Review of /stress/ Intonation – JSS2 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

Stress is the force placed on a syllable or word, and intonation is the rise and fall of the voice when we speak.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define stress and intonation and mark stress in words and sentences;
2. identify adverbials and state whether they modify a verb, an adjective or another adverb;
3. use a dictionary and the context of a passage to find the meanings of words, including science and technology words;
4. write an expository essay by following the guides for expository writing;
5. distinguish between irony, hyperbole and euphemism and give examples of each.

Lesson one: What are stress and intonation?

Stress is the extra force, loudness or length given to a syllable or word, while intonation is the pattern of rising and falling pitch in speech.

This lesson reviews the work done in weeks 3 and 4.

What is word stress?

Word stress is the strong syllable in a word of two or more syllables. Stressed syllables are shown here in capital letters.

• First syllable stressed: TEAcher, WAter, TAble, SISter, ENglish.
• Second syllable stressed: beGIN, aBOVE, reLAX, deCIDE, comPUter.
• Third syllable stressed: eduCAtion, phoTOgrapher.
• Stress that changes the word class: some words are nouns when the first syllable is stressed and verbs when the second is stressed.

What is sentence stress?

Sentence stress is the extra force placed on the important words in a sentence.

• Stressed words: nouns, main verbs, adjectives and adverbs usually carry stress.
• Unstressed words: words such as a, the, of, and, is and to are usually weak.
• Example: The CHILdren are PLAYing in the FIELD.
• Emphatic stress: stressing one word changes the meaning. “I did not take YOUR pen” means I took someone else’s pen.

What are the patterns of intonation?

There are two basic intonation patterns: the falling tone and the rising tone.

Lesson two: What are adverbials?

An adverbial is a word or group of words that tells how, when, where or to what degree something happens.

• Basic function: adverbials modify, that is, they add meaning to another word.
• Words modified: adverbials modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.
• Forms: an adverbial can be one word (hurriedly) or a phrase (in the field).

How do adverbials modify verbs?

1. John ate hurriedly (hurriedly modifies ate).
2. The children were playing in the field (in the field modifies were playing).

How do adverbials modify adjectives?

1. We watched a very funny film (very modifies funny).
2. This work is good enough (enough modifies good).
3. The man is highly intelligent (highly modifies intelligent).

Other adverbs that can modify adjectives are: very, pretty, rather, unusually, quite, unbelievably, deeply.

How do adverbials modify other adverbs?

1. Amina cooks really well (really modifies well).
2. They walked fast enough to get there on time (enough modifies fast).
3. Our new neighbour drinks very heavily (very modifies heavily).

Lesson three: How do we find meaning in reading and vocabulary?

Reading for meaning in context means using the words around a target word to find a word that can replace it.

How do we find alternative words and meanings in context?

This lesson builds on the work of week one.

1. Read the whole passage carefully before answering any question.
2. Find the target word in its sentence.
3. Read the words and sentences around it for clues.
4. Try a word you think has the same meaning in place of the target word.
5. Check that the sentence still makes sense, then confirm in your dictionary.

• Example: in “The shirt was cheap”, cheap can be replaced by inexpensive.

• Reference: New Oxford Secondary English Course for Junior Secondary School, Book 2, Unit 13, pages 123 to 124.
• Instruction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
• Passage title: Money: A Medium of Exchange.

How do we build vocabulary in science and technology?

Science and technology words are the terms used in Integrated Science and Introductory Technology (Basic Technology), and you meet their effects in daily life.

Use your dictionary to find the correct meaning of each of these words:

1. Apparatus
2. Satellite
3. Reagent
4. Microscope
5. Mercury
6. Laboratory
7. Telescope
8. Astronauts
9. Combustible
10. Fizz
11. Eclipse of the sun
12. Comet
13. Orbit
14. Galaxy
15. Photosynthesis, etc.

Check your answers against these short meanings:

• Mercury: a silver liquid metal, and also the planet nearest the sun.

Lesson four: What is an expository essay?

An expository essay is a detailed explanation of a process, an idea or a feeling.

• Likeness to a descriptive essay: it contains a great deal of description.
• Extra work: it explains how things work or operate and shows their relation with other things.
• Aim: it aims to inform, instruct or bring someone else to see one’s point of view.

What are the guides for expository writing?

1. Do not write an exposition on a topic you are not familiar with.
2. Be clear and go straight to the point.
3. Follow ideas in a logical sequence.
4. Use good linkers to connect your ideas in a sequential order.
5. Remember to write in paragraphs.

• Paragraphing: ideally, one idea should be presented in a paragraph and fully explained.
• Linkers: first, next, then, also, because, therefore, finally.

What are the parts of an expository essay?

• Introduction: defines or introduces the topic.
• Body: explains the points, one paragraph for each idea.
• Conclusion: closes the essay with a short rounding-off remark.

What is an example of a definition for the topic “Entrepreneurship”?

• Entrepreneur: a person who makes money by starting or running a business, especially when this involves taking financial risks.

Lesson five: How do irony, hyperbole and euphemism differ?

Irony, hyperbole and euphemism are figures of speech, which are special uses of words to create an effect.

What is irony?

Irony is the art of saying one thing and meaning its opposite.

• Verbal irony: intentionally saying the opposite of what we mean, such as “What lovely weather!” during a heavy storm.
• Dramatic irony: the audience knows something that a character in a story or play does not know.
• Situational irony: the outcome is the opposite of what was expected.

Examples:

• Ade studied hard, and so he failed his examination woefully.
• I saw a woman laughing for sorrow.

What is hyperbole?

Hyperbole is a gross exaggeration used for effect and not meant to be taken literally.

Examples:

• When my father died, I spent three hundred and sixty billion naira on a burial ceremony.
• I drank ten buckets of water yesterday.
• I saw a man who was taller than an Iroko tree.

What is euphemism?

Euphemism is a mild or polite expression used in place of a harsh one.

• Purpose: when the truth is disagreeable (unpleasant), euphemism endeavours to make it pleasing.

Examples:

• She has kicked the bucket (meaning she died).
• She has just been put to bed (meaning she has given birth to a new baby).
• He is at rest (meaning he is dead).
• Our neighbour has passed away (meaning she died).

How do the three figures of speech compare?

Evaluation

1. State the basic function of adverbials.
2. In the sentence “We watched a very funny film”, which word does “very” modify?
3. State what an expository essay aims to do.
4. Which figure of speech means saying one thing and meaning its opposite?
5. Explain what a euphemism is and give one example.

Assignment

Complete all four parts of this assignment.

1. Lesson two: Write five adverbial expressions and state their functions.
2. Lesson three: Use your dictionary to look for the meaning of these words: purchase, adverts, tedious, medium, able-bodied, simultaneously, symbols.
3. Lesson four: Write an expository essay of 200 words on Entrepreneurship.
4. Lesson five: Give two sentences each to show irony, hyperbole and euphemism, the figures of speech learned in this lesson.