Search results for 'tag:Nouns tag:Accent Training' matching tags 'Nouns' and 'Accent Training'

Re: compounds and its main stress

Kooyeen — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:28:33 GMT

Hi Jim,
I noticed this, and remembered something I read on that book, "American Accent Training". I didn't pay much attention to that part, because I then found out that there were a lot of exceptions, so many that it made no sense to consider any rules.

CalifJim wrote:

a palm-planted COURTyard ('palm-planted' is an adjective)
a glass-enclosed LOBby (as with previous example)
apricot-tinted HAIR (as with previous example)

She says:
"An adjective and noun combination is called a descriptive phrase, and in the absence of contrast or other secondary changes, the stress will always fall naturally on the noun."
And then there's this exercise:
"There is a little girl. Her name is Goldilocks. She is in a sunny forest. She sees a small house. She knocks on the door, but no one answer. She goes inside. In the large room, there are three chairs. [...]"

Ok. So, the stress in on the noun. A red car, not a red car. Really? Hmm... All of a sudden, there it is, "review of chapters 1-6". And as an exercise, this thing comes up, "sentence balance". She says:
"Certain shifts will be dictated for the sake of sentence balance. Set phrases and contrast don't change, but the intonation of a descriptive phrase will move from the second word to the first, without changing the meaning. The stress change indicates that it's not the end of the sentence, but rather, there is more to come. [...] When we practiced Goldilocks the first time, we had very short sentences so we didn't need sentence balance. All of the descriptive phrases in blue would otherwise be stressed on the second word, if the shift weren't needed."

There is a little girl called Goldilocks. She is walking through a sunny forest and sees a small house. She knocks on the door, but no one answers. She goes inside to see what's there. There are three chairs in the large room. [...]

At that point, I thought: "What's the point in spending time on this?" I feel those kinds of stress shifts are really common, and they depend on a lot of things, not only to say "Hey, this is not the end of the sentence". Native speakers don't usually have prearranged sentences in mind when they talk. Then not everyone has the same intonation... take valley girls: would they stress the same words as everyone else?

So I decided not to focus on that, and just "go by ear". That's why I often have trouble with stress and intonation... I don't have a clue, LOL. It would be too complicated to find out and remember rules for that, and it wouldn't be worth it, I think.

Opinions? Thanks

My car - stress

Kooyeen — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:38:00 GMT

Hi,
I remeber I once read (in Amercan Accent Training) that when you say what your name is, like "My name is Earl", you should stress "my", not "name". I'd never heard that... and I was surprised, since here in Italy every teacher makes you say "My name ease Earl", stress on name and Earl, lol.
I have to say I've never read the part about sentence stress very carefully... it was a mess. I prefer to pick up "the rules" while listening. So I never know where to put the stress in a sentence... I just hope it sounds good and say it the way it sounds best to me.
But now I'd like to ask about this: in sentences like...

-My name is Earl, and I live in Santa Monica
-My car is over there
-Your dog is so ugly
-Our sister just sold our old car

...is the stess on the possessive adjective or on the following word?

I think I always stress the following word, unless there's a good reason to emphasize the possessive adjective, and unless the possessive adjective is at the beginning of a sentence.
If it's at the beginning, I think I stress either the adjective or the noun, without following any apparent rules. Maybe I tend to stress the adjective more often, but I'm not sure.

Any comments? Thanks in advance

Re: How are you?

Kooyeen — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 17:13:08 GMT

Hi Yuki,
thank you for your opinion.

L.Yuki wrote:
Hmm I normally heard people say how are you as well.

Though, my native American friend told me it doesn't really matter how you stress it. Just depends on the situation, you can even stress any word you want >_> if it is needed.

I asked a native speaker too, and she said that "How are you?" would be something you say after someone has already asked you "How are you?" So she said "How are you?" is not ok as a general question when you meet someone.

L.Yuki wrote:
Also, in one of the pronunciation book I have, there is this exercise on stressing:

I didn't say he stole the money.

Hey, I remember that "I didn't say he stole the money". I have that book too! (American Accent Training).
But if you remember what the author says, she says that "pronouns" are usually not stressed, unless there is a reason to stress them. For example, you say "Thank you", not "Thank you", unless it is a reply to another "Thank you" and you stress "you".
I love you. (default) I love you. (you, not another one)
Why don't you come with me? (default) Why don't you come with me? (me, not another one)
How are you? (default or not?) How are you? (is this an exception then?)

She said you don't stress pronouns unless there is a good reason. What is the good reason for saying:
Mike: Hi, how are you?
John: Fine. What about you?

Re: four part questions

pieanne — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 15:20:18 GMT

Believer wrote:

1) How would one be allowed to use this kind of the quantifier in front of a uncountable noun. My instinct tells me this adjectival phrase is used correctly but need your affirmation.]

Adjectival quantifying phrase: a bit more & noun: sense

When he was younger and head a bit more sense.  Yes, but it's "had", and I guess you are aware of the fact your sentence isn't complete.

2) Is the following sentence properly illustrating the case of an uncountable noun "sense" having the "the" because it is being specified contextually by the following phrase "to seek help"?

When that does not work they sometimes have the sense to seek help. Yes

3) Why in the following sentence, the "call" is being allowed to function without an article?I think they speak in general, like "via email"

We also offer private line accent training therapy via video conference call.

4) I got this "what looks to be" sort of a  list from an accent help webiste and have been wondering why this list can function without strict adherence to the general sentential nad grammatical rules.

- End your frustraton; increase your intellisibility quickly and easily.

- Integrate games, video instruction, animated graphics, wave form graphs, instant record, playback      and coampare. These are imperatives, the kind of sentences you'll find in ads.

- (it is) Great for self-study, classroom and theraphy setting .

Re: four part questions

Clive — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 13:59:02 GMT

Hi,

1) How would one be allowed to use this kind of the quantifier in front of a uncountable noun. My instinct tells me this adjectival phrase is used correctly but need your affirmation.]

Adjectival quantifying phrase: a bit more & noun: sense

When he was younger and had a bit more sense.

This sounds fine. Consider something tangible, like 'snow'. I can't count it, but I can conceive of it 'broken into bits', and thus I can conceive of having 'a bit more'.

2) Is the following sentence properly illustrating the case of an uncountable noun "sense" having the "the" because it is being specified contextually by the following phrase "to seek help"? Yes, I'd agree, except that I don't see 'sense' as uncountable here

When that does not work they sometimes have the sense to seek help but they don't have the sense to find a solution themselves. (ie two different kinds of sense are specified here)

3) Why in the following sentence, the "call" is being allowed to function without an article?

We also offer private line accent training therapy via video conference call.

The word 'call' is being used in the singular, to represent all the items of that type in a general way. It's like saying 'Thousands of the city's commuters travel to work by car'. It's idiomatic, in the sense that you can't do this with every noun.

4) I got this "what looks to be" sort of a list from an accent help webiste and have been wondering why this list can function without strict adherence to the general sentential nad grammatical rules.

Can you please be more specific about what parts of this you are questioning?

- End your frustraton; increase your intellisibility quickly and easily.

- Integrate games, video instruction, animated graphics, wave form graphs, instant record, playback and coampare.

- Great for self-study, classroom and theraphy setting .

Best wishes, Clive

four part questions

Believer — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 10:59:32 GMT