Stress & Intonation
English uses stress and intonation to shape meaning, highlight information, and convey attitude. This guide focuses on key patterns for learners to practice.
Stress
Stress falls on particular syllables in words and on particular words in sentences, and it changes meaning and naturalness. Word stress is fixed for each word, while sentence stress highlights important information.
Word Stress
Word stress in English typically falls on a specific syllable depending on the word's type and origin, and dictionaries show stress with marks like Β΄ or Λ. Learning common patterns helps learners predict stress.
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Sentence Stress
Sentence stress falls mainly on content words like nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, while function words like prepositions, articles, and auxiliaries are usually unstressed. This pattern signals what is important.
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Intonation
Intonation is the melody of speech, made by pitch changes that signal questions, statements, emotions, and emphasis. English uses rising and falling tones for different functions.
Falling Intonation
Falling intonation, where the voice goes down at the end of a phrase, signals completion, certainty, and statements or commands. It is common in declarative sentences.
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Rising Intonation
Rising intonation, where the voice goes up at the end, signals questions, uncertainty, or that more information is coming. It is typical in yes/no questions and in lists.
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Tag Questions
Tag questions add a short question at the end of a statement and use rising intonation to invite help or falling intonation to show confirmation. The tag matches the auxiliary verb and the sentence's polarity.
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Linking
Linking connects sounds between words to make speech smooth and natural. Speakers link consonants to vowels, change sounds, and sometimes add little sounds to join words seamlessly.
Linking Sounds
Common linking types are linking consonant to vowel (adding a sound), intruding sounds (adding /w/, /j/, or /r/), and elision (dropping a consonant). These make fast speech flow and are heard in natural speech.
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Summary
Stress and intonation work together to make meaning clear, guide the listener, and give speech its rhythm and melody. Practicing these patterns helps learners sound more natural and be better understood.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025