Stress patterns
The emphasis placed on syllables within words and utterances, using variations in volume, pitch, and duration. Word stress is lexical ('PREsent vs preSENT'), and sentence stress conveys meaning and emotion.
Real World
When Boris Johnson said 'Let's get Brexit done,' placing heavy stress on 'done' turned a complex political process into a simple, emphatic slogan — speech writers manipulate stress patterns to maximise persuasive impact.
Exam Focus
Explain how shifting stress changes meaning (e.g. 'I didn't steal it' vs 'I didn't STEAL it') — always link stress to pragmatic effect.
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