How To Answer on Emphatic Stress In English [SIMPLE TRICK]

Do you struggle with exam questions on Emphatic Stress in English and would like to master it once and for all?

In this lesson,

You will learn the simple steps on how to answer both SIMPLE and COMPLEX questions on Emphatic Stress in English which will ALWAYS guarantee your correct answer.

Please.

Go through this lesson CAREFULLY and attempt the questions that follow.

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What is Emphatic Stress in English?

Emphatic stress is the emphasis placed on an entire word in a sentence.

Hence, it is also called “Sentence stress” which is different from Word stress.

Difference between Emphatic Stress and Word Stress

Emphatic Stress is different from Word Stress.

Here’s how.

While Emphatic Stress (also; sentence stress) places the stress or emphasis on an entire “word” in a sentence, Word Stress (also; syllable stress) places the stress on just a “syllable” in a word.

• ALSO SEE: BASIC RULES OF WORD STRESS IN ENGLISH

Identifying questions on Emphatic Stress

Exam questions on Emphatic stress are often written as statements with the emphasized word CAPITALIZED while the options are in form of questions.

EXAMPLE:

Kunle attends a COMMERCIAL college.

• Does Musa attend a commercial college?
• Has Kunle graduated from a commercial college?
• Does Kunle attend a Technical college?
• Does Kunle attend a commercial school?

How to answer SIMPLE questions on Emphatic Stress?

There is a golden rule for correctly answering questions on Emphatic Stress in English and it states that the correct answer is ALWAYS the option that does NOT have the capitalized word.

EXAMPLE.

Kunle attends a COMMMERCIAL college.

• Does Musa attend a commercial college?
• Has Kunle graduated from a commercial college?
• Does Kunle attend a Technical college?
• Does Kunle attend a commercial school?

STEP #1: note the word in CAPITAL letters

• Kunle attends a COMMERCIAL college.

(The capitalized word is “COMMERCIAL”).

STEP #2: choose the option without the CAPITALIZED word.

• Does Musa attend a commercial college?
• Has Kunle graduated from a commercial college?
• Does Kunle attend a Technical college?
• Does Kunle attend a commercial school?

The 1st, 2nd and 4th options all have “commercial” in them.

Which makes the 3rd option the correct answer because it does not have the capitalized word “COMMERCIAL”.

How to answer COMPLEX questions on Emphatic Stress

Complex Emphatic stress questions are tricky and do not follow the simple steps above. They are also not commonly asked in exams, but just know how to tackle it, in case.

EXAMPLE:

The accused hasn’t even been TRIED yet.

• Was the accused sentenced to life imprisonment?
• Has the suspect been apprehended?
• Why hasn’t the accused been tried yet?
• Was the accused handed over to the police?

According to the simple steps, the 1st, 2nd and 4th options do NOT have the capitalized word “TRIED” but does that make the three options correct?

Definitely not.

How then can you correctly answer such question?

1. See the statement as your reply to one of the option.
2. Choose the option whose question will warrant you to reply with the given statement and stress the capitalized word.

A criminal is processed in this particular order.

First, he/she is SUSPECTED, then CAUGHT / APPREHENDED, then CHARGED to court, then TRIED in court before being SENTENCED when found guilty.

So if someone asks,

• Was the accused handed over to the police?

Will you respond with:

• The accused hasn’t even been TRIED yet.

No, because the “handing over” comes way before the trial. So it should have been done and therefore not warrant you to respond with that statement.

The correct question will contain a term that is supposed to come after the TRIAL.

• Was the accused sentenced to life imprisonment?
• Has the suspect been apprehended?
• Why hasn’t the accused been tried yet?
• Was the accused handed over to the police?

Only the 1st option asked a question with a term or process that is supposed to come after the accused has been TRIED in court.

• SOMEONE: Was the accused sentenced to life imprisonment?
• YOU: Noooo! He hasn’t even been TRIED yet.

Thus, option A is the correct answer.

Practice questions on Emphatic Stress

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