Arsenio’s ESL Podcast: Season 3 – Episode 51 – Pronunciation/Speaking Skills – Content Words

“Content” words carry the most meaning in a sentence so receive more stress. They include questions words, nouns, most verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and negative auxiliary verbs (don’t, won’t, hasn’t, etc).

“Function” words give a sentence its grammatically correct form. They carry little meaning so are unstressed. They include articles, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, the verb be, and affirmative auxiliary verbs (do, can, did, etc).

Listen to the audio in the podcast down below to understand what words are stressed.

[buzzsprout episode=’917385′ player=’true’]

1. Doctors can help people with phobias.
2. Alice saw the little snake and screamed loudly.
3. I am helping my friend with his fear of water.
4. I didn’t know you were afraid of flying.
5. Phobias are powerful but very treatable.