Word stress in a sentence

[kobeobie]

Can someone please help me identify which word or words are stressed in the following sentences:

Sue had her hair cut last week.

He'd left by the time we arrived.

got away with

Thanks I appreciate any help.

[Tdol]

It depends on the meaning. What's important in the first- the person, the action or the time?

[kobeobie]

It depends on the meaning. What's important in the first- the person, the action or the time?

I wasn't told what information was important.

I don't have an ear for music.I've been repeating these sentences over and over and I can not here any stress at all.

[BobK]

Tdol's point is that the stress can go in at least* six places:

• Sue had her hair cut last week [but Carol didn't].
• Sue had her hair cut last week [not her fingernails].
• Sue had her hair cut last week [pointing at someone else, maybe Sue's daughter].
• Sue had her hair cut last week [not dyed].
• Sue had her hair cut last week [not the week before].
• Sue had her hair cut last week [not last month].

It sounds as though the person who gave you this task had the mistaken belief that there was only one answer. Or perhaps their plan was to get different answers from various students and point out that they're all right in the right context.

b

PS *I say 'at least' because I imagine it might be possible to devise a context that would justify stress on the word 'had' - maybe to emphasize that she really did it, rather than just thinking about it, or doing it herself...

[kobeobie]

I've read in a few websites and books that the key words in a sentence usually get greater emphasis,for example:

Where were you at six o'clock?
I was at home.I went to the club at seven o'clock.

This is the house that Jack built
This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack built
This is the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

(these are examples taken from a book)

I can't seem to hear word stress but If I had to guess then I would say that the following words with important information are stressed:

Sue had her hair cut

He'd left by the time we arrived

got away with

If I were you,I'd go to Japan

[BobK]

I've read in a few websites and books that the key words in a sentence usually get greater emphasis,for example:

Where were you at six o'clock?
I was at home.I went to the club at seven o'clock.

This is the house that Jack built
This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack built
This is the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

(these are examples taken from a book)

I was talking about contrastive stress. Even without contrastive stress, words are stressed. And the the two sort of stress interact in subtle ways that I don't think have been described in a students' book (and I don't want to try). And different speakers differ. In the case of that nursery rhyme I'd stress only the verbs (especially towards the end - and not the last verb):

This is the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the maiden all forlorn
That chased the dog
That worried the cat
That killed the rat
That ate the malt
That lay in the house
That Jack built.

I can't seem to hear word stress but If I had to guess then I would say that the following words with important information are stressed:

Sue had her hair cut Maybe not 'had', but the rest is right.

He'd left by the time we arrived You're tending to over-emphasize a bit. I'd stress just 'left', 'time' and 'arrived' - and in polysyllables like that, only on one syllable: 'arrived'

got away with (but only on the second syllable)

If I were you,I'd go to Japan Again, you're a bit profligate. If everything's stressed, nothing is. I'd stress only 'I', 'you' 'go' and '...pan'

But as I've said, I'm just assigning word stress, and not contrastive stress

b