THE ENGLISH

SPEECH RHYTHM
Read and study the following:
condolence utensil adolescent
sofa determine beneficiary
Aristotle lieutenant aborigine
cemetery intestine elementary
ceremony fluorescent anniversary
honorable advertisement parliamentary
interval percentage coliseum
category professor engineer
talented inevitable university
 Characteristics of the
Spoken Language
• alternating strong and weak stresses
• long and short pauses
• low, normal, and high pitches
•Stress
•Pause/phrasing
•Pitch
•Intonation
•Blending
STRESS
• the key to the pronunciation of an English
word
• does more than gives rhythm to a word
• determines to some extent the value of its
vowels
Degrees

• Primary
• Secondary
• Tertiary
• Zero or weak
Placement of Stress
• Word Stress • Sentence Stress
given to a syllable in a word given to a word in a sentence

in’ solence There’s a teen’ ager in my house.

intel’ ligence We want to go to work.

A change in stress indicates a change in

meaning.
Parts of Speech
• Content Words • Function Words
Nouns Pronouns
Verbs Preposition
Adverbs Conjunction
Adjectives Interjection
*Linking Verbs
Drill: Read and study the sentences below.
1. Increase 4. Permit
a. There has been an increase in the a. Do you need a permit to fish there?
number of students. b. They won’t permit her to leave the
b. Numbers are increasing. country.

2. Import 5. Contest
a. This is a cheap import. a. She entered a Math contest.
b. They import their oil from the UK. b. She plans to contest the results.

3. Discount 6. record
a. Is there a discount on this? a. She showed her record of the attendance
b. Do not discount the theories on the to the parents.
investigation. b. They record songs from the radio.
BLENDING
- the smooth overlapping of syllables in a sentence

Words and syllables that are closely related in sense and meaning are blended: NOT pronounced as
separate units; the final sound of each word is blended with the first sound of the following word
within the phrase or thought group

• It’s a ball. That’s a ball. • Read it. That’s an incredible story.

• It’s a pen. That’s a pen. • Join us. I can’t believe it.
• It’s a book. That’s a book. • Say it. Why don’t you buy it?
• It’s an umbrella. That’s an umbrella. • Write it. I can’t afford it.
• It’s an eraser. That’s an eraser. • Go out! I am not interested.
• It’s an orange. That’s an orange.
INTONATION
the tune of what we say;
the general movement of the voice up or down
the rise and fall of the voice at approximately the same syllables

FALLING: Wh - questions RISING: yes or questions

• Good morning.
• Are you awake?
• How do you do?
• Is he okay?
• I’m fine. Thank you.
• Are you siblings?
• And how are you?
• Is that yours?
• Why did you go?
• Will you take it?
• How did you endure it?
• Did he pick you up?
• What have you found out?
PHRASING
the breaking up or splitting of a sentence into thought groups

A thought group is made up of closely related words that belong

together, separated by pauses

Pauses:
degrees of duration:
short (/) - done within word groups,
suggesting incompleteness
long (//) - drop in pitch and a fading at the end
Repeat after your teacher.
• at me • inside the building
• by her • at the beginning of
• after them • away from me
• in the yard • between five and six
• on the deck • during class hours
• about your work • for today and tomorrow
• with the crowd • though the night
• below the shelf • till we meet again
• instead of me • beneath the box
 Life
Henry Van Dyke

Let me but live my life from year to year
With forward face and unreluctant soul
Not hurrying to, nor turning from, the goal
Not mourning for the things that disappear
In the dim past, nor holding back in fear
From what the future veils but with a whole
And happy heart, that pays its toll
To Youth and Age, and travels on with cheer
So let the way wind up the hill or down,
O’er rough go smooth, the journey will be joy
Still seeking what I sought when but a boy,
New friendship, high adventure, and a crown,
My heart will keep the courage of the quest,
And hope the road’s last turn will be the best.
Read aloud and study carefully the following groups of words. Write down the
word from each group whose stress pattern is different from the others.

1. umbrella homework slowly follow

2. devotee coliseum documentary talented
3. rhythm connect occur define
4. delicacy colleague ceremony cashier
5. determine adolescent utensil lieutenant
6. feature English depend syllable
7. comfortable foretell spiritual syllable
8. vegetable chocolate appreciate favorite
9. commission Catholic conception condolence
10. integrated integral instill innovate
Read silently the paragraph below. Then
do as told.
There are three factors that contribute to the happiness of an
adolescent. First, he can be happy only if he feels that others like and
accept him. He must be accepted by the people around him, his
family, his peers, and his community. Second, the adolescent is
happy only if he receives affection from the people who are
important to him. Third, the adolescent derives satisfaction from
achievement. This means that he knows what his goals are and
achieves them.
Do the following:
1. Mark the places where you should normally pause: a single
diagonal line (/) for a short pause within the sentence, and double
diagonal lines (//) for a final pause at the end of the sentence.

2. Read the whole paragraph aloud observing correct English

rhythm.
Mark the stressed syllable in the following phrases with the
primary stress mark.

to the happiness of an adolescent

if he feels that others like him
by the people around him
his family, his peers, and his community
if he receives affection
from the people
he knows what his goals are
• Why is it important to study stress?