Sentence stress-emphatic stress - SS3 English Lesson Note

Sentence stress: Sentence stress is the way a speaker highlights certain words in each sentence. It helps the listener focus on important parts and understand the speaker's meaning. For example, the sentence "I went to the store" can be pronounced with different stresses to convey different meanings. If the stress is on the word "I," it means that the speaker is emphasizing their own role in the event. If the stress is on the word "store," it means that the speaker is emphasizing the specific store they went to.

Emphatic stress: Emphatic stress is the placing of emphasis on a particular word of a sentence. This is typically used to connect, clarify, compare, or highlight ideas. Using emphatic stress can significantly change the meaning of a sentence. For example, the sentence "What does she do here?" can be pronounced with different stresses to convey different meanings. If the stress is on the word "does," it means that the speaker is asking a question about the speaker's actions. If the stress is on the word "here," it means that the speaker is asking a question about the speaker's location.

Differentiation between normal stress and emphatic stress:

Normal stress: Normal stress is used to convey the basic meaning of a sentence. It is the default way of pronouncing a sentence, and it does not change the meaning of the sentence significantly.

Emphatic stress: Emphatic stress is used to emphasize a particular word or phrase in a sentence. It changes the meaning of the sentence by highlighting the importance of the emphasized word or phrase.

Examples of normal stress and emphatic stress:

Normal stress: I went to the store. What does she do here? I really like that shirt.

Emphatic stress:

I went to the store. (The speaker is emphasizing their own role in the event.)

What does she do here? (The speaker is asking a question about the speaker's actions.)

That shirt is really nice. (The speaker is emphasizing the shirt's quality.)