Chapter: 17. The Way Through The Woods
Language Lab: Understanding Sentence Stress
When we speak, we don’t say every word with the same emphasis. We naturally give more importance, or “stress,” to certain words or syllables within a sentence. This is called sentence stress.
Why do we stress words?
We stress words to:
Highlight new or important information: The words that carry the main meaning or introduce new concepts are usually stressed. Clarify meaning: Changing the stress can completely change the message or intention of a sentence. Show contrast: If you’re comparing two things, you’ll often stress the words that show the difference. Emphasize a point: To make a particular word stand out because it’s crucial to what you’re saying. Think of it like highlighting in a book – you highlight what’s most important. In spoken English, stress is our vocal “highlighter.”
For example, consider the sentence: “I went to the store.”
If you stress “I”: I went to the store. (It was me, not someone else.) If you stress “went”: I went to the store. (I actually did go, I didn’t just plan to.) If you stress “store”: I went to the store. (I went to the store, not the park or the library.) Understanding sentence stress helps you to both understand spoken English better and to express your own meanings more clearly when you speak.
A. Read these sentences aloud. Stress the highlighted parts.
Here, “Shreela” is stressed because it’s the specific person the speaker is asking about. The focus is on the identity of the person. “Book” is stressed because it’s the object being purchased. The emphasis is on what he is buying. “Tomorrow” is stressed because it specifies when the meeting should occur. The focus is on the timeframe. She lived in Holland for nine years. “Holland” is stressed because it identifies where she lived. The emphasis is on the location. He wants to become a doctor. “Doctor” is stressed because it states what he aspires to be. The focus is on the profession. B. Listen to the sentences said in different ways and underline the syllables that are stressed. In pairs, discuss how the meaning of each word changes according to what is stressed.
(As this is a self-study guide and I cannot provide audio, I will explain how to approach this exercise and give a hypothetical example of how stress changes meaning, as you would discuss in a pair.)
How to approach this exercise for self-learning: If you have access to a device that can play audio (like a dictionary app with pronunciation, or an online text-to-speech tool where you can control emphasis), try saying a simple sentence into it and then listening to different versions. Alternatively, you can try saying a sentence aloud yourself, deliberately stressing different words each time. Pay close attention to how your meaning shifts even though the words remain the same. You could also ask a family member or friend to say the sentences aloud for you, stressing different words, and then try to identify which word they emphasized and what subtle meaning that conveyed. Example (Hypothetical Analysis):
Let’s take a simple sentence: “I like your new car.” Meaning Change: Stresses who likes the car. It implies that perhaps someone else doesn’t like it, or that the speaker is specifically stating their opinion. (e.g., “Others might not, but I like your new car.”) Meaning Change: Stresses the action or feeling. It emphasizes the positive sentiment towards the car, perhaps countering an expectation that the speaker wouldn’t like it or expressing strong approval. (e.g., “You might think I don’t, but I really like your new car!”) Meaning Change: Stresses the owner of the car. It might imply that the speaker likes this specific person’s car, perhaps not new cars in general, or not someone else’s car. (e.g., “I don’t like everyone’s cars, but I like your new car.”) Meaning Change: Stresses the condition or characteristic of the car. It distinguishes it from an old car, or emphasizes that the newness is the appealing quality. (e.g., “Your old car was okay, but I like your new car much better.”) Meaning Change: Stresses the object itself. It might differentiate it from something else new the person acquired, or simply emphasizes that it’s the vehicle, not something else about it, that is liked. (e.g., “I like your new car, not your new bike.”) 
Language Lab - Textbook