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

Placement of sentence stress 1a 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 2Stuctural 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 2Stuctural 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 3Polysyllabic structural words may carry sentence-stress: untilbehind

Placement of sentence stress 4Adverbs 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 5Adverbs of position carry sentence stress: I'm 'not 'coming 'here a'gain I 'left it 'over 'there

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

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