Notes

Stress in Words (Syllable Stress)

English is a stress-timed language. We have to put pressure on words.
Stress - raise the tone a syllable.
A syllable is a part of a word.

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In every word, there is always at least one stressed syllable there's always one main stressed syllable and always especially in words that have two or more syllables. Obviously, always every word, if there are more than 2 syllables, we have to stress at least one syllable.

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Stressing of “un-”, for example, The word Understand. Un-der-stand. Un - half stress, der - function syllable, stand - main stress.

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The excellent idea that I can trust to says (but I can't rely on this rule all the time):
a) The majority of two-syllable nouns stress on the first syllable, for example, 'Record, 'Permit, 'Subject.
b) The majority of two-syllable verbs have stress on the second syllable, for example, Re'cord, Per'mit, 'Sub'ject.

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The stressing sign „ ' "... like here': /ˈsʌm.taɪmz/, always is placed ahead of the syllable to stress it.

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Depending on the pronunciation of /'pɜ:mɪt/ or /pə’mɪt/, if we want to stress the syllable, then we have to use stressing phonetic signs.

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Sentence Stress

The same thing applies in a sentence there will be important words, this is where it's up to you you need to think about what words are important in the sentence and it can depend on the conversation you're having, it depends a lot of things.

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Every the time I'm stressing naturally the words that need to be stressed to make people understand me more and also to sound natural.
For you: you need to start learning how to do this naturally by learning the rules.

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In the sentence, we have two kinds of words: stressed and function words. We will stress the words that we really think you need to hear in the sentence.
We always stress the stressed syllable.

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In the sentence, words that will be stressed they have to be said strong, and function words have to be said weakly.

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I'm going to the shop to buy a television.
In this example, bolded words were underlined and marked as „content words” to hear them as stressed words. Rest of not underlined words are „functions words”.


Content words (stressed word):
main verbs
adjectives
adverbs

words with more information / important words to the sentence.

Function words (weak forms):
prepositions (in, at, on)
pronouns (she,their)
determiners (the, a)
auxiliary verbs (be, do)
conjunctions (and, but)

usually reduced with a SCHWA
sometimes reduced with a /i/ or /u/

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Stressed words: tone up, stronger, *sometimes it could be pronounced a little bit longer. Function words: relaxed, quick, SCHWA (sometimes).

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The main thing to realise we're really stressing now on those important words the other words they just become quicker and if we can't get the schwa sound in there, it doesn't matter we just make them faster. Only some words, we can put schwa sound in.

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There are always three different ways: 1) function form, 2) content form - normal stress, 3) extended stronger stress.

Example of the third form: I want to see you tomorrow.

In this case "you" would be the Third form.

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