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Expressions Of Two Words
By Frank Gerace, Ph.D,
New York, U.S.A.
fg at leerespoder.com
http://www.GoodAccent.com
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Listen
and Learn: The Intonation of Two-Word Expressions
Many people think that pronunciation is what
makes up an accent. It may be that pronunciation
is very important for an understandable accent.
But it is intonation that gives the final
touch that makes an accent correct or native.
Intonation is the "music" of a language,
and is perhaps the most important element of a correct
accent. Often we hear someone speaking with perfect
grammar, and perfect formation of the sounds of
English but with a little something that gives her
away as not being a native speaker.
Therefore, it is necessary to realize that there
is more than the correct pronunciation of the vowels
and consonants of a language. This is very important
and we do stress it in other articles. But it is
only one of the three components to an accent,
pronunciation, intonation, and linking.
In other places we will examine the correct pronunciation
of vowels and consonants, and linking, the way that
syllables within a word, and the beginning and ending
of words come together.
But in this article we will look at how the difference
that intonation makes in the daily use of a proper
North American English accent. The practice will
help you to notice, practice, and master the different
intonation patterns that you will discover as you
concentrate more on your use of North American English.
Two Word Stress
Knowing when and where to stress the words you use
is very important for understanding, and therefore,
as part of a good accent. A clear example is that
of stress in two word expressions.
According to whether it is an ordinary two-word
expression or a special, set expression, the place
of the stress changes. In an ordinary expression
the two words are used to describe something like
a "white HOUSE" (meaning a house that
is painted white, and not blue or gray). In this
case the most important note is the noun
because we are talking about a house that
happens to be white. Similarly, a "fat BOY" is an overweight young male.
But sometimes short two word expressions are set
or "consecrated", (that is, they mean
something special) and have to be made different
from similar expressions. One example is "the
WHITE house" where Mr. Bush lives. In this
case, the emphasis is on the adjective because
we are more interested in stressing that it is the
house that is known because it is white.
In the same way, "FAT boy" is the nickname
of a boy, chosen because the word fat emphasizes
his weight.
It will be useful for you to be aware of both types
of two word expressions. Here is a list of a few
that will get you thinking and give you some practice
in identifying them and using them correctly. Underline
the syllable that is stressed, and write a brief
explanation, for both uses of each phrase. I start
the exercise with two examples. You do the rest.
Make sure you say the phrases OUT LOUD!
WHITE house
In Washington
white HOUSE
House painted white
LIGHT bulb
Shines with electricity
Light BULB
A bulb that is not heavy
Now do these, underling the syllable that is
stressed, and defining the word that has the indicated
intonation.
Dark room, Dark room
A cold fish, A gold fish
The paper box, The paper box
An old key, A door key
A nice watch, A wrist watch
A sticky web, A spider web
A clean cup, A coffee cup
A toy gun, A water gun
A bright star, A movie star
A new ball, A foot ball
A sharp knife, A steak knife
An old brush, A hair brush
A dry leaf, A fig leaf
A pointy tack, A thumb tack
A blackboard, A black board
A green house, A green house
For more articles on intonation, search with the
keyword "intonation".
About the Author: Frank Gerace Ph.D has worked
in Latin America on UN and national Educational and
Communication Projects, and has taught in Bolivian
and Peruvian Universities. He currently teaches English
in New York City at La Guardia College/CUNY. He provides
resources on accent reduction and the proper American
English accent at http://www.GoodAccent.com
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