Sentence focus: make the correction audible

The idea

Sentence focus highlights the information that matters in this context. In many ordinary verb-final sentences, the strongest prominence falls just before the verb. A correction can also highlight an earlier word: in Ben yarın geliyorum., emphasize ben to correct who is coming, or yarın to correct when. Keep the spelling and the mouth movements for the individual sounds unchanged. Read the chosen word clearly, then let the already known information after it become less prominent. This is a speaking exercise, not a rule that every focused word needs a higher pitch. The written sentence alone does not specify its focus.

Examples

• Biz yarın buluşuyoruz.We are meeting tomorrow.Correct “today”: give yarın the focus, with buluşuyoruz less prominent. The alternative order leaves the known biz after the verb.
• Biz bahçede buluşuyoruz.We are meeting in the garden.Correct “in the kitchen”: focus on bahçede. The alternative order also leaves biz as background information.
• Bu çantayı ben taşıyorum.I am carrying this bag.Correct “you”: focus on ben. In the alternative order, the same correction can emphasize the sentence-initial ben.
• Biz bugün buluşuyoruz.We are meeting today.Compare with the first sentence: bugün replaces yarın. Keep the same meeting, but correct the day.
• Biz mutfakta buluşuyoruz.We are meeting in the kitchen.Compare with the garden sentence: focus on mutfakta when correcting the place.
• Bu çantayı sen taşıyorsun.You are carrying this bag.Compare with the bag sentence: focus on sen to correct who carries it. The verb ending also changes to match “you”.
• Ben yarın geliyorum.I am coming tomorrow.Two readings of the same spelling: focus on ben to correct the person, or yarın to correct the day. The context tells the listener which contrast you mean.

Watch out

Do not automatically stress the final verb most strongly. In Biz yarın buluşuyoruz., correcting “today” requires focus on yarın; stressing buluşuyoruz instead draws attention to the meeting itself. Nor should every word receive equally strong emphasis.

Try it yourself

1. Someone says we are meeting today. In Biz yarın buluşuyoruz., write only the word to emphasize to correct the day.

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   yarın

   yarın: the mistaken detail is the day, so “tomorrow” replaces “today”; the fact that we are meeting is already agreed.

2. Someone says we are meeting in the kitchen. In Biz bahçede buluşuyoruz., write only the word to emphasize to correct the place.

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   bahçede

   bahçede: the correction concerns the place, so “in the garden” replaces “in the kitchen”; the meeting itself is not disputed.

3. Someone says you are carrying this bag. In Bu çantayı ben taşıyorum., write only the word to emphasize to correct the person.

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   ben

   ben: the bag and the carrying are already known. The speaker corrects the person doing it, so the explicit pronoun carries the contrast.

Use it today

Say Ben yarın geliyorum. twice without changing the order: first correct “your friend”, then “today”. Underline the word you focus on each time. Keep the words after that focus less prominent; do not shout.