Skip main navigation

New offer! Get 30% off one whole year of Unlimited learning. Subscribe for just £249.99 £174.99. New subscribers only. T&Cs apply

Find out more

Stress

Stress patterns in English differ from those in other languages and they can be used to convey meaning. Watch this video and learn more.

Stress patterns in English differ from those in other languages and they can be used to convey meaning. Watch this video and learn more.

Note:

The video explains that in English (1) in a word, a particular syllable will be stressed (word stress), and (2) in a sentence, a particular word will be stressed (sentence stress).

The video goes to explain that in the case of sentence stress, it is normally the last word in a sentence that will be stressed. This is because in English, new information normally occurs at the right-end side of the sentence. By stressing the last word, therefore, the new information will stand out.

For example, ‘a desk’ is new information in the sentence below:

What is your neighbor building? My neighbour is buiding A DESK.

This article is from the free online

English Pronunciation in a Global World

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now