Basic
Sentence Stress
- English
is stress-timed, irregular syllable length
- Timing
depends on the number of stressed words
- Content
words are normally stressed – nouns, main verbs, adjectives,
adverbs, negative contractions (won't, can't, isn't)
- Function
words are normally unstressed – articles, pronouns, auxiliary
verbs, prepositions, modals, the verb “be”. These words are
usually reduced.
Cows
eat grass. (3)
The
cows eat the grass. (5)
The
cows are eating the grass. (7)
The
cows have been eating the grass. (8)
The
cows are eating the new grass. (this
takes longer)
Five
Different Sentence Types:
1
Statement - The conference call is at ten.
2
Closed Question - Is the conference call at ten?
3
Open Question - What time is the conference call?
4
Clarification - What time is the conference call ?
(clarification)
5
Yes or No / Either / Or - Is
the conference call at nine or ten?
Content
and Structure Words
1
They hardly notice the time when they work in teams.
2
My company is facing a difficult decision.
3
What time is the meeting on curriculum development?
4
Many schools are turning to online education for greater flexibility.
5
Do you think she works hard enough?
6
The decision is hard for her.
The
Focus Word is the last Content Word when you INTRODUCE a subject but
after you introduce a subject it's important to understand any word
can become the Focus Word and generally, it's the NEW information.
New information gets emphasized and old information gets deemphasized.
2
My company is facing a difficult decision.
What
kind of decision?
Start
from the end and work backwards.
The
board members will need to come in from out of town.
Please
save me a seat on the train.
The
meeting is at 1 o' clock this afternoon.
How
long does it take to answer a client request?
Can
you meet at eleven on Tuesday?
Our
suppliers aren't interested in a such a small order.
