Pronouncing the verb ‘to be’ and auxiliary verbs

You don’t normally stress ‘to be’ in the middle of the sentence. Listen to this rhyme. (B 67a)

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Flowers are nice,

And so are you!

The word ‘is’ (and ‘s) is not usually spoken as a separate syllable, it is usually joined to the syllable before, for example Snow is white. But if the word before ends with letters like S, CE, GE and CH, it is a new syllable, for example Grass is green. Listen to these examples:

 

is and ‘s – not a separate syllable	is and ‘s – a separate syllable
Snow is white.	Grass is green.
Your hair is dirty.	Your face is dirty.
The road is closed.	The bridge is closed.
The clock is broken.	My watch is broken.

 

Ex.12 Tick þ the sentences where ‘is’ is a separate syllable. Then listen, check and repeat. (B71)

 

EXAMPLE

a. Lunch is ready! þ b. Dinner is ready!

 

1. a. The house is cold. b. The room is cold.

2. a. The taxi is here. b. The bus is here.

3. a. The beach is crowded. b. The park is crowded.

4. a. The steak is good. b. The fish is good.

5. a. The meaning is clear. b. The message is clear.

6. a. The smell is awful! b. The noise is awful!

7. Juice is good for you. b. Fruit is good for you.

 

Auxiliary verbs are not normally stressed in questions. The most common stress pattern for wh-questions is OooO. Listen to these examples. (B74)

 

OooO

What do you think?

Where do you live?

What does she mean?

Where does he work?

What did he say?

Why did you go?

Ex.13 Write the questions in this conversation and give the stress patterns. Then listen and check. (B79)

EXAMPLE

A: What do you do? ___OooO_____

B: I’m a doctor.

 

1. A: __________________? __________

B: I live in Kingston, Jamaica.

 

2. A: __________________? __________

B: I work in the University Hospital.

 

3. A: __________________? __________

B: Yes, I’m married. My husband is a teacher.

 

4. A: _________________? ___________

B: He teaches History and Geography.

 

5. A: __________________? __________

B: At the Grove Road Secondary School.

 

6. A: __________________? __________

B: I met him when I was in holiday in Florida.

 

7. A: __________________? __________

B: We got married in 1999.

 

Auxiliaries are stressed in negative contractions and at the end of sentences. Listen to these examples. (B76)

Yes, I do.

I don’t know.

Yes, I will.

We won’t say.

Yes, I have.

I haven’t done it.

Yes, I can.

I can’t help.