Sentence focus. You've learned earlier about word stress and how the stressed syllable is emphasized more than the others. It can be longer, louder, higher in pitch, and clearer than the other syllables. In the same way in any sentence or thought group, there's one word that is emphasized more than the others. For example, when we say, I want to learn to play the piano, the word piano is emphasized more than the other words. It can also be longer, louder, higher in pitch, and clearer. We say that this word has sentence focus. If a sentence has more than one thought group, each one has a word with sentence focus like this. I want to learn to play the piano, but I don't have time. So how do we know which word has sentence focus? It might be the last content word in a thought group, a word that gives new information, a word we want to emphasize or words that are in contrast with each other. Usually the last content word in the thought group has sentence focus. I want to learn to play the piano. You remember content words, the words that have more meaning in themselves, nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs and question words. In this sentence, piano is the last content word so it has the sentence focus. Now say this sentence, I want to learn to play the piano. But sometimes if there's a time expression at the end of the sentence, it doesn't have emphasis like this one. I want to learn to play the piano someday. Someday doesn't get much stress, now say the sentence. I want to learn to play the piano someday. Now try saying these sentences. What's your favorite kind of music? I really like to listen to folk music. I don't know much about folk music but it sounds interesting. We also use sentence focus to mark new information, old information, things we've already talked about doesn't get much stress. Listen to this conversation. Do you want a piece of this cake? What kind of cake is it? It's chocolate cake. In the first sentence, we stress cake. It's the last content word and it gives new information. In the next sentence, we don't stress cake. It's old information now, instead we stress what kind because that's something new, the question we're asking. In the last sentence, we stress chocolate. It gives new information, the kind of cake. Now practice saying the dialogue, do you want a piece of this cake? What kind of cake is it? It's chocolate cake. Sometimes there's a word that we really want to emphasize because it's important or surprising. In that case, that word can have sentence focus. Listen to this conversation. What did you do last weekend? I stayed home and read a book. What did you do? I had lunch with a movie star. Wow, I did not expect that. Why did we emphasize do in the first line, but you in the second. Emphasizing do is the usual pattern for this sentence if nothing in particular needs to be emphasized, but in the second line, we stressed you. We're saying, I told you about myself, now what's your answer? And in the last line, we put more stress on not to emphasize that it's important. We really didn't expect to hear this news, let's say the dialogue. What did you do last weekend? I stayed home and read a book. What did you do? I had lunch with a movie star. Wow, I did not expect that. Now try saying these sentences. Notice how sentence stress changes the meaning of some of the sentences. I do not want to have a snake for a pet. Pronunciation is important. You thought it wasn't. I've started working on it, but I haven't finished. My work is always done on time, but yours isn't. Finally, when we want to show a contrast between two things or ideas, we give them both some extra stress. For example, if someone mistakenly tells you that Los Angeles is the capital of California, you might answer, no, the capital of California is Sacramento not Los Angeles. Now try saying these sentences with contrasting words. Penguins can't fly, but eagles can. Put your books on the table, not under it. I thought this cup had coffee in it, but it's really tea. Sentence focus is very important. And you've seen how it can even change the meaning of what we say. Try to focus on sentence focus when you speak. Thank you for practicing.
