Keep a steady rhythm
In the last lesson, you worked on avoiding non-word sounds and pausing effectively. This lesson will help you understand English rhythm and intonation, and show you how to use set phrases to appear more fluent.
What is word stress? Discuss it with your teacher and define the term.
Word stress shows the listener what to focus on in the sentence. It is a natural way of speaking. Without it, we sound robotic, and it's difficult for the listener to understand us.
Extra point (for very keen students)
If your student is upper-intermediate or advanced, you can say,
Word stress can change the meaning. Take a look at this blog post: How word stress can change the meaning.
The example sentence from the blog post is, "I didn't steal your wallet."
Ask your student: "Which word would you stress?"
Then discuss how the meaning changes when different words are stressed—let the student supply the answers as much as possible.
There are 3 ways to stress a word in English. What are they, and which way is used most often?
Word stress
In English, word stress is made up of three components:
- louder/softer (volume)
- higher/lower (pitch)
- longer/shorter (word length)
Of these three, stretching the word length is vastly more common, especially comparing native English speakers with non-native speakers.
Pitch is used as well. We like to make a sort of wave that smoothly and gradually rises and falls.
Volume is the least used. Please don't yell at me or whisper! Some students will substitute volume for pitch and length and end up yelling key words. This is not a good style.
Chunking
One way to describe stressing and un-stressing words is "chunking"—saying a group of words as a phrase. Native speakers always do this. You can tell your student:
Native speakers always put words together. We. don't. speak. like. this. Instead we speak like this.
Even non-native speakers usually do this a little. The phrase "nice to meet you" is pushed together to sound like /nahys-t'MEE-chu/. This is an example of chunking.
A. Your instructor will read these phrases and stress the key words. Listen and repeat. If you have not used these phrases, then discuss their meaning. If you can think of any other phrases you tend to use, practice those, too.
- That's a good question...
- Let me see...
- How shall I put it...
- Let me think about that for a moment...
B. Here are some phrases that you can use at the beginning of your answer, or to introduce a key point.
- So, first of all...
- In my opinion...
- To be honest...
- As a matter of fact...
C. Try reading this answer with as much word stress as you can. Your instructor will help you.
Are World Heritage sites important?
To be honest, I've never thought about that before. Are they important? Well, I'd say, yes, absolutely. First of all, World Heritage sites are a chance to look back at the past, to look at history, and experience it. You know, they say, "Those who cannot remember the past will definitely repeat it." And, as a matter of fact, I think that's exactly right. Also, of course, World Heritage sites, like Mount Fuji, are gorgeous. So, to wrap up, yes, World Heritage sites are important. I hope to visit more of them in the future.
Word stress
Focus on tone and flow with your student, and help them stretch words. The goal is for students to get a sense of English rhythm.
Some notes about word stress:
- English words are always stressed by stretching a vowel sound, and it's often the first vowel.
- Unstressed words are cut short, like the "to" in "nice to meet you", which becomes /nice-t'-mii-chu/.
- Which word you stress depends on the meaning you want to give the sentence. For now, just stress the natural key words.
A. Phrase transcriptions
Here is a guide to how these phrases sound. The capitalized sounds are stretched.
- That's a good question... /thaa-tsa-gud-KWES-chin/
- Let me see... /le-mi-SI/
- How shall I put it... /HAU-sha-lai-PUT-it/
- Let me think about that for a moment... /lemi-THINK-abau-tha-f'r-a-MO-mint/
B. Phrases to use at the beginning of an answer or to introduce a key point:
- So, first of all /so-FUR-stuv-al/
- In my opinion /in-MAI-uh-pin-yun/
- To be honest /t'bi-YON-ist/
- As a matter of fact /a-za-MAT-tur-o-FACT/
Note
You can point out that English speakers chunk all our language, but working on the rhythm of set phrases is a good entry point for doing this naturally.
Stresses for the whole answer could be something like this:
To be HONest, I've never THOUGHT about that before. Are they imPORtant? Well, I'd say, YES, absoLUTEly. FIRST of all, WORLD HERitage sites are a chance to LOOK BACK at the PAST, to LOOK at HIStory, and exPERience it. You know, they say, "THOSE who cannot reMEMber the past will DEFinitely repeat it." And, as a MAtter of FACT, I think that's exACTly right. ALso, of course, WORLD HERitage sites, like MOUNT FUji, are GORgeous. So, to wrap up, YES, WORLD HERitage sites ARE important. I hope to visit MORE of them in the FUture.
Stop your student if necessary, and repeat the target phrases with natural word stress. Do this as much as you can while maintaining energy in the lesson.
Shadowing
Tell your students that repeating phrases after a native speaker is called shadowing, and it's a popular, effective way to improve. Actually, shadowing is used in nearly all disciplines. Many people in big companies have a mentor who shows them how to do key tasks. This is a form of shadowing.
Some students don't like this listen-and-repeat style, and that may be a battle you can't win. Just encourage willing students to practice as much as possible. And even if they don't want to repeat after the speaker, they should still listen to native speakers to hear the rhythm of the language.
Extra input
If your student is doing well with this or is hungry for more, discuss this idea:
Word stress in personalized phrases
- I’d say...
- From my perspective...
- If you ask me...
Students don’t seem to realize that the “I”, “my” or “me” is the part that should be emphasized. Even for phrases like, "I think" or, “at my company”!
Now, practice answering some questions, and focus on the rhythm of your speech.