Improving English Pronunciation Among B2-Level Learners Through Communicative Language Teaching: A Focus on Contrastive Sentence Stress

Pronunciation is an essential component of effective oral communication because it helps speakers express their intended meanings clearly. However, learners who have reached the B2 level may still experience difficulties using sentence stress appropriately, particularly when they need to emphasize or correct specific information. This article proposes a communicative approach to improving contrastive sentence stress among B2-level English learners. It presents an 80-minute lesson consisting of three stages: pre-communicative listening and noticing, communicative role-play, and post-communicative reflection and feedback. The activities aim to help learners recognize how stress influences meaning and apply it in realistic conversations. The article draws on research concerning pronunciation instruction and second-language learning to provide a theoretical basis for the proposed lesson.