Stress Change

Stress change

Connected Speech

Answers at the end

Some words seem to change their stress pattern in connected speech; the position of the stress is shifted when the word is followed in a phrase by a more strongly stressed word.

This means that in isolation, middle-aged has primary stress on 'aged'. So in the sentence: Most Daily Telegraph readers are middle-aged, 'aged' is more prominent than 'middle'. But in the phrase middle-aged spread (the tendency to put on weight at this age), with primary stress on the noun 'spread', it is 'middle' and not 'aged' that carries the secondary stress: i.e. 'middle' is more prominent than 'aged'.

Listen to the audio. Notice the stress shifts from "minute" in the first sentence to "last" in the second sentence

• arrangements made at the last minute
• last-minute arrangements

Exercise 54The phrases below can all be transformed in a similar way. Transform each phrase. Mark the secondary and primary stress. The first one is done for you. Listen to the audio, which starts at number 2. Pause, and write down the answers.1. arrangements made at the last minute. last-minute arrangements 2. a map drawn to a large scale 3. surgery performed on the open heart 4. a personality which is laid-back 5. a potato-peeler designed for people who are left-handed 6. a letter which is misspelt 7. a person's youth which was misspent

Exercise 55 In words of four or more syllables, when stress is shifted, the original primary stress still carries a rhythmic beat; this tertiary stress is marked with a small circle

Exercise 55A similar process may take place in the words and phrases below. Say and mark the stress in the word in isolation, and the phrase containing the word. Pause and try yourself first:1a. audio-visual 1b. audio-visual aids2a. automatic. 2b. automatic pilot 3a. occupational. 3b. occupational therapy 4a. operational 4b. operational research 5a. radioactive 5b. radioactive decay

Exercise 56The phrases below are all given in the dictionary as examples of a phrase in which the first element is likely to undergo stress shift. Each phrase could be expressed in a longer form, with a relative clause: e.g. next-door neighbours = neighbours who live next door. Listen to the examples and notice the difference in stress when 'next-door' is in final position:

Exercise 56Express each of the phrases below in a similar way. When you say the two versions, be careful to stress correctly the element in final position. Pause and try yourself first.1. trumped-up charges charges which are trumped up 2. the mid-day sun 3. an undercover agent 4. unearned income 5. a middle-aged man 6. cast-iron railings 7. a crazy mixed-up kid

Exercise 57

Listen and repeat the following pairs of sentences.1. Don't go out at mid-day. Don't go out in the mid-day sun. 2. She's always at my right-hand. She's always on the right-hand side. 3. They're soft-hearted. They're a soft-hearted couple. 4. I'm going via Panama. I'm going via the Panama Canal. 5. She was sent overseas. She was sent on an overseas posting. 6. John's at university. John's at University College. 7. They're cruising in the Adriatic. They're cruising in the Adriatic Sea. 8. He's very interested in Latin America. He's very interested in Latin-American dancing. 9. The underlying rocks are carboniferous. The underlying rocks are carboniferous limestone. 10. We're going to Oklahoma. We're going to Oklahoma City.

If you wish, you can listen again.

Answers