2.Pronouns: demonstrative, indefinite, interrogative, emphatic, absolute.

3.Notional verbs.

4.Adjectives.

5.Numerals.

6.Interjections.

The unstressed elements as a rule are:

1.Pronouns: personal, possessive, reflexive, relative.

2.Auxiliary verbs.

3.Prepositions.

4.Conjunctions.

5.Articles.

6.Particles.

Sentence stress, to a greater degree, is determined by three factors:

1.By the relative semantic importance of words in the sentence which results in logical stress.

2.By the rhythmical structure of the sentence.

3.By the style of speech.

Variations in Sentence Stress

I.Auxiliary and modal verbs are stressed:

1.In short answers and in negative contracted forms, e. g. Yes, I do. Youneedn’t worry.

2.When “do” is used for emphasis, e. g. I do.

3.In slow colloquial style when they begin general or alternative questions, e. g.Are you a student? Can you help me?

Note. In rapid colloquial style there is a tendency not to stress them, e. g. Are you a student?

They are mostly unstressed when followed by the demonstrative pronouns “this” and “that”, e. g. Is this a book? Can this be true?

II.Prepositions and Conjunctions.

1.In sentence-initial position they may be stressed when followed by an unstressed syllable (slow colloquial style).

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Note. 1. In case a preposition or a conjunction is followed by a proper noun it takes no stress, e. g. If Nina wants to help her…

2.Sentence-initial “but” and “and” are unstressed, e. g. But he would never do it. And in a moment…

Prepositions and conjunctions in sentence-final position, though unstressed have vowels of full formation, e. g. What are you looking at/ /? What are

you listening to / /?

III.Interrogative pronouns “what”, “how”, “when”, “why” take no stress in the following type of utterances (they often become high-prehead syllables), e. g. How are you? Where is it?

IV. “What” and “how” in exclamatory sentences followed by some emotionally coloured words take no accent, e.g. How horrible! What fine weather we

are having to day!

V.“How many”, “how much” (rhythmical variations), e.g.

VI. Any word at its second appearance takes no stress, e. g. How many books?

– Two books.

VII. “More” and “most” as comparative and superlative degrees take no accent, e. g. The text is more difficult than I ex pected.

VIII. “Street” and “square” are stressed in the following way: In Gorky Street. In Red Square.

IX. Logical stress can be laid on any word semantically important for the speaker. Sentence stress on the words that follow it either disappears or becomes partial, e. g. Do you speak English?

Note. In “there + be” construction logical stress is fixed on the subject thus leaving an adverbial modifier of place unstressed, e. g. There are many places of interest in Kiev.

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Logical Stress

Logical Stress serves to mark the semantic center of the utterance (a word or a word-group that carries new information important for the speaker).

Logical Stress is observed when the syntagmatic stress is shifted from its normal place (the last notional word of the intonation-group) to any of the preceding words thus creating a new semantic center. Logical Stress is always combined with one of the moving tones.

Stress on words that follow logical stress either disappears (rapid colloquial) or becomes partial (slow colloquial).

e.g. He left for Kyiv yesterday. He left for Kyiv yesterday. He left for Kyiv yesterday.He left for Kyiv yesterday.

Some Rules of Syntagmatic Division

When we speak we make pauses necessary for understanding. They divide the speech-flow into syntagms. The syntagmatic division depends on the tempo and style of speech. The slow colloquial style is characterised by a greater number of intonation groups, than the rapid colloqual.

Simple extended sentence

1.The subject group and the predicate group consisting of more than one word

form separate syntagms (extended subject group).John’s sister entered the room.

Note. One-word subject can form a separate syntagm if it is emphasised (one

of the complex tones must be used on it).Mary is John’s sister.

2.Homogeneous predicates or other members of the sentence:John came but didn’t stay long.

3.An adverbial or parenthetical phrase at the beginning of the sentence. A few minutes later we heard a ring at the door.

To tell the truth , he’s never late.

4.An apposition makes up a separate syntagm.Betty Smith , my wife’s niece , lives with us.

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