Which type of stress is used to emphasize important words in a sentence?
ALexical stress
BSentence stress
CWord stress
DTonic stress
Answer:
B. Sentence stress
Read Explanation:
Understanding Sentence Stress
- Sentence stress is the emphasis placed on certain words within a sentence to convey meaning and focus.
- It is a crucial aspect of English phonology, distinguishing it from syllable stress (word stress) or intonation (pitch variation).
- The primary purpose of sentence stress is to highlight important information, clarify meaning, and express the speaker's intent or emotion.
- Typically, content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs) receive stress, as they carry the main meaning of the sentence.
- Function words (prepositions, conjunctions, articles, auxiliary verbs, pronouns) are usually unstressed, as they primarily serve grammatical purposes.
- Varying sentence stress can significantly alter the meaning of a sentence, a concept often tested in English proficiency exams. For example, 'I bought the book' (emphasis on the action) vs. 'I bought the book' (emphasis on what was bought).
Key Facts for Competitive Exams:
- Content Words (Stressed):
- Nouns (e.g., table, knowledge)
- Main Verbs (e.g., run, understand)
- Adjectives (e.g., beautiful, difficult)
- Adverbs (e.g., quickly, always)
- Demonstratives (when used descriptively, e.g., this book)
- Function Words (Unstressed):
- Articles (a, an, the)
- Prepositions (on, in, at)
- Conjunctions (and, but, or)
- Auxiliary Verbs (be, have, do)
- Pronouns (he, she, it, they, we)
- Rhythmic Nature: English is considered a stress-timed language, meaning that stressed syllables occur at roughly equal intervals, with unstressed syllables being compressed. This contrasts with syllable-timed languages where each syllable takes approximately the same amount of time.
- Intonation vs. Stress: While related, sentence stress refers to the *prominence* of specific words, whereas intonation refers to the *rise and fall* of the voice across a sentence, conveying different attitudes or questions.
- Mastering sentence stress is vital for achieving natural-sounding English pronunciation and for effective communication.