Lesson # 21

The Rhythm Rule

When English is spoken, the speaker alternates between stressed and

unstressed syllables in regular intervals, with the stresses falling within
content words. This is called the Rhythm Rule. The stressed syllables of the
sentence create beats. The beats of the following sentence fall on the words
'bought,' 'car,' and the first syllable of 'Tuesday.'

A speaker can stress a word in any combination of the following three ways:

1. by slightly changing the pitch of the stressed syllable of the stressed

word compared to the syllables around it
2. by saying the stressed syllable of that word for a longer period than
normal
3. by saying the stressed syllable of that word louder than the surrounding
syllables

Notice two things about the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in the
following sentences:

1. The stressed syllables occur on regular, evenly-spaced beats, even if

there is more than one unstressed syllable between stressed syllables
2. The regular stressed syllables (according to the dictionary) of the content
words are the only stressed syllables of each sentence.

In addition to stressing content words, function words are often reduced in

spoken English. This allows greater contrast between stressed and unstressed
words.
The Rhythm Rule is more of a guideline than a rule because it is often not
followed exactly. The main idea is that stresses in spoken English happen in
regular intervals, or beats. The stressed syllables create the beats.

To sum up: Native English speakers generally alternate between stressed and
unstressed syllables. According to the Rhythm Rule, stressed syllables usually
occur at regular intervals. Non-native English speaker and ESL/ELL students
can improve the perception of fluency by learning to adopt the rhythm of
spoken English.

https://pronuncian.com/rhythm-rule

Contractions, blending and word reductions, linking and phrasing and pausing
help English sound smooth and natural. They help add rhythm to sentences
and create fluency.
Contractions
 Read the sentences aloud and try to read them smoothly.
1. I´m late again.
2. Mary doesn´t know.
3. You´re next in line.
4. We´ve already met.
5. That´s right!
6. They won´t sing.
7. Steve hasn´t eaten.
8. He´s very nice.
9. Please don´t yell.
10. We´ll be there.
Blending and Word Reductions
 Listen and repeat the phrases. Be sure to blend the words together
smoothly and to use reduced forms.
1. Cream´n sugar (cream and sugar)
2. Bread´n butter (bread and butter)
3. Ham´n cheese (ham and cheese)
4. Pieceapie (piece of pie)
5. I gota school. (I go to school.)
6. He had a cupacoffee. (He had a cup of coffee.)
7. I wanna takeabreak. (I want to take a break.)
Linking
 Listen and repeat the phrases. Be sure to pronounce the words
beginning with the vowel sounds as if they begin with the last consonant
sound of the previous word.
1. Take over (ta kover)
2. Look up (loo kup)
3. It´s open. (It sopen.)
4. Make a wish. (Ma ka wish.)
5. Kiss Aunt Alice. (Ki saun talice.)
6. Leave him alone. (Leave hi Malone.)
7. Let´s eat now. (Let seat now.)
8. Call another friend. (Ca lanother friend.)
9. Jump up and down. (Jump pu pan down.)
10. Buy a red envelope. (Buy a re denvelope.)

Phrasing and Pausing

 Listen and repeat the sentences. Be sure to PAUSE between phrase
(marked by the slanted lines) and to blend the words in each phrase.
1. The phone book // is on the shelf.
2. Steve said // “Sue is gone.”
3. “Please help me // Sally.”
4. Mr. White // our neighbor // is very nice.
5. I don’t agree // and I won´t change my mind.
6. Please finish your homework // before you go out.
7. Dr. Stevens // our new dentist // is very nice.
8. Do you prefer to eat // steak with French fries // or steak with rice?
9. I like to go for long walks // when the weather is sunny and cool.
10. My dog barks at people // when they knock on the door.

Read the dialogue. Circle all the contractions and linked words. Then on
the lines below, list these shortened forms and write their full form
equivalent.
Anne Carter: Hello, this is the Carter residence. This is Anne Carter speaking.
Mary James: Howarya Anne? It´s Mary. Doyawanna come over for a cupacoffee?
Anne Carter: Mary, I am very sorry I can not visit you. I am going to lunch at the club.
Mary James: That´s OK. I´m gonna eat at Burger Palace. Why don’t we go
tathamovies tonight?
Anne Carter: We will not be able to join you. We have tickets for the opera.
Mary James: My husband Ted won´t like that. He´s more of a wrestling fan. We´ll
meetcha some other night.
Anne Carter: Mary, I really have to go now. It has been most pleasant speaking with
you.
Mary James: I hafta go now, too. It´s been great talking to you. (hangs up the phone)
Anne´s a nice girl, but she hasta learnta relax!

Read the sentences, pausing where indicated. Underline the sentence in

each pair that is correctly marked for pauses.
Example: I finished my homework // and watched TV.
I finished my // homework and watched TV.
1. He was there // for the first time.
He was there for // the first time.
2. The truth is I don´t // like it.
The truth is // I don´t like it.
3. When in Rome do // as the Romans do.
When in Rome // do as the Romans do.
4. Please clean your room // before leaving.
Please clean your // room before leaving.
5. Meet me at the bus stop // after you´re done.
Meet me at the bus // stop after you´re done.
6. Where there´s a will // there´s a way.
Where there´s a // will there´s a // way