Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
sentence stress

sentence stress

3.9
Emphasis on some words or syllables in speech that changes rhythm and meaning
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛntəns strɛs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : énfasis de la oración
  • In spoken English, understanding sentence stress helps convey the correct meaning.

Examples

  • The teacher emphasized the importance of sentence stress during the speaking exercises.

  • Different words can affect the sentence stress and change the overall message.

  • And then we're going to talk about sentence stress and rhythm.

  • While students listen to the results, the teacher can guide their attention to word and sentence stress patterns as well as the non-verbal communication that is coupled with the oral language. Segmentals can also be explored with YouGlish.

    Academic text (2018)

Synonyms

emphasis
vssentence stress
  • Specialized
14 3.7

Stress that makes a syllable or musical note stronger

is the natural pattern inside spoken phrases shaping rhythm and meaning
accentuation
vssentence stress
  • Specialized
6.7

Putting extra stress on one syllable or word when speaking

is the natural pattern inside spoken phrases shaping rhythm and meaning

How Stressed

sentence stress
  • Specialized
3.9
word stress
  • Specialized
3.9

Surface Forms

sentence stress singular
sentence stresses plural

Morphology

sentence + stress

The meaning is directly compositional: 'sentence' (a grammatical unit) combined with 'stress' (accentuation) clearly indicates emphasis placed within a sentence. This noun-noun compound follows common English patterns and has clear equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrase sentence stress comes from the image of putting extra stress or 'weight' on one word in a sentence, like tapping that word harder when you speak. That stronger beat makes the word more important, so changing the beat can change the 'meaning' of the whole sentence.