Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[fw]

Question
Which word, #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5 below, will have the heaviest stress when the following sentence is read aloud?
1. I�m
2. not
3. person
4. drops
5. litter

But I�m not the person who drops litter.

(A gentleman gets up from the bench. As he walks away, he throws the empty paper-bag towards a litter-bin, but missed it. Without knowing it, he has gone, and soon the Park-keeper appeared. The Park-keeper notices the paper-bag on the ground near Fred, who is sitting on a bench in the park.)
Park-keeper: Excuse me, sir. Would you give your attention to the rules?
Fred: The rules?
Park-keeper: Yes, sir. You read the signs put up round the park, didn�t you? That sign for example. It says �No litter.�
(The park-keeper points to a sign.)
Fred: Yes. I know. But I�m not the person who drops litter. I can�t see the litter you�re talking about.
(The park-keeper points to the paper bag.)
Fred: The man who dropped that bag has just gone away. I�m waiting for my girl-friend.

[Lorikeet]

I would stress "I'm"

(A gentleman gets up from the bench. As he walks away, he throws an empty paper-bag towards a litter-bin, but misses it. Without knowing it, he has gone, and soon the Park-keeper appears. The Park-keeper notices the paper-bag on the ground near Fred, who is sitting on a bench in the park.)
Park-keeper: Excuse me, sir. Would you give your attention to the rules?
Fred: The rules?
Park-keeper: Yes, sir. You read the signs put up round the park, didn�t you? That sign for example. It says �No litter.�
(The park-keeper points to a sign.)
Fred: Yes. I know. But I�m not a person who drops litter. I can�t see the litter you�re talking about.
(The park-keeper points to the paper bag.)
Fred: The man who dropped that bag has just gone away. I�m waiting for my girl-friend.