The words in capital letter have the emphatic stress. Choose the options to which the given sentences relate. I bought my WIFE a red dress

Analyze the question: In English, emphatic stress (also called contrastive stress) falls on the word that carries the important or contrasting information. The capitalised word WIFE tells us the sentence is answering a question or correcting an assumption about who the dress was bought for.

Explain the concept: The stressed word answers the question. The sentence "I bought my WIFE a red dress" implies that it was my wife, and not someone else, that I bought the dress for. So the question it responds to must be about the recipient, with a wrong recipient suggested.

Step-by-step solution:

• Option A: "Did I buy my husband a red dress?" The question tests the recipient (husband). The reply, "I bought my WIFE a red dress", corrects this. This fits.
• Option B: "Did I buy my wife a red shoe?" This tests the item. The stress would fall on DRESS.
• Option C: "Did he buy my wife a red dress?" This tests the buyer. The stress would fall on I.
• Option D: "Did I buy my wife a black dress?" This tests the colour. The stress would fall on RED.

Answer: Only Option A matches the stress on WIFE, because the contrast is between wife and husband.

Tip: Match the capitalised word with the word that is different in the options. The option that changes exactly that word is the answer. Here, WIFE is contrasted with "husband".