How to Use Sentence Stress in Spoken English

If you’ve ever listened closely when Americans speak you’ve probably noticed that they say some words with more emphasis than others. This is because English is a stress-timed language. Stress-timed means that the most important words in spoken phrases and sentences (called content and focus words) receive more emphasis than the less important words (called function words).

Let me explain what I mean.

Content, Focus and Function words

In spoken English we pronounce the most important words with strong emphasis or stress. These important words are called content words and focus words. Focus words are often the last content word in a sentence or phrase and they receive the most stress.

The less important words in spoken English are very reduced. These reduced words are called function words. The tables below show some samples of typical content words and function words.

Content Words (one of these will be the focus word in a sentence):

Function Words (these words are reduced):

Continue on to the Mini-Lesson below to practice pronouncing sentences with content, focus and function words.

Mini Lesson: Content, Focus and Function words

As you just learned in the article, the most important words in English sentences are called content words and focus words. In spoken English, content and focus words are louder and have a higher pitch than the other words in a sentence. Function words such as articles and prepositions are not as important to the meaning of a sentence so they are usually reduced.

The combination of stressed and reduced words creates the stress-timed rhythm of spoken English.

Pronunciation Activity-Practice Sentence Stress

In each sentence below the CONTENT words are written in capital letters. The FOCUS words are in bold. The function words are in written in normal text.

1. The STUDENTS can PRONOUNCE all the WORDS.
2. Will the EMPLOYEES be GOING to LUNCH?
3. The FOOD is on the TABLE.
4. Is it TIME to go HOME yet?

Listen and say each sentence. I will emphasize the content and focus words and reduce the sounds of the function words. Play the audio as many times as you like to listen and repeat each sentence.

Click the play button to listen:

Insight: American English Idioms

An idiom is a unique expression in which the meaning cannot necessarily be understood from the literal definitions of the words. Every language has idioms and this week I’ve chosen two of my favorite English food idioms to share with you.

The first one is: Like two peas in a pod.

Americans use this idiom to describe two things that are nearly identical just as 2 peas from one peapod would be. For example: If John and Lisa enjoy many of the same foods I might say, “When it comes to eating, John and Lisa are like two peas in a pod”.

My second idiom is: As cool as a cucumber.

Americans use this idiom to describe someone who stays calm in stressful situations. For example: If Thomas looks very relaxed the night before a big exam I might say, “Even though Thomas has a big exam tomorrow he is cool as a cucumber”.

Pronunciation Activity  

Listen and say both of these idioms.

1. “John and Lisa are like two peas in a pod”.

2. “Thomas is as cool as a cucumber”.

Click Play to listen now:

Featured Learning Resource: Voice of America Special English Broadcast

In this VOA Special English Broadcast, Lida Baker, a well know professor from the University of California at Los Angeles, explains how to use sentence stress in spoken English.   Click on the image to go to the site now.