News at Eleven: A short example from a two-line poem,

written in 1738 by Alexander Pope, illustrates how the meaning of lines can change, depending only on which words are stressed. "His Royal Highness" in the title is a particular prince whose palace is in the London suburb of Kew.

Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to His Royal Highness

I am his Highness' dog at Kew;
Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?

It appears the lines should be read in an alternation of unstressed with stressed syllables, called iambic meter, but saying the second line aloud as if in conversation, stressing "whose" instead of "dog" brings up a whole new meaning.

from UVa Today: U.Va. Professor Helps Students Examine Poetry 'For Better for Verse'

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