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Rhythm

Chapter 8

Stress in One-syllable words


Poetry has rhythm.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.
By Robert Frost (1874-1963, American Poet)
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

Compare
Big black dogs chase small white cars.
A big black dog is chasing a small white car.
Which sentence takes longer to say?

What sounds best?


This is the house that Jack built.
This is the house that Jack built.
This- is -the house- that Jack- built.

Rules of Rhythm
a) One syllable content words are usually
stressed
Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs.

These content words carry the basic meaning of


the sentence.
This is the house that Jack built.

b) One syllable function words are usually unstressed and


reduced.
articles, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, auxiliary

verbs.

These function words show grammatical relationships and


are difficult to translate.
This is the house that Jack built.

See page 86 for examples of content words and functions


words

Can you add functions


words?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Like some tea please


Love look moon stars night
Beach sun bright sand hot
Cant eat lot red meat
Late got rush catch bus
Two men robbed near bank

7. Where buy new shoes


8. Sale store town
9. Best car buy
10. Know where got yes
11. Said come five six oclock
12. Call up talk now

Answers
Check page 87, Exercise B

Special note about function words


If a function word appears at the end of
sentence or is emphasized, the vowel is a full
vowel and not reduced.
What are you waiting for?
Yes, I do.
Where did you get that from?

Try.
Practice 1 pages 88-89
Practice 2 page 90

Metronome drills
Cows eat grass
The cows eat grass.
The cows will eat grass.
The cows will have eaten the grass.

Men beat rugs


The men beat rugs
The men beat their rugs
The men will beat their rugs.
The men will have beaten their rugs

Cars need gas.


The cars will need gas.
The cars will need some gas.
The cars will be needing some gas.

Kids hide toys.


Some kids hide toys.
Some kids hide our toys.
Some kids have hidden our toys.
Some kids will have hidden our toys.

Building Exercise
1. I bought it.
2. I told you I bought it.
3. Ive told you already that I bought it at the

store.
4. Ive told you already that I bought the
present at the store.
5. Ive told you already that I bought the
present at the store this morning.

Match rhythm patterns


Match the sentences which have the same
rhythm pattern.
A
B
1. She can tell.
I want to practice
2. He knows the answer.
We want books
3. I think its true.
We are sick.
4. She cant swim.
Hes different now.
5. Im amazed.
Examine them.
6. Its probable.
Ive begun.

Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

A
B
She can tell.
I want to practice
He knows the answer.
We want books
I think its true.
We are sick.
She cant swim.
Hes different now.
Im amazed.
Examine them.
Its probable.
Ive begun.

Function Word Reduction


How do we manage to reduce function words?
According to the basic rhythm rules of English,
contractions exist as a result of the reduction
of function words.
English orthography acknowledges that many
functions words are pronounced in an
unstressed manner.
The reduction and linking of these functions
words in spoken English is indicated in
informal writing by the use of contractions.

Contractions
To be
am Im
are youre, were, theyre
is shes, hes, its, wheres, whens, hows, whats,
whys, whos
Modals
Will Ill, youll, shell, hell, itll, well, theyll
Would Id, youd, shed, hed, itd, wed, theyd
Did whered, whyd, howd, whend, whatd (only
orally never in writing!)

More Contractions
Negative - (n.b.: These forms are content words)
Not arent, isnt, wasnt, werent, hasnt,
havent, hadnt, dont, etc.
Have (as auxiliary verb)
has hes, shes, its
have Ive, youve, weve, theyve
Illve, couldve, whenve, wouldve, shouldve,
mightve, mustve, etc.
had Id, youd, shed, hed, itd, wed, theyd

Reduced Speech
Consider the following phrases which are reduced,
where the function word in a phrase is pronounced
as a schwa //.
It only happens with a normal-to-fast rate of delivery.
If the speak slows down, the unreduced
pronunciation must be used.
Website - http://www.manythings.org/elllo/
http://www.manythings.org/elllo/46.html

Phrases
Going to

leave
Want to
Have to
Has to
oclock.
Used to
A lot of
Ought to

I thought you were going to


early.
He didnt want to believe me.
I have to work late tonight
It has to be printed by four
Mary used to drive a school bus.
Weve got a lot of work to do.
You ought to be more careful.

Practice!
Dialogues - Pages 92 93

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