In the sentence below, the word that recieves the emphatic stress is written in capital letters. From the…

Analyze the question This is an emphatic stress question (Oral English). The word in capitals, DECEMBER, carries the stress. This is the new or corrective information in the answer. So the question it answers must have contained a different word in that same position, which the answer is correcting.

Concept Emphatic stress highlights the word that contrasts with what was said or assumed in the question. For example:

• "The workers agreed to forgo their DECEMBER salaries" is the answer to a question that mentioned another month, such as March. It means "December, not March."

Checking the options

• A. Asks about December itself. There is nothing to correct, so the stress would not fall on December.
• B. Asks about "refuse." The stress would fall on AGREED.
• C. Asks about "claim." The stress would fall on FORGO.
• D. Asks about "March salaries." The reply corrects March to DECEMBER, so the stress falls on DECEMBER. ✔

Answer: D

Tip: Find the capitalised word in the statement, then look for the option that differs from the statement only at that word. That option is almost always the answer.