Emphasis in English Sentences Explained

Emphasis plays a huge role in English communication. By stressing different words in a sentence, the meaning can completely change, even though the words themselves remain the same. This video lesson focuses on practical examples to help you understand and master emphasis in real conversations.

For example, if you say You didn’t call me last night, the focus is on the person. It means someone else may have called, but not you. If you stress didn’t call, the focus is on the action. It means you never actually made the call. By stressing me, the sentence changes again—it means you called someone else, but not me. Finally, if you stress last night, it suggests you did call, but at another time.

These small changes show how emphasis helps clarify exactly what you mean. Native speakers use stress naturally to highlight important information, correct misunderstandings, or show emotion.

Practicing emphasis will improve your speaking, listening, and overall fluency. Try repeating the examples from the video, and notice how the meaning shifts with each stressed word. With time, using emphasis will become a natural part of your English.