英語のブログ

インクル英会話のネイティブ先生のブログから英語を勉強しましょう。

Stress and emphasis in English are very important, both in words and in sentences. Stressing a word in a different way can change its meaning and stressing or emphasizing different words in a sentence can change the implied meaning of the sentence.
Let's first look at an example that shows how a sentence can change depending on which word is stressed. In the following sentence, the stressed words are italicized.

• I never said she stole my money. The speaker here is emphasizing that it was someone else who accused her and not them.
• I never said she stole my money. The speaker is emphasizing that they absolutely never said that.
• I never said she stole my money. The speaker is emphasizing that they never accused her of stealing the money but maybe believed it, or that they never verbalized it but maybe wrote it instead.
• I never said she stole my money. The speaker is emphasizing that she did accuse someone of stealing the money but not her.
• I never said she stole my money. The speaker is emphasizing that the money wasn't necessarily stolen, but maybe borrowed or moved.
• I never said she stole my money. The speaker is emphasizing that the money that was stolen was not their own.
• I never said she stole my money. The speaker is emphasizing that it wasn't money that was stolen but something else.

When you're speaking in English remember to use stress and emphasis. It will help you convey your idea and also help you to sound more natural and less robotic!

単語
absolutely 絶対に
accuse 誰かを責める
convey 伝える
depending on によって異なる
imply ほのめかす
italicized 斜体
natural 自然
necessarily 必ずしも
robotic ロボット的
verbalized 言語化された