Variations in Sentence Stress

1. Auxiliary and modal verbs are stressed:

1. In short answers and in negative contracted forms, e. g. Yes, I do. You needn’t worry.

2. When “do” is used for emphasis, e. g. I do.

3. In slow colloquial style when they begin general or alternative questions, e. g. Are you a student? Can you help me?

NOTE. In rapid colloquial style there is a tendency not to stress them, e. g. Are you a student?

They are mostly unstressed when followed by the demonstrative pronouns “this” and “that”, e. g. Is this a book? Can this be true?

2. Prepositions and Conjunctions.

1. In sentence-initial position they may be stressed when followed by an unstressed syllable (slow colloquial style).

Slow coll. Rapid coll.

As to my future. As to my future.

If she wants to help her… If she wants to help her…

NOTE. 1. In case a preposition or a conjunction is followed by a proper noun it takes no stress, e. g. If Nina wants to help her…

2. Sentence-initial “but” and “and” are unstressed, e. g. But he would never do it. And in a moment…

Prepositions and conjunctions in sentence-final position, though unstressed have vowels of full formation, e. g. What are you looking at//? What are you listening to //?

3. Interrogative pronouns “what”, “how”, “when”, “why” take no stress in the following type of utterances (they often become high-prehead syllables), e. g. How are you? Where is it?

4. “What” and “how” in exclamatory sentences followed by some emotionally coloured words take no accent, e.g. How horrible! What fine weather we are having today!

5. “How many”, “how much” (rhythmical variations), e.g.

How many? How many books?

but

How much? How much money?

6. Any word at its second appearance takes no stress, e. g. How many books? – Two books.

7. “More” and “most” as comparative and superlative degrees take no accent, e. g. The text is more difficult than I expected.

8. “Street” and “square” are stressed in the following way: In Gorky Street. In Red Square.

9. Logical stress can be laid on any word semantically important for the speaker. Sentence stress on the words that follow it either disappears or becomes partial, e. g. Do you speak English?

NOTE. In “there + be” construction logical stress is fixed on the subject thus leaving an adverbial modifier of place unstressed, e. g. There are many places of interest in Kiev.

Word Stress

Word stress (word accent) is a greater prominence given to one or more syllables in a word.

Stressed and unstressed syllables differ in quantity (length) and quality. They are longer when stressed and carry vowels of full formation. When unstressed, they undergo reduction and become shorter.

Word stress should be considered from the point of view of:

1. its place in a sentence;

2. its degree.

There are two degrees of word stress in English: primary or strong (marked above the syllable) and secondary or weak (marked under the syllable). The place of word stress depends on the quantity of syllables in a word.