word stress
word stress and meaning
sentence stress
functions of sentence stress
stress in context
100

what is word stress?

Word stress is the emphasis placed on one syllable of a word.

100

How can word stress change the meaning of a word?

In some words, changing the stress changes the meaning or grammatical category.

100

Are all words in an English sentence stressed equally?

No. Content words are usually stressed more strongly, while function words are often weaker.

100

What is one main function of sentence stress?

It highlights important information. 

100

Which word should be stressed in “I bought a new phone” if the phone is new?

NEW — “I bought a NEW phone.”

200

Word stress is the emphasis placed on one syllable of a word.

It is usually louder, longer, clearer, and has a noticeable change in pitch.


200

What is the difference between PREsent and preSENT?

PREsent is usually a noun, while preSENT is a verb.

200

Which types of words are usually stressed in English?

Content words, such as nouns, main verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

200

How can sentence stress show contrast?

The speaker stresses the word that contrasts with another idea. For example: “I wanted TEA, not coffee.”

200

Which word should be stressed in “Sarah bought a book” if we are asking who bought it?

SARAH — “SARAH bought a book.”

300

what is primary stress?

Primary stress is the strongest stress in a word.


300

What is the difference between REcord and reCORD?

REcord is a noun, while reCORD is a verb.

300

Which words are usually unstressed?

Function words, such as articles, pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions.

300

How can sentence stress express emotion?

Strong stress can show feelings such as surprise, anger, excitement, or disbelief.

300

What is the main difference between word stress and sentence stress? 

Word stress emphasizes a syllable within a word, while sentence stress emphasizes important words within a sentence.

400

Give two examples of words with different stress patterns.

TAble, beGIN or your answer

400

Why is correct word stress important?

It makes pronunciation clearer and helps listeners understand words correctly. 

400

Why are some words stressed more than others?

Because they carry the main or most important information in the sentence.

400

How can sentence stress change the meaning of a sentence?

Stressing different words changes the focus and can change how the listener interprets the message.

400

Which word should be stressed in “I wanted the BLUE dress” if there were several colors?

BLUE — “I wanted the BLUE dress.”

500

How can you identify the stressed syllable in a word?

The stressed syllable is usually pronounced louder, longer, clearer, and with a higher or changing pitch.

500

Can word stress change the grammatical category of a word?

Yes. For example, IMport is usually a noun, while imPORT is a verb.

500

What is sentence stress?

Sentence stress is the emphasis placed on particular words in a sentence.

500

How does sentence stress help the listener?

It helps the listener identify the most important information and understand the speaker’s intended meaning.

500

How can changing the stressed word change the meaning of “I wanted a red dress”?

Stressing different words changes the focus. For example, I wanted a red dress focuses on the person, while RED focuses on the color.