Emphasis in speech is when you give extra weight, energy, or importance to a particular word or part of a sentence. This helps make your message clearer and more engaging. You can emphasize words by:
1. Changing Your Voice:
• Speak the emphasized word louder, slower, or with a slightly higher pitch.
• Example: I didn’t say he took it. (emphasizing “he” means someone else took it.)
2. Pausing:
• Pause briefly before or after the emphasized word.
• Example: I want to eat pizza… not salad.
3. Stress and Intonation:
• Stress the syllable or word to draw attention.
• Example: We need to leave now! (emphasis shows urgency).
4. Body Language (if speaking in person):
• Use gestures, facial expressions, or eye contact to support the word you are emphasizing.
Practice Sentences with Emphasis
Try emphasizing the bold words in these sentences to notice how the meaning changes:
1. I didn’t say he took it. (someone else did.)
2. I didn’t say he took it. (he did something else.)
3. I didn’t say he took it. (he took something else.)
Would you like to practice one of these examples? Or should we create new ones together?