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If there is one thing kids love to do is to make fun of one another, and, more often than not, the target of these mockeries ends up being someone’s body or physique, a phenomenon that we now know as…
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Stress & Intonation
By stress we mean the intensity given to a single syllable or a word within a sentence. By intonation we mean the rise and fall of a speaker’s voice.
You need to focus on stress and intonation if:
- You emphasize the wrong words when speaking
- Your voice rises and falls at inappropriate times when speaking
- You want to achieve a native-like English accent
How To Learn To Use Stress and Intonation Correctly
What you need:
- A copy of the book "English Pronunciation in Use" (optional)
- A video or a movie with English subtitles*
- Lots of patience and time
* You can also use a recording/podcast as long as it comes with a transcript.
Phase 1 - Study and Analyze
1. (Optional) Grab a Pronunciation Guide and to learn when words are stressed as well as the most common intonation patterns.
2. Watch a video / listen to a recording. Read the subtitles or the transcript paying close attention to which words are stressed and when the voice of the speaker rises or falls.
Phase 2 - Practice
1. Watch the video again, this time pause after each sentence and shadow what the speaker just said. Stress the words they stress and copy their intonation.
2. When you feel ready, take a book or an article. Make a note of the words that should be stressed as well of when the intonation rises or falls, then practice reading the text out loud.
Tips
- Focus on one rule at a time. If you focus on too many rules at once, you might get overwhelmed.
- Grab a Pronunciation Guide if you need help figuring out when to group words together.
- Don’t rush. Rushing will not get you the results you want.
- Take a break when you feel frustrated.
- Stay consistent. Shoot for 15-30 minutes of practice a day.
