Sentence stress rules in English by Daniel Jones

1. Sentence Stress in English
Daniel Jones

2. STUDY GUIDE
A) Phrasal verbs:
The case of a verb followed by an
adverb (or adverbial particle), both
words are normally stressed. For
example, ‘go ‘away or ‘give ‘up. The
case of a verb with a preposition
(prepositional verb) is different, only
the verb is stressed. For example,
‘meet with.

3. B) Pronouns:
As a rule, most pronouns are
unstressed, but when it is desired to
emphasize a word for contrast, its
stress is increased, while the stress of
the surrounding words may be
diminished. For example, if it were
desired to emphasize the “you” in I
‘never gave ‘you that ‘book, the word
“you” should be stressed.

4. C) The words in the expressions “make sure”,
“give the final touch”, “some people think so “in
the latter case”, “in this way”, “at any rate”:
In the expression to make ‘sure, make is usually not
stressed, presumably in order to give greater force to
sure, similarly with gave in He ‘gave a final ‘touch. In
‘Some people ‘think so, there is an implied contrast with
“other people”. Therefore, people is not stressed. Also In
the ‘latter case, there is a contrast with some other
case. Similarly with “way” in ‘This way or ‘that. The
absence of stress on “rate” in the expression At ‘any rate
appears to be due to a similar case.

5. D) Old information (repeated words): When a
sentence contains a word which has been used just before,
that word is generally not stressed.
 Example: ‘How many ‘times have you been ‘there?
‘Three times.
E) Three-element compounds: Compound words
consisting of three elements generally take stress on the
second element if the first two elements taken alone form
a double-stressed compound.
 Examples: (‘)public ‘school man; (‘)high ‘water mark; hot
‘water bottle

6. F) Demonstrative pronouns:
The stressing of “this”, “these”, “that”, “those” depends
upon the amount of “demonstrativeness” it is desired to
suggest. Sometimes, they are equivalent to little more
than the definite article “the”, and in such cases they
are unstressed. This is specially the case when they
qualify refers to something previously mentioned. This
is not stressed in “this ‘morning / this ‘after’/noon/this
‘evening”.
Example: (lack of stress) : He ‘managed this ‘matter
‘admirably; It was ‘necessary to ‘take these
pre’cautions; I ‘don´t ‘care for that ‘other one; He
‘couldn´t ‘bare the ‘gaze of those ‘eyes.

7. G) When “which” is used as a
demonstrative pronoun, for example “and
this” , “and these”, it is stressed according to
the general rule.
Example: ‘Which ‘diamond was e’ventually ‘lost
(meaning “and this diamond was…)
H) According to the general rule the
exclamatory pronoun “what” is not
stressed, in order to give greater emphasis to
what follows. For instance, in the expression
“What a ‘beautiful day!”, the pronoun “what” is
not stressed to emphasize the word “beautiful”.

8. I) The word “such” is usually unstressed
when followed by an emphatic word.
Example: Such a ‘curious shape.
*The word “such” is usually stressed when
followed by a word incapable of receiving
emphasis. Example: ‘Such a ‘thing ‘ought to be
im’possible.
*The word “such” may be unstressed when the
noun it qualifies is also unstressed. Example: I
‘don’t know ‘anything a’bout such matters.

9. J) The expressions “sort of” and “kind of”: When
these expressions are used indefinitely, i.e., not in
reference to particular varieties of things, the words “sort”
and “kind” are usually not stressed.
Example: There was a sort of ‘seriousness in his ‘face;
They ‘made a kind of a’greement.
When these expressions are followed by words which
cannot be emphasized, both the expression and the
indefinite word are unstressed. For instance: I don’t ‘like
‘that kind of thing.
When “sort of” is used in colloquial speech as an adverb
meaning “in some way”, it is not stressed. Example: He
sort of ‘slipped.

10. K) The expressions “birthday present” and
“Christmas present”:
When two nouns in sequence are felt as being very closely
connected in sense, so that they form practically one word,
the second one is generally unstressed. However, there are
some exceptions. Namely, cases in which the second
element expresses or implies a contrast. Example:
‘gooseberry ‘tart (the word “tart” being commonly
contrasted with “pie”, “pudding”, “cake”, etc. ‘Birthday
‘present and ‘Christmas ‘present have double stress
presumably because present is felt to be the important
word.

11. L) The words “street” and “gate”:
In isolation, both words are stressed. However, in
proper names of streets containing the word
“street”, these take stress on the initial element of
the compound. The word “gate” is always stressed
as part of street names. Examples: ‘Oxford Street
but ‘South ‘gate.
M) The pronoun “it”: The pronoun “it” would not
be stressed in any case. If emphasis were
required, it would be replaced by this or that.
Example: I ‘don’t ‘want to ‘do it, but I ‘don’t ‘want
to ‘do ‘that.

12. N) The verb “to be”: The various parts of the verb to be
are generally unstressed, even when the word is a main
verb, except when it is final. Examples: The ‘train was ‘late
/ ‘What’s the ‘time? (but it is stressed finally in I ‘don’t
know ‘where it ‘is / ‘Here we ‘are / The ‘chances ‘are...).
O) The verb “to be” in indirect questions: The verb be
is also unstressed when final and immediately preceded by
its subject, if that subject is stressed. Example: He ‘asked
what the ‘time was.
P) Verbs (usually reporting verbs) when the subject
follows the verb: When the subject follows the verb, the
verb is generally not stressed. Examples: “ ‘Yes,” said his
‘father. / ‘After a ‘storm comes a ‘calm.

13. Q) The pronoun “One”: The pronoun “one” in a ‘good
one, ‘everyone is always unstressed since it refers to
something which has just been mentioned before (old
information). Examples: The ‘idea of ‘baking a ‘cake is a
‘good one. / ‘All ‘students in the ‘class wanted to ‘pass the
e’xam, so ‘everyone studied ‘hard.
R) The expression “each other”: In the expression
“each other”, the pronoun each is not stressed while other
is usually stressed. A similar case takes place with the
expression “one another”, where the pronoun one is
unstressed, but the word another is. Examples: They
‘always ‘help each ‘other.
They ‘always sup’port one a’nother.

14. S) Auxiliary verbs: As a general rule, auxiliary verbs are
usually not stressed. However, they are stressed in the
following cases:
*In affirmative sentences for the sake of emphasis (marked
case). Example: I ‘have bought it. / I ‘do want to ‘go
(emphatic DO).
*In imperatives. Example: ‘Do come!
*When immediately followed by not in its contracted form
(n’t). Example: We ‘shouldn’t go ‘there.
*When introducing a question (Yes/No questions). Example:
‘Have you ‘seen my ‘sister?
*In other questions when there is much curiosity, surprise
or anxiety on the part of the speaker, and the auxiliary is
immediately preceded by the interrogative word. Example:
How ‘did you ‘travel?
*When the main/principal verb is suppressed. (Elliptical
answer). Example: ‘Yes, I ‘have.

15. T) The expression “be going to”: The word going in the expression “to
be going to”, being of an auxiliary nature, is often not stressed. Example:
‘What is she going to ‘do?
U) The adverbs “on” and “forth” in the expressions “and so on”
“and so forth”: These are usually not stressed. Examples: We discussed
everything: When to go, what to see, and ‘so on. / My sister enjoys cooking
any kind of desserts: cakes, apple pies, cupcakes and ‘so forth.
V) The adverbs “now” and “then” are normally stressed. Examples:
‘How are you ‘now? / I ‘couldn’t ‘do it ‘then.
W) The adverbs “now” and “so” in these expressions: “now then”,
“do so”, “think so”: The expression “now then” is pronounced ‘now then,
with stress on “now”. The adverb “so” in ‘do so, ‘think so, is not stressed.
X) Adverbs in general: Adverbs sometimes do not take stress in final
position following a stressed object. Examples ‘Put your ‘things on / He ‘let
the ‘fire out.

16. Y) Prepositions (in initial, mid, and final positions): Monosyllabic
prepositions and the disyllabic preposition “upon” are usually
unstressed. These prepositions may, however, occasionally be stressed
when they occur at the beginning of a sentence. Examples: ‘On his ‘way
he ‘had an ad’venture. / ‘In the ‘room they ‘found a ‘dog.
*Monosyllabic prepositions are also occasionally stressed when followed
by a pronoun at the end of a sentence.
*The final preposition in sentences like ‘What are you ‘looking at? /
‘Who were you ‘talking to? / ‘What’s all the ‘fuss about? / We ‘asked
where they ‘come from are not stressed though they have their strong
forms are they are in stranded position.
*In sentences ending with a preposition and a pronoun the final
pronouns are not stressed unless special emphasis is needed.
Examples: It’s very ‘good for you. / ‘What shall we ‘do with it? / ‘Look
at them!
*Sometimes it is not necessary to stress the preposition in sentences of
this type in order to bring out a contrast. Examples: The ‘bills were not
‘large but there were a ‘great ‘many ‘of them.

17. Z) The prepositions after, into, between,
during, concerning, besides, and along:
prepositions of two or more syllables (with the
exception of “upon”), such as after, into, between,
during, besides, along, concerning, are often
stressed in non-final position. Such stress,
however, is not essential in many cases. Examples:
He ‘went ‘after it / He ‘ran ‘into them / He
‘searched a’mong his ‘papers / He ‘finished it
‘during the ‘holidays.

18. AA) Conjunctions: when introducing dependent clauses,
copulative conjunctions such as AND and BUT, other
conjunctions (now, then, so) when introducing a narrative
sequence:
*Conjunctions introducing dependent clauses are often stressed when
initial. Examples: ‘When he ‘comes I’ll intro’duce him to you / ‘As I was
‘saying... / ‘After he had ‘left... / ‘Nor do ‘I. If the order of the clauses in
the first example were reversed, then “when” would not be stressed,
because the whole sentence would be pronounced in one breath-group,
and “when” would no longer be initial.
*The copulative conjunctions “and” and “but” are not generally
stressed. These words may however be stressed, especially when
immediately followed by two or three consecutive unstressed syllables.
Thus, ‘and at the ‘same ‘time OR and at the ‘same ‘time. Even in “but
it’s of the greatest importance”, it would be more usual not to stress the
“but”, pronouncing but it’s of the ‘greatest im’portance.
*Other linking conjunctions such as now, then, introducing the
continuation of a narrative or conversation are not stressed. Examples:
Now ‘when he was ‘gone... / Then you ‘don’t be’lieve it? / So he ‘went
into the ‘garden.