Re: What are the emphases of a sentence

tsj wrote:
> When we pronounce a sentence, how can know which word should be emphasized?
>
> Some American told me my pronounciation is 'monotonous'. And I noticed. But
> I found people sometimes emphasize the nouns and the verbs, which I think
> are more important. But sometimes they just emphasize pronouns. That makes
> me confused.
The emphasis shifts according to what we want to emphasise. You don't 
say what your native language is, but some languages do not use rhythm 
and tone in the same way as in English.

If your English is comprehensible I wouldn't worry too much about your 
speech being "monotonous". Can this american, for example, speak your 
language - or indeed any language other than english.

If you want to practice then I would advise using your language 
cassettes or CDs and practice copying the emphasis pattern used on teh 
cassette- You could record your repetitions onto a portable cassette 
recorder and compare your emphasis with the sentences you are copying.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan