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Diploma in Higher Education Studies

Speaking clearly: sounds and word stress

HES 104 · Developing English Language Skills — Week 7 of 16

CourseHES 104
Week7 of 16
SemesterI
TutorOnline in the course chat

This week’s topics

Speaking clearly: sounds and word stress

  1. Word stress and intonation
  2. Asking someone to repeat or explain

What you will be able to do

  • 3.1 Speak with appropriate pronunciation, stress and conversation strategies.

Activity

Practise stress patterns, then role-play asking for clarification.

Study materials

Further resources

  • BBC 6 Minute English: The art of conversation (transcript) · PDF · BBC Learning English transcript – phrases for keeping a conversation going · for registered students
  • BBC 6 Minute English: Chatting to new people (transcript) · PDF · BBC Learning English transcript – asking questions and asking people to repeat · for registered students
  • Effects of L2 Pronunciation Instruction on Intelligibility and Fluency · Open-access article · Chau et al. (2022), TESL-EJ. Classroom study: practising word and sentence stress made learners easier to understand. · for registered students
  • Investigating the use of speaking strategies in two communicative tasks · Open-access article · Pawlak (2018), Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching. Strategies such as asking someone to repeat or explain when you do not understand. · for registered students
Materials marked “for registered students” open in the student portal, which is set up as soon as you receive final acceptance.
Week 6Midterm
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Course plan
  • Week 1: Talking about yourself: the present simple
  • Week 2: What is happening now: the present continuous
  • Week 3: Telling a story: the past simple
  • Week 4: Building vocabulary: word families and collocations
  • Week 5: Reading for gist and detail
  • Week 6: Listening for key information
  • Week 7: Speaking clearly: sounds and word stress
  • Midterm: Midterm evaluation
  • Week 9: Talking about the future: will and going to
  • Week 10: Giving advice and rules: should, must, have to
  • Week 11: Writing good sentences
  • Week 12: Writing a paragraph
  • Week 13: Comparing things: comparatives and superlatives
  • Week 14: Writing an email
  • Week 15: Review and coursework completion
  • Final: Final assessment and submission
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