Listening for Sentence Stress and Rhythm (BrE)

Audio 1 and Audio 2 by Peter Yearsley

The sentences in Audio 1 are read distinctly and rather slowly, so that you can hear the stresses and the rhythm more clearly. The same sentences in Audio 2 are read a little faster, in a more natural way. The sentences are grouped according to the number of the stressed syllables.

Предложения в Audio 1 прочитаны отчётливо и довольно медленно, чтобы вы могли более ясно слышать ударения и ритм. Те же предложения в Audio 2 прочитаны немного быстрее, более естественно. Предложения сгруппированы по количеству ударных слогов.

One stress

She \works.
It \stopped.
They \left.

I \like it.
He \saw her.
I \know him.
We \found it.

She is \young.
I can \drive.
It's a \present.

Two stresses

'Mary \works.
The 'car \stopped.
He 'left \early.

'Tom is \reading.
'Anna is a \doctor.
'Rome is in \Italy.

I 'need some \help.
He 'likes to \read.
I 'live in \Moscow.

I 'don't \know.
It's 'ten o'\clock.
It's an 'interesting \film.

She 'gave me a \present.
He'll 'see her to\morrow.

Three stresses

'Anna 'teaches \French.
'Mary 'lives in \London.
'Thomas 'works at a \bank.

'Lena is 'reading a \book.
Ma'ria is 'studying \English.
The 'children are 'playing in the \park.

'Paris is a 'large \city.
'Moscow is the 'capital of \Russia.

I 'bought a 'loaf of \bread.
He 'brought a 'present for \Anna.
I 'don't 'know his \name.

Four stresses

She 'wants to 'buy a 'new \car.
He 'wrote the 'letters 'very \quickly.
The 'teacher 'told her 'students a \story.
His 'train will ar'rive at 'four o'\clock.

I'm 'going to 'visit my 'relatives on \Sunday.
He 'usually 'goes for a 'walk after \breakfast.
She has 'dancing 'lessons 'twice a \week.

Note:

You can read about sentence stress and rhythm in Sentence Stress and Rhythm in the section Phonetics. More examples for practicing can be found in Practice for Intonation and Rhythm in the section Phonetics.