WEEK 5 & 6:
STRESS AND
INTONATION
Pronunciation
• English Language Alphabet
Complete the rows by writing the
letters of the alphabet in their
sound groups.
English
Paralinguistic
Consonants features
Many non-linguistic ways in which
speech can be affected
Speakers can change the tone of
their voices and the emphasis they
give
They can speak faster or slower,
louder or softer
In face-to-face communication,
speakers can use their expressions
and body language
Stress
Stress and intonation signal meaning, attitude
and grammar
Two kinds of stress:
1. word stress
2. sentence stress
Word stress stresses on certain syllables
signalling their meaning
Sentence stress stresses on content words
(important words)
They point to new and unknown information in
the sentence
Word Stress
There are two very simple rules about
word stress:
•One word has only one stress. (One
word cannot have two stresses. If you
hear two stresses, you hear two words.)
Stress
Examples: refuse
REfuse – garbage
reFUse – do not want to
CAN you come here now!
(ordering / requesting firmly)
Can YOU come here now!
(stressing the person)
Can you come here NOW!
(stressing time)
Stress
Word Stress
Core Vocabulary
Nouns and adjectives of two syllables
– stress on the first syllable
SISter WAter PAper
TAble COFfee LOvely
1. On 1 syllable
st
1. Stress on first syllable rule example;
•2-syllable nouns
•PRESent, EXport, CHIna, TAble
•2-syllable adjectives
•PRESent, SLENder, CLEVer, HAPpy
2. On Last syllable
2. Stress on last syllable
•2-syllable verbs
• to preSENT,
• to exPORT,
• to deCIDE,
• to beGIN
•
3. Penultimate syllable
3. Stress on penultimate syllable (penultimate =
second from end)
•Words ending in -ic
•GRAPHic, geoGRAPHic, geoLOGic
•Words ending in -sion and -tion
•teleVIsion, reveLAtion
•
4. Ante-penultimate syllable
4. Stress on ante-penultimate syllable (ante-
penultimate = third from end)
•Words ending in -cy, -ty, -phy and –gy
• deMOcracy, dependaBIlity, phoTOgraphy, geOLogy
•Words ending in -al
•CRItical, geoLOGical
•
5 Compound words
(words with two parts)
• rule • example BLACKbird,
• For compound GREENhouse
nouns, the stress is
on the first part
• For compound • bad-TEMpered, old-
adjectives, the stress FASHioned
is on the second part
• For compound verbs,
• to underSTAND, to
the stress is on the
second part overFLOW
Stress
Word Stress
Prefixes and Suffixes
Not usually stressed
Compound words
Words formed from two words tend to
be stressed on the first element
POSTman NEWSpaper DUSTbin
Stress
Word Stress
Words acting as nouns and verbs
Nouns - first syllable
Verbs - second syllable
IMport imPORT
Word Stress Explanation and Exercise
When you are speaking English the words
you stress can change the underlying
meaning of a sentence.
Let's take a look at the following sentence:
I don't think he should get the job.
This simple sentence can have many levels of
meaning based on the word you stress.
Read each sentence aloud and give a strong
stress to the word in bold:
I don't think he should get the job.
Meaning: Somebody else thinks he should
get the job.
I don't think he should get the job.
Meaning: It's not true that I think he should
get the job.
Read each sentence aloud and give a strong stress
to the word in bold:
I don't think he should get that job.
Meaning: That's not really what I mean. OR I'm not
sure he'll get that job.
I don't think he should get that job.
Meaning: Somebody else should get that job.
I don't think he should get that job.
Meaning: In my opinion it's wrong that he's going to
get that job.
I don't think he should get that job.
Meaning: He should have to earn (be worthy of,
work hard for) that job.
I don't think he should get that job.
Meaning: He should get another job.
I don't think he should get that job.
Meaning: Maybe he should get something else
instead.
The important point to remember is that
the true meaning of the sentence is also
expressed through the stressed word or
words.
Stress
Sentence Stress
The use of stress helps us to:
Understand and deliver meaning in long
utterances
The stressed words are content words
and they convey the most important ideas
in the sentence
When questions are asked, the required
information in the answers is stressed
Where is Joe’s house? It’s in that CORner.
Intonation
The way your voice goes up and down in
speech / the musical sound of a language
Expresses grammatical meaning,
emotions, attitudes & reactions
In turn taking – the rise and fall signal
when to speak and when not to
High speech if you want to continue
speaking
A fall shows you have completed what
you have to say and that another can
speak
2 types of Intonation:
Falling intonation
accompanies positive statements / at the end of
declarative sentences
key words signaled by a slightly higher level of
pitch with a slight fall
signals confidence and authority
used to gain attention, to make statements, in
answers, in commands & in some types of
questions
in questions the speaker expects an
explanation / agreement with an attitude
Falling intonation
Question Type 1:
Wh-questions (Seeking information)
Hey, the boss wants to see you!
• Why? Where?
• What time’s the next train?
• How late will it be?
Falling intonation
Question Type 2:
Tag Questions (Seeking agreement)
• That was great, wasn’t it?
• You didn’t like that, did you?
Question Type 3:
Choice Questions (Seeking between
choices)
• Is it late or on time?
• Is there a seat or must we stand?
Rising Intonation
Accompanies statements expressing
doubt / yes/no questions
Indicates uncertainty and sometimes
politeness
Used in polite requests and in
information seeking questions
Rising Intonation
Examples:
Question Type 1:
Yes/No questions
• Is the train on time?
• Is the phone working?
Question Type 2:
Echo questions (request for repetition)
• Ten minutes late?
• What did he say?
Rising Intonation
Examples:
Question Type 3:
Informational tag question (seeking for
assurance / information)
• It stops at Bandar Tasek Selatan,
doesn’t it?
• I got an A+?
