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Rules in Stressing Word

The document outlines rules for stressing syllables in English, including guidelines for two-syllable, three-syllable, and compound words, as well as the impact of prefixes and suffixes. It also discusses how stress can change the meaning of words, the stress patterns in numbers and time expressions, and the treatment of foreign words. Additionally, it provides insights on stress in names and titles, and offers to provide practice exercises for these rules.

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17 views3 pages

Rules in Stressing Word

The document outlines rules for stressing syllables in English, including guidelines for two-syllable, three-syllable, and compound words, as well as the impact of prefixes and suffixes. It also discusses how stress can change the meaning of words, the stress patterns in numbers and time expressions, and the treatment of foreign words. Additionally, it provides insights on stress in names and titles, and offers to provide practice exercises for these rules.

Uploaded by

goodnesspamachan
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Here are more rules for stressing syllables in English:

1. Stress in Two-Syllable Words


 Nouns & adjectives → Stress on the first syllable.
o Examples: TAble, MORning, HAPpy, CLEVer
 Verbs & prepositions → Stress on the second syllable.
o Examples: reLAX, deCIDE, aMONG, forGET

2. Stress in Three-Syllable Words


 Words ending in “-er” or “-ly” → Stress on the first syllable.
o Examples: ORderly, QUIetly, GENerous
 Words ending in “-tion” or “-sion” → Stress on the syllable before
the suffix.
o Examples: eduCAtion, extenSION, perMISsion
 Words ending in “-ic” → Stress on the syllable before “-ic”.
o Examples: draMAtic, enERgetic, fanTAStic
 Words ending in “-ity” or “-graphy” → Stress two syllables
before the ending.
o Examples: e-lecTRIcity, phoTOgraphy, aUTHOrity

3. Stress in Compound Words


 Compound nouns → Stress on the first word.
o Examples: BLACKboard, GREENhouse, SUNflower
 Compound adjectives → Stress on the second word.
o Examples: old-FASHioned, bad-TEMpered
 Compound verbs → Stress on the second word.
o Examples: underSTAND, overLAP, outRUN

4. Prefixes and Suffixes


 Prefixes usually do not take stress; the stress remains on the root
word.
o Examples: reWRITE, unKNOWN, misTAKE
 Some suffixes shift the stress (common ones include "-ion," "-ic," "-
ity").
o Examples: re-lax-Ation, dra-MAtic, cu-ri-Osi-ty
5. Stress in Sentence Structure
 Content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs) are usually
stressed.
o Example: I WANT a NEW car.
 Function words (articles, pronouns, prepositions, auxiliary verbs) are
usually unstressed.
o Example: I want a new car. ("a" is unstressed)

6. Words That Change Meaning with Stress


Some words have different meanings based on stress placement:
 Noun (first syllable) vs. Verb (second syllable)
o PREsent (gift) vs. preSENT (to give)
o CONtract (legal document) vs. conTRACT (to shrink)
o REcord (music album) vs. reCORD (to save information)

7. Stress in Numbers & Time Expressions


 Numbers ending in "-teen" stress the second syllable.
o Examples: thirTEEN, fourTEEN, fifTEEN
 Multiples of ten stress the first syllable.
o Examples: THIRty, FORty, FIFty

8. Phrasal Verbs vs. Compound Nouns


 Phrasal Verbs → Stress the particle (second part).
o Examples: break DOWN, give UP, run OUT
 Compound Nouns → Stress the first word.
o Examples: BREAKdown (failure), RUNout (shortage)

9. Foreign Words in English


 Many borrowed words keep their original stress.
o Examples:
 French: resTAUrant, souVEnir
 Spanish: toMAto, paTIo
 Italian: spaGHETti, maRInara

10. Stress in Names & Titles


 First names usually stress the first syllable.
o Examples: JESsica, DAniel, Alice
 Last names sometimes stress the second syllable (especially
European names).
o Examples: McDONald, VanDERbilt

Would you like some practice exercises for these rules?

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