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Word Stress and Sentence Stress

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You Need Stress!

Learning about word stress and sentence stress can greatly improve your listening and speaking skills.

What is Stress?

Stress is the emphasis we put on certain parts of a word:

com-PU-ter    WON-der-ful     i-ma-gi-NA-tion

or on certain words in a sentence:

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Stressed sounds are longer, higher and a little bit louder than unstressed sounds.  Learn more by visiting these links:

Links

Teens or Tens

13 or 30? This page explains the difference and gives you a test. Click 'Start' and then click the number you hear. 

Level: Elementary.   Go>

Word Stress - English Club

Useful advice on six pages. 

Level: Intermediate to Advanced.   Go>

Word Stress Game

Listen to the word and choose the correct pattern. UK and US accents.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced.   Go>

Word stress quiz at esl.fis.edu

Word Stress - American Site

Listen and learn the general rules. There are exercises too.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced.  Go>

Word Stress - Record or Record?

Some words can be both nouns and verbs, but with different stress (the nouns have a stress on the first syllable and the verbs on the second syllable). Listen and test yourself.

Level: Advanced.  Go>

Sentence Stress - English Club

Learn about which words to stress in your sentences.  Remember to pronounce them slowly and clearly. 

Level: Intermediate to Advanced.  Go>

Which words should I stress?

Jennifer ESL

Jennifer is an English teacher in the USA. Learn grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation with her great lessons.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced.

Word Stress - Lesson 6a

Word Stress - Lesson 6b

Word Stress / US States - Lesson 6c

Word Stress / US States - Lesson 6d

Thought Groups - Lesson 7a

Thought Groups - Lesson 7b

Sentence Stress - Lesson 8a

Sentence Stress - Lesson 8b

Sentence Stress - Lesson 8c

Rhythm Through Rhyme (Pronunication) 3a

Rhythm Through Rhyme (Pronunication) 3a

Weak Forms and 'Schwa'

Many short words in English (such as prepositions) have a weak form when they are not stressed in a sentence. This is a BBC Radio Programme which you can listen to online, or to download the mp3 file, right-click and select 'Save target as...'

Level: Intermediate to Advanced. You need Flash and Adobe Reader.  Go>

More about 'schwa'

Exercise - listen and click every syllable with a 'schwa'

More exercises

Emphasising Different Words

Learn how sentence stress can be flexible according to your emphasis. 

Level: Upper Inter to Advanced.  Go>

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