WORD STRESS
Words in English vary in length based on the number of syllables or
sounds they have. When a word has two or more syllables, one of
them is pronounced with an additional emphasis, and this is known
as word stress. Look at the following examples:
- car: this is one syllable and therefore the stress is on the one
syllable.
- wa/ter: this is a two syllable word and the stressed syllable is
‘wa’
- ex/am/i/na/tion: this is a four syllable word and the fourth
syllable ‘na’ is stressed.
Placing stress on the wrong syllable can lead to mispronounced
words and unclear speech.
You can improve how you use word stress by:
-listening to how native or proficient speakers of English pronounce
words. You can do this by speaking to native and proficient
speakers, regularly watching TV programs or listening to podcasts.
-using a dictionary. The stressed syllable is often preceded by the
symbol (‘). For example: water (/ˈwɔtər/).
In addition to these, you can also learn and implement the following
simple rules:
Tip: record yourself reading the words aloud and applying the
following rules: Then play the recording to check your
pronunciation.
WORD STRESS RULES
RULE 1: Nouns, adjectives and adverbs with two syllables: In most
cases, the first syllable is stressed. For example:
-Nouns: father, member, language, nature, center
-Adjectives: simple, local, awkward, lower, useful
-Adverbs: maybe, often, kindly, weekly, always
RULE 2: Verbs and prepositions with two syllables: In most
two-syllable verbs and prepositions, the second syllable is stressed.
For example:
-Verbs: announce, contain, dislike, receive, include
-Prepositions: among, without, unlike, behind, before
RULE 3: Nouns and verbs with two syllables: In some cases, one
single word can either be a noun or a verb, depending on where it is
placed within a sentence. Rules 1 and 2 above still apply.
-Nouns: discount, contrast, object, present, desert.
-Verbs: discount, contrast, object, present, desert.
RULE 4: NOUNS ENDING IN -SION/-TION, -GRAPHY,
-ENCY/-ANCY, -ITY, -LOGY: For multi-syllable nouns, you need to
stress the syllable before the endings -sion/tion, -graphy,
-ency/-ancy, -ity, -logy. For example:
-sion/-tion: comprehension, position, addition
-graphy: geography, biography, demography
-ency/-ancy: agency, tendency, pregnancy
-ity: responsibility, electricity, productivity
-logy: ideology, analogy, psychology
RULE 5: Adjectives ending in -ic, -ical, -tial/-cial, -tional: For
multi-syllable adjectives, you need to stress the syllable before the
endings -ic, -ical, -tial/-cial, -tional. For example:
-ic: atomic, electronic, electric
-ical: classical, economical, grammatical
-tial/-cial: confidential, beneficial, commercial
-tional: intentional, national, optional
RULE 6: Verbs ending in -ify: For multi-syllable verbs, you need to
stress the syllable before the ending -ify. For example:
-satisfy, qualify, certify, diversify, notify.
RULE 7: Compound words: In many compound words (words made
from two smaller words put together), the stress is on the first part
of the word. For example:
-bookshop, airport, sunglasses, traffic light, travel agent