Expert · Clear pronunciation and listening · topic 46 of 59 · 18 min
Sentence stress, linking and intonation
Explanation
Content words carry the meaning: nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs, question words (what, where) and "not" words (can't, don't). They are strong. Function words hold the sentence together: a, the, to, for, and, of, can, is, was, and pronouns like he and them. They are weak and quick. English has a beat (rhythm): the strong words come at a steady pace and the small words are squeezed in between.
| Word | Alone (strong) | In a sentence (weak) | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| to | too | tuh | I want tuh GO. |
| for | for | fuh | a GIFT fuh MUM |
| and | and | un / n | BREAD n BUT-ter |
| can | kan | kun | I kun SWIM. |
| of | ov | uv | a CUP uv TEA |
| was | woz | wuz | He wuz LATE. |
| them | them | thum / um | TELL um. |
I want to go to the market.
Say it: ai WONT tuh GOH tuh thuh MAAR-kit
मैं बाज़ार जाना चाहता हूँ।
Three strong beats: WANT, GO, MAR. "To" and "the" are quick and soft.
I can come at five, but I can't stay for dinner.
Say it: ai kun KUM at FYV, but ai KAANT STAY fuh DIN-er
मैं पाँच बजे आ सकता हूँ, पर डिनर के लिए नहीं रुक सकता।
Weak "can" (kun) and strong "can't" (kaant): this is how listeners hear the difference.
Linking: words join together
When one word ends in a consonant and the next word starts with a vowel, the consonant jumps across: "an apple" sounds like "a-napple", "turn it off" like "tur-ni-toff", "pick it up" like "pi-ki-tup", "not at all" like "no-ta-tall". This is why fast English sounds like one long word. When you link too, you sound smoother and you understand others better.
Please turn it off and pick it up.
Say it: pleez TUR-ni-TOFF un PI-ki-TUP
कृपया इसे बंद करो और उठा लो।
Not at all, it was an easy job.
Say it: NO-tuh-TAWL, it wuz uh-NEE-zee JOB
बिलकुल नहीं, यह आसान काम था।
Intonation: the music of your voice
| Type of sentence | Your voice | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | falls at the end ↘ | I live in Indore. ↘ |
| Wh- question (what, where, why, how) | falls ↘ | Where do you work? ↘ |
| Yes/no question | rises ↗ | Do you work here? ↗ |
| List or choice | rises on each item, falls on the last | Tea ↗, coffee ↗ or juice? ↘ |
| Polite request or checking | a gentle rise ↗ | Could you help me? ↗ You are Mr Rao, right? ↗ |
Would you like tea, coffee or juice?
Say it: wud yoo LYK TEE (up), KOF-ee (up) or JOOS (down)
आप चाय, कॉफ़ी या जूस लेंगे?
Up on each choice, down on the last one, so the listener knows the list is finished.
Stress changes meaning
- "I didn't say HE stole it." = Maybe someone else stole it.
- "I didn't say he STOLE it." = Maybe he only borrowed it.
- "I didn't SAY he stole it." = I only hinted it.
- "I DIDN'T say he stole it." = I never said that.
- Pause between thought groups, not between every word: "When I reach the office | I'll call you | and send the file."
I asked for two tickets, not three.
Say it: ai AASKT fuh TOO TIK-its, not THREE
मैंने दो टिकट माँगे थे, तीन नहीं।
When you correct someone, make the corrected word the strongest.
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Sentence stress, linking and intonation · 1/7
Hello! Today we learn the music of English: sentence stress, linking and intonation.
Prefer a video by a teacher? Find free videos on “sentence stress intonation connected speech english in hindi” on YouTube ↗
In real life: At the railway enquiry counter
Passenger: Excuse me, is this the train to Jaipur? Clerk: No, sir. The Jaipur train is on platform FOUR. Passenger: Platform four? And what time does it leave? Clerk: It leaves at ten fifTEEN, not ten FIFty. Passenger: Ten fifteen, got it. Can I buy food on the train? Clerk: Yes, you can get tea, coffee and snacks. Passenger: Thank you. That's very helpful. Clerk: Not at all. Have a good journey.
Practice (0/4 done)
Say this with strong content words and a weak "to" and "can".
I want to go to the market, but I can't go before five.
मैं बाज़ार जाना चाहता हूँ, पर पाँच बजे से पहले नहीं जा सकता।
The words are linked together. Listen and type the sentence.
Write four sentences: a statement, a wh- question, a yes/no question and a choice with "or". Mark the strong words in CAPITALS and write (up) or (down) at the end. Then read them aloud.
In "a cup of tea", the word "of" usually sounds like...
Quick quiz
Related help
Before this, learn
This topic builds on these. If something here feels new, open them first.
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Questions people ask about this
Open a question to see the answer and why. The first ones are this topic's own quiz, so try the quiz above before you peek.
Which words are usually strong in a sentence?
Answer: nouns, main verbs and adjectives
Content words carry the meaning, so they get the stress.
"Do you speak Tamil?" At the end, your voice usually...
Answer: goes up
Yes/no questions usually rise at the end.
"I didn't say HE stole it" means...
Answer: Maybe someone else stole it.
The stressed word shows the point: HE, so the question is about who did it.
In natural speech, "an apple" sounds like...
Answer: "a-napple"
Linking: the n moves to the next vowel, so it sounds like "a-napple".
Giving equal stress to every word often makes speech sound...
Answer: flat or rushed, so the key words are hard to catch
English needs strong and weak beats. Equal stress hides the important words.
Words ending in -tion are stressed...Related
Answer: on the part just before -tion
inforMAtion, deCIsion, eduCAtion: the strong part comes just before -tion.
Which sentence has natural English word order?Related
Answer: He went to Delhi yesterday.
English uses subject, verb, then the rest: "He went to Delhi yesterday."
Which sentence uses capital letters correctly?Related
Answer: Ravi lives in Pune.
A sentence starts with a capital letter, and names of people and places also start with capitals.
You feel nervous and start speaking very fast. What should you do?Related
Answer: Slow down on purpose and pause after each point
Slowing down and pausing makes you clearer and calmer.
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Next steps
- 2 more topics in “Clear pronunciation and listening” before its exam: Silent letters and -ed and -s endings, Small talk and active listening.
- Module 11 exam: clear pronunciation and listening · 15 questions · 20 min, without help. 5 topics of this module still to finish first.
- Then the next module, English at work and interviews. 59 topics left in the course before the final exam.