Stress matters

Take a look at this sentence:

I never said she stole my money.

Read it out loud. What does it mean? Did you know that this sentences can have seen (7!) different meanings depending on the stressed word? Let's have a look:

I never said she stole my money.

I never said she stole my money.

I never said she stole my money.

I never said she stole my money.

I never said she stole my money.

I never said she stole my money.

I never said she stole my money.

Can you notice a difference? Let's take a closer look:

I never said she stole my money. (But maybe someone else did)

I never said she stole my money. (I didn't say this)

I never said she stole my money. (I didn't specifically say it, but I may have implied it)

I never said she stole my money. (I wasn't talking about her specifically, maybe it was another person)

I never said she stole my money. (I didn't specifically say 'steal', but maybe implied it; or possibly said 'borrow')

I never said she stole my money. (I wasn't talking about my money, maybe someone elses money)

I never said she stole my money. (I didn't specifically say 'money', maybe she stole something else)

Wow.