美语听力与发音技巧第九期 | 句子中的重音
摘要： 在英语句子中，重音通常落在实义词（如名词、主要动词、形容词、副词等）上，而功能词（如冠词、介词、代词、助动词等）一般不重读。重音的选择取决于说话者想要传达的核心信息，而非固定语法规则。
- 英语句子中的重音用于突出对句意至关重要的词汇，帮助听者快速抓住重点。
- 实义词（content words）通常重读，功能词（function words）通常弱读，但并非绝对。
- 重音应根据语境和说话意图调整——同一句话在不同情境下可能重读不同词语。
- 错误或平均分配重音会导致听者理解困难甚至误解原意。
- 掌握句子重音有助于提升英语口语的自然度和听力理解效率。
小白老师说：本期的主题是句子中的重音，音频是中英文双语的，请点击下方条形框播放语音。
Welcome to Daily Tips on Learning English. Today’s tip is on word stress on sentences.
In general, it is true that content words are stressed whereas function words are not stressed. Content words usually convey the meaning of the sentence. Function words make the sentence grammatically correct.
Content words are: nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs, this, that, these, those, and “wh-“ words, who, what, when, why, how, which.
Function words are: articles, such as “a” and “the”; possessive adjectives, such as “his”, “my”, “your”; prepositions, such as “in”, “on”, “of”; conjunctions, such as “and”, “but”; personal pronouns, such as “ I”, “he”, “she”; the “be” verb, “am”, “is”, “are”, “was”, “were”; and auxiliaries, such as “do”, “does”, “did”.
Take for example the sentence “Andrew brushes his teeth every morning.” The content word alone can convey the meaning of the sentence, namely “Andrew brushes teeth every morning.” The functional word “his” only makes the sentence grammatically correct. So “his” is unstressed, the other words are stressed. Why isn’t “his” stressed? Because of course he brushes his teeth, not your teeth, or my teeth. This we would naturally assume. If, however, Andrew brushes someone else’s teeth beside his own, then it would be very important to let your listener know that by stressing whose teeth he brushes.
So, what words should be stressed? The simple answer is whatever words are important to the meaning you are trying to convey. If someone write the sentence on the board out of context and asks, “Which words are important? Which words should you stress?” You should answer, “That depends on the context.” Stress is used to let your listener know what is important to your message. If you stress words properly, your listener will have an easy time understanding your message. If you stress every word equally, then your listener will have to listen very carefully and try to guess the main point of your message. If your stress the wrong words, the listener will misunderstand your message or just feel very confused. So remember to stress the important words to your massage.
This has been today’s daily tip. Tune in tomorrow for another tip on learning English.
常见问题
什么是英语句子中的重音？
句子重音是指在口语中对某些关键词进行强调发音，通常是承载主要语义的实义词，用以突出说话者想传达的重点信息。
为什么“his”在“Andrew brushes his teeth every morning”中通常不重读？
因为“his”是功能词，在常规语境下其含义可被默认（当然是刷他自己的牙），因此不重读；只有当需要特别强调所属关系时才重读。
所有实义词在句子中都必须重读吗？
不一定。是否重读取决于语境和说话意图。即使属于实义词，若在特定上下文中非关键信息，也可能弱读。
如何判断一句话中该重读哪些词？
问自己：“如果去掉这个词，句子核心意思是否改变？”或者“听者最需要关注哪个信息？”答案就是应重读的词。
参考资料
Content Words vs. Function Words in English Pronunciation
语言教学中关于句子重音的基础分类方法，常见于ESL教材与语音学入门资料。
Sentence Stress in American English
美国英语语音教学中强调语境对重音选择的影响，符合本期内容核心观点。