EMPHATIC STRESS
Emphatic stress refers to the intentional emphasis placed on a word or phrase to highlight its importance or to express strong feelings in speech. This stress is often used to convey urgency, disagreement, or to make a statement more impactful. In English, emphatic stress is achieved by slightly altering the tone, volume, or duration of the word being emphasized. For example, in the sentence I really need this, the word really is stressed to emphasize the speaker’s strong need. Emphatic stress helps to convey emotions and clarify meaning, making it an important tool for effective communication.