Changing Meaning with Stress in English

Discover how sentence stress changes meaning in English. Master this powerful skill to speak more naturally and understand native speakers.

In English, contrastive stress is a powerful tool that helps you express exactly what you mean. By simply changing which word you stress in a sentence, you can change the entire meaning. This video demonstrates this clearly with the sentence: I never said she stole my money.

 

Watch as Luke stresses a different word each time, and see how the meaning shifts. For example, stressing I means someone else might have said it. Stressing money suggests she might have taken something else. These subtle shifts are key to sounding fluent and understanding native English speakers better.

 

This technique is common in real conversations and helps add emotion, emphasis, and clarity. If you want to improve your listening and speaking skills, mastering sentence stress is essential.

 

Practice repeating the lines yourself, putting stress on different words. Notice how your tone and intention change. This isn’t just about pronunciation — it’s about communication.

 

Ready to level up your English? Watch the video and try it yourself!