TECHNIQUES TO

TEACH WORD,
SENTECES STRESS
AND RHYTHM
WORD STRESS
Word Stress refers to the syllable within a word that is pronounced more
strongly.
In English, we do not say each syllable with the same force or strength. In
one word, we accentuate ONE syllable. We say one syllable very loudly
(big, strong, important) and all the other syllables very quietly.
Let's take 3 words: photograph, photographer and photographic.
Do they sound the same when spoken? No. Because we accentuate
(stress) ONE syllable in each word. And it is not always the same
syllable. So the "shape" of each word is different.
This happens in ALL words with 2 or more syllables: TEACHer, JaPAN,
CHINa, aBOVE, converSAtion, INteresting, imPORtant, deMAND,
etCETera.
SENTENCE STRESS
Sentence Stress refers to the word(s) in the sentence where the
intonation is focused.
Sentence stress is the music of spoken English. Like word stress,
sentence stress can help you to understand spoken English, even rapid
spoken English.
Sentence stress is what gives English its rhythm or "beat". You
remember that word stress is accent on one syllable within a word.
Sentence stress is accent on certain words within a sentence.
Example:
'She bought a new car' probably has main stress on 'car' and secondary
stress on 'bought’.
The way stress moves in order to change the message is an extremely
important part of pronunciation, and many teachers spend a lot of time
working on this aspect. For example, in the sentence above main stress
could move onto 'she', 'bought' or 'new' and change the meaning
considerably.
RHYTHM
Rhythm is the pattern of stresses within a line of verse. All spoken word
has a rhythm formed by stressed and unstressed Syllables.

When you write words in a sentence you will notice patterns forming.

In writing, rhythm is defined by punctuation and the stress patterns of

words in a sentence.
Long sentences sound smoother, while short sentences make your content
snappier.
ACTIVITIES TO TEACH AND
PRACTICE THE REQUIRED
SUPRA SEGMENTAL
ELEMENTS
• Activity to teach word
stress:

• Classify the words in

the corresponding
group they belong due
to the syllables they
have.
• Activity to teach word stress:
• Activity to practice sentence
stress:
• Activity to practice sentence stress:

https://youtu.be/-0G_yZfXJUQ
Activity for rhythm practice:
https://youtu.be/4DKPfAfVzmI
Bibliographic references:

Bansal, R.K. & Harrison, J.B. (2002).Spoken English a manual of speech and
phonetics.

Hulst, Harry van der (1984). Syllable Structure and Stress in Dutch.

Hulst, Harry van der (2014). Word stress: past, present, and future.