Although there are general rules on which words to stress or not stress in a sentence, there is flexibility to change the words you stress, too. One way this can happen is through highlighting. This is when you deliberately stress one word to draw attention to it.

Listen to me explain how each word in an example sentence could be stressed in order to draw extra attention to that word. Notice also how this "highlighted" word is stressed more than all the other words.

Although there are general rules on which words to stress or not stress in a sentence, there is flexibility to change the words you stress, too. One way this can happen is through highlighting. This is when you deliberately stress one word to draw attention to it.

Listen to me explain how each word in an example sentence could be stressed in order to draw extra attention to that word. Notice also how this "highlighted" word is stressed more than all the other words.

There are a variety of other reasons why we might "highlight" a word.

Sometimes, this is in response to a question where a particular word is key to the answer, whether it is a grammar word or not:

Is this her pen?

No, that's his pen. ("HIS" is stressed. Underlined words are stressed)

At other times, you may wish to make it clear you are referring to one thing and not another:

I'm still on my way to Edinburgh, not from Edinburgh! ("TO" and "FROM" are stressed. Underlined words are stressed)

In questions starting "Wh", the question word is usually stressed as this is key information about the type of answer required:

Where are you staying?

I'm staying in a hotel.

But if you use "where" in the answer, it doesn't have to be stressed:

Where are you staying?

I'm staying where no one can find me

Questions starting with auxiliary verbs (e.g. did, have, to be) do not have stress on the first word unless there is a need to "highlight" it.

Negative words are often stressed, as they are important to understand a whole sentence:

I'm not going to tell you

Next, listen to more examples of "highlighting". In the video that follows, practice speaking with highlighting.

There are a variety of other reasons why we might "highlight" a word.

Sometimes, this is in response to a question where a particular word is key to the answer, whether it is a grammar word or not:

Is this her pen?

No, that's his pen. ("HIS" is stressed. Underlined words are stressed)

At other times, you may wish to make it clear you are referring to one thing and not another:

I'm still on my way to Edinburgh, not from Edinburgh! ("TO" and "FROM" are stressed. Underlined words are stressed)

In questions starting "Wh", the question word is usually stressed as this is key information about the type of answer required:

Where are you staying?

I'm staying in a hotel.

But if you use "where" in the answer, it doesn't have to be stressed:

Where are you staying?

I'm staying where no one can find me

Questions starting with auxiliary verbs (e.g. did, have, to be) do not have stress on the first word unless there is a need to "highlight" it.

Negative words are often stressed, as they are important to understand a whole sentence:

I'm not going to tell you

Next, listen to more examples of "highlighting". In the video that follows, practice speaking with highlighting.