Academic Year :2019/2020

Department :English Language and Literature

Filière :English Studies
Semester : 1, Module 4
Course : SPOKEN ENGLISH

STRESS
1- SENTENCE RHYTHM:
STRESSED WORDS
INTRODUCTION

 Every language has its natural rhythm.

 This document provides practice in using and understanding the natural
rHythm of English.
 1,1 STRESSED AND UNSTRESSED SYLLABLES
 RHythm in English speech relates to the way syllables are pronounced?
 These are either stressed (= with a stronger beat)? or
 unstressed (= with a weaker beat).
 The following table shows some of the ways in which stronger and weaker
stresses can be combined:
EXAMPLE RHYTHM STRESS PATTERN

1. catch it.
___ .
strong/weak
2. He came. . ___ weak/strong
3. Catch the ball. ___ . ___ strong/weak/strong
4. I think so. . ___ . weak/strong/weak
PRACTICE
 Use a pencil or your finger to tap a strong stress (___).
 Do not try to tap the weak stress (.).
 When practising the sentences, tap as you speak.
Example 1: ___ .
catch it
 a. Do it. d. Get it. g. Tell them.
 b. Find it. e. Chase them. h. Bring him
 c. Catch them. f. Help her i. Call us.
J. Tell me
 EXAMPLE 2: . ___
He came
a. He ran. d. You laughed. g. They sailed.
b. She knows. e. He walked. h. We swam.
c. They slept. f. She walks. i. They left.
j. We ran.
___ . ___
 Example 3: Catch the ball
g. Shout the news.
a. find the man. d. Get the book.
h. Do the work.
b. Bring the box. e. Call the name.
i. Tell the tale.
c. Choose the gift. f. Chase the dog.
j. Write the note
 1.2 WORDS TAKING STRESS
 In the previous section, some words were stressed, and some were not
stressed,
 The stressed words in English are, in most cases, the nouns, verbs, adjectives
and adverbs,
 Study the examples and practice the sentence
 Example 1: (nouns) ____ . . ____ . ____ . ____
This is a car, and that's a bus

d. This is a house, and that's a hut.

a. This is a bush, and that's a tree. e. These are dogs, and those are cats.
b. This is a hat, and that's a coat. f. This is a car, and that’s a bus.
c. This is a boy, and that's a girl.
  Example 2: (verbs)
a. Do it; I did it.
b; Catch it. I caught it.
c. Stop it. I stopped it.
 Example 3: (adjectives)
a. His car is red. It's a red car.
Our house is white. It's a white
house.
c. her hat is big. it's a big hat.
d. The bed is hard. it's a hard bed.
____ . . ____ .
Tell them. I told them
d. Find him. I found him.
e. Tell me. I told you.
f. Bring them. I brought them.
g. Take it. I took it.
. ____ . ____ . . ____ ____
The house is big. It's a big house
e. The chair is brown. it's a brown
chair.
f. The train is fast. it's a fast
train.
g. The road is new. it's a new road
 Now practice these various sentences:

a. it's new. d. She said she'd meet him.

b. I like it. e. It's new. It's a new house. g. Catch him. We caught him.
c. He told me and I saw it.
f. She'll help if you ask. h. This is a boy, and that's a girl.
i. Come and I'll tell you.
j. Do it. I did it. I said I did it.
 And how about marking these too for strong and weak stress:

a. Go and do your work.

b. We like to hear it.
c. He's a tall, strong chap.

d. Keep it for your wife.

e. Hide it from the boys. g. She asked him to read it slowly.
f. He wants us to do it quickly. h. I'd like to play the tune.
i. She would like to buy the new dress.
j. Give me a cup for the girl.
REMEMBER:

 Every language has a natural rhythm;

 The rhythm of English consists of strong and weak syllables;

 Some words are contracted to fit into the rhythm;

 The words usually stressed are nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs;

 The words kept for headlines and telegrams are the words usually
stressed in a sentence.