.

9. You took my car.

10. It was so weird.

11. We ordered a pizza.

12. She bought a new jacket.

13. They moved to Canada.

14. I forgot my password.

15. He’s reading a book.

16. The baby is sleeping.

17. I need a charger.

18. She found the keys.

19. We watched a series.

20. He drives a truck.

21. He bought it.

22. She sent them.

23. They invited us.

24. I saw her yesterday.

25. We finished it.

26. I left my phone at home.

27. She works in a small office.

28. We’re meeting them after lunch.

29. He forgot to send the email.

30. They’re building a new shopping center.

Guided Practice – QUESTIONS

1. Where did you park the car?

2. Are they coming tonight?

3. Why are you laughing?

4. Did she finish the report?

5. Who sent you the message?

6. Have you seen my keys?

7. What time does the movie start?

8. Is he working tomorrow?

9. How did you solve the problem?

10. Did they buy the house?

11. Where are we meeting them?

12. Can you open the window?

13. Why didn’t he answer?

14. Are you ready for the test?

15. Which train are we taking?

16. Did she tell you the truth?

17. How much does this cost?

18. Is it raining outside?

19. Who invited them to the party?

20. Have they booked the hotel?

Contrast & Meaning Shift Questions

1. Did YOU call her?

2. Did you CALL her?

3. Did you call HER?

4. Are THEY coming?

5. Are they COMING?

6. Did she BUY the car?

7. Did she buy the CAR?

8. Is he working TODAY?

9. Is HE working today?

10. Are you going ALONE?