Stressing the Word That Matters

Putting emphasis on one word can change what a sentence means.

Emphasis means saying one word a little louder or longer so it stands out. Authors sometimes show emphasis with italics, bold type, or capital letters, but often you have to figure it out from meaning. Try this sentence three ways: 'I didn't take the cookie. ' Stress 'I' and you mean someone else took it. Stress 'take' and you mean you only touched it.

Stress 'cookie' and you mean you took something else! The words never change, yet the meaning shifts each time. When you read aloud, ask, 'What is new or surprising in this sentence? ' That word usually gets the stress. In 'The cat wasn't on the chair. It was on the table,' the word 'table' carries the new information, so it deserves the emphasis.

• 1Emphasis makes one word stand out.
• 2Italics, bold, or capitals can signal emphasis.
• 3New or surprising information usually gets the stress.