The Most Overlooked Skill for Sounding Fluent in English

The Secret of Sentence Stress

If you’ve ever felt that native English sounds fast or “musical,” you were probably hearing sentence stress. English rhythm works by stressing the most important words and softening the rest.

Content vs. Function Words

• Content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs) carry the meaning.

• Function words (the, of, a, from, to, and, is, he, she, they) usually get de-emphasized or even reduced to a schwa.

Example:I’m going to the office at five.→ GOing and OFFice stand out. Words like to, the, at shrink into the background.

Why This Matters

When learners stress every word equally, speech sounds robotic and hard to follow. Native speakers naturally focus on the key ideas, letting smaller words “disappear” into the rhythm. This creates the smooth, flowing sound of English.

Try It Yourself

Say: She’s at the bank on Friday.

• First, stress every word equally.

• Then, highlight only bank and Friday. Notice how it suddenly sounds more natural?

Bring Your English to Life

Mastering sentence stress will make your English clearer, faster, and more professional. It’s not just about pronunciation—it’s about rhythm, confidence, and flow.

👉 Want to sound natural in meetings and presentations? Book a free consultation and let’s work on your sentence stress together.