computer
languages
pronunciation
Can you hear the difference in tone, length, and loudness between the
stressed and unstressed syllables?
Word stress - general rules


There is only one stress in one word.
Only vowels are stressed, not consonants.
Word stress - specific rules (there are many exceptions to these rules)
The parts of the words in bold print are stressed.
1. Stress on the first syllable
 most 2-syllable nouns – china, table, export, pencil
 most 2-syllable adjectives – slender, clever, happy
2. Stress on the last syllable
 most 2-syllable verbs – to export, to decide, to begin
3. Stress on the second syllable from the end (penultimate syllable)
 words ending in “ic” – graphic, geographic, geologic,
photographic
 words ending in “sion” and “tion” – television, revelation,
information
4. Stress on the third syllable from the end (ante-penultimate syllable)
 words ending in “cy”, “ty”, “phy” and “gy” – democracy,
dependability, photography, geology, society
 words ending in “al” – critical, geological
5. Compound words (words with two parts)
 compound nouns, the stress is on the first part – blackbird,
greenhouse, bluebird, blackboard, notebook, bookstore,
toothbrush, keyboard
 compound adjectives, the stress is on the second part – badtempered, old-fashioned
 compound verbs, the stress is on the second part – to
understand, to overflow
 nouns + compound nouns (two word compound nouns), the
stress is on the first word - air conditioner, computer
programmer, nail polish, french fry

The realization of stress in English
Sometimes you can predict the stress placement because of the
type of word or the ending you put on it. Here are some general
rules:
Word type
Where is the
stress?
Nouns
on the first
syllable
center
object
flower
Verbs
on the last
syllable
release
admit
arrange
on the first part
desktop
pencil case
bookshelf
greenhouse
Two syllables
Nouns
(N + N)
(Adj. + N)
Compound
Adjectives
(Adj. + P.P.)
on the last part
(the verb part)
Verbs
(prep. + verb)
Phrasal Verbs
on the particle
-ic
Word with
added ending
Examples
-tion, -cian, -sion
-phy, -gy, -try, cy, -fy, -al
the syllable
before the
ending
the third from
the last syllable
well-meant
hard-headed
oldfashioned
understand
overlook
outperform
turn off
buckle up
hand out
economic
geometric
electrical
technician
graduation
cohesion
photography
biology
geometry
-meter
parameter
thermometer
barometer