Sentence stress Which words in the sentence carry

Sentence stress Which words in the sentence carry stress?

Distinguish between: • LEXICAL WORDS (content words, open-class items) nouns • adjectives • adverbs • lexical verbs • • STRUCTURAL WORDS (functional words, closed-class items) • prepositions • pronouns • auxiliary verbs

Placement of sentence stress 1 Sentence stress falls on the STRESSED SYLLABLES of all lexical words 'sort, ob'jection, re'ceive, Mc'Cartney

Placement of sentence stress 1 a If the stressed word also has secondary streses: international, observation, quartercentenary – show the main stress – for long words and careful speech, show both stresses

It’s an international committee It’s a question of predestination

Placement of sentence stress 2 Stuctural words may carry sentence-stress if emphasised in some way: (a) when cited: How do you spell "than"? Compare: bigger than me

Placement of sentence stress 2 Stuctural words may carry sentence-stress if emphasised in some way: (b) for emphasis: I don't think I can do it But I think you can do it

Placement of sentence stress 3 Polysyllabic structural words may carry sentence-stress: until behind

Placement of sentence stress 4 Adverbs are usually stressed, even if they are technically structural words: She 'jumped 'off the 'table It's 'too 'late to 'change our 'minds

Placement of sentence stress 5 Adverbs of position carry sentence stress: I'm 'not 'coming 'here a'gain I 'left it 'over 'there

Placement of sentence stress 6 Demonstratives are stressed: 'This 'book is 'really 'worth 'reading 'That's the 'stupidest i'dea I ve 'ever 'heard

Placement of sentence stress 7 Negatives are stressed: I'm 'not 'coming 'here a'gain We 'can t ex'pect 'everything I 'hope you 'won t be an'noyed