Proper Sense Stress

WHEN you speak or read aloud, it is important not only that you say individual words correctly but also that you emphasize key words and thought-containing expressions in a way that conveys ideas clearly.

Proper sense stress involves more than giving added emphasis to a few words or even to many. The right words must be emphasized. If the wrong words are stressed, the meaning of what you say may be unclear to your audience, who, in turn, may let their thoughts drift to other things. Even though the material may be good, a delivery having poor sense stress will be less effective in motivating the audience.

Added emphasis can be conveyed by various means, frequently used in combination: by greater volume, by more intensity of feeling, by slow and deliberate expression, by pausing before or after a statement (or both), and by gestures and facial expressions. In some languages, emphasis can also be conveyed by lowering the tone or raising the pitch. Take into account the material and the circumstances to determine what would be most appropriate.

When deciding what to emphasize, consider the following. (1) Within any sentence, the words that should be given added stress are determined not only by the rest of the sentence but also by the context. (2) Sense stress may be used to emphasize the beginning of a new thought, whether a main point or simply a change in the line of reasoning. It might also draw attention to the conclusion of a line of reasoning. (3) A speaker may employ sense stress to show how he feels about a matter. (4) Proper sense stress can also be used to highlight the main points of a talk.

In order to use sense stress in these ways, a speaker or a public reader must clearly understand his material and earnestly want his audience to absorb it. Regarding instruction given in the days of Ezra, Nehemiah 8:8 states: “They continued reading aloud from the book, from the law of the true God, it being expounded, and there being a putting of meaning into it; and they continued giving understanding in the reading.” It is obvious that those who read and explained God’s Law on that occasion realized the importance of helping their audience to grasp the meaning of what was read, to retain it, and to apply it.

What May Cause a Problem. Most people are able to make their meaning clear in normal, everyday conversation. However, when they read material that was written by someone else, determining which words or expressions to stress may present a challenge. The key lies in clearly understanding the material. That requires careful study of what was written. So if you are asked to read some material at a congregation meeting, you should prepare diligently.

Some people use what might be termed “periodic stress” instead of sense stress. They emphasize words at fairly specific intervals, whether such emphasis is meaningful or not. Others emphasize function words, perhaps putting exaggerated stress on prepositions and conjunctions. When the emphasis does not contribute to clarity of thought, it easily becomes a distracting mannerism.

In an effort to use sense stress, some speakers employ increased volume in a way that may make the audience feel that they are being scolded. Of course, that seldom yields the best results. If sense stress is not natural, the impression may be given that the speaker is talking down to his audience. How much better simply to appeal to them on the basis of love and to help them see that what is being said is both Scriptural and reasonable!

How to Improve. Often a person who has a problem with sense stress is not aware of it. Someone else may need to draw it to his attention. If you need to make improvement in this area, your school overseer will help you. Also, feel free to ask for help from anyone else who is a good speaker. Ask him to listen carefully to your reading and speaking and then to offer suggestions for improvement.

As a start, your counselor may suggest that you use an article in The Watchtower as a basis for practice. He will undoubtedly tell you to analyze individual sentences to determine which words or phrases need to be emphasized in order to make the meaning easy to grasp. He may remind you to give special attention to certain words that are italicized. Remember that words within a sentence work together. Frequently, it is a group of words that should be emphasized, not merely an isolated word. In some languages, students may be encouraged to give more careful consideration to what diacritics indicate as to proper sense stress.

As the next step in learning what to emphasize, your counselor may urge you to consider a context that is broader than the sentence itself. What central thought is being developed in the entire paragraph? How should that influence what you emphasize in the individual sentences? Look at the title of the article and at the boldface subheading under which your material appears. What bearing do these have on your selection of expressions to emphasize? All of these are factors to consider. But take care not to put strong emphasis on too many words.

Whether you will be speaking extemporaneously or reading, your counselor may also encourage you to allow the line of reasoning to influence the use of sense stress. You need to be aware of places where the line of reasoning ends or where the presentation shifts from one important thought to another. The audience will appreciate it if your delivery alerts them to these places. This might be done by accenting such words as first of all, next, finally, thus, and reasonably.

Your counselor will also direct your attention to thoughts to which you want to attach special feeling. To do this you might emphasize such words as very, absolutely, by no means, unthinkable, important, and always. Your doing so can influence how your audience feels about what you are saying. More will be said about this in Study 11, “Warmth and Feeling.”

To improve your use of sense stress, you will also be encouraged to have clearly in mind the main points that you want your audience to remember. This will be given further consideration from the standpoint of public reading in Study 7, “Principal Ideas Emphasized,” and from the standpoint of speaking in Study 37, “Main Points Made to Stand Out.”

If you are endeavoring to improve in your field ministry, give special attention to how you read scriptures. Make it a practice to ask yourself, ‘Why am I reading this text?’ For a teacher, simply saying the words properly is not always enough. Even reading the text with feeling may not suffice. If you are answering someone’s question or teaching a basic truth, it is good to emphasize in the scripture the words or expressions that support what is being discussed. Otherwise, the person to whom you are reading may miss the point.

Since sense stress involves giving added emphasis to certain words and phrases, an inexperienced speaker may tend to hit those words and phrases too hard. The results will be somewhat like the notes played by a person who is just beginning to learn a musical instrument. With added practice, however, the individual “notes” will simply become part of “music” that is beautifully expressive.

After you have learned some of the basics, you will be in a position to benefit by observing experienced speakers. You will soon come to realize what can be accomplished by varying degrees of emphasis. And you will appreciate the value of using emphasis in various ways to make clear the meaning of what is said. Developing proper sense stress will greatly enhance the effectiveness of your own reading and speaking.

Do not learn just enough about sense stress to get by. In order to speak effectively, keep working at it until you have mastered sense stress and can use it in a way that sounds natural to the ears of others.