The most important rules for English word stress
Definition: Stress is an extra force used when pronouncing a particular word or syllable.
A syllable is any of the units into which a word may be divided. It usually consists of a vowel sound. This vowel sound can be alone as in “A”, or can be preceded by a consonant sound as in “To”, or can be followed by a consonant sound as in “Eat”, or it can be between two consonant sounds or more as in “Take”, “Shock”, “Sleep”, etc
So, a syllable equals (=) a vowel sound (=) one vowel sound or a diphthong. For example, in the word “Sleep” we have one vowel sound /i:/, but in /.the word “Take” we’ve got the diphthong (two vowel sounds) /e
The weakest vowel sound in the English ******** is /ə/, and this sound is never stressed. It is called Schwa.
The Rules
1. A word of one syllable has stress on the first letter. E.g. ‘Go – ‘Hot – ‘Long – ‘Teach.
2. A word of two syllables:
a. A noun of two syllables has stress on the first syllable. N = ‘1 + 2 stress on 1
E.g. ‘En/glish – ‘Fa/ther – ‘teach/er – ‘Act/or – ‘Pres/ent
But in “Be/’lief” stress is on syllable two because the first contains /ə/.
b. An adjective of two syllables has stress on the first syllable. Adj. = ‘1 + 2 stress on 1. E.g. ‘Hap/py – ‘Sun/ny – ‘Hot/ter – ‘Ug/ly – ‘Stu/pid.
But in “Cor/’rect” stress is on the second syllable because the first contains /ə/.
c. An adverb or a preposition of two syllables has stress on the first syllable.
Adv. = ‘1 + 2 E.g. ‘Un/der – ‘O/ver – ‘Ne/ver – ‘Af/ter.
But in “Be’low”, “Be’neath”, “A’bove”, “A’go” stress is on the second syllable because the first contains /ə /.
A verb of two syllables has stress on the second syllable. V = 1 + ‘2
E.g. Cor/’rect – Pre/’sent – Be/’lieve.
But in “’La/bel”, “’O/pen” stress is on the first syllable because the second syllable contains /ə/.
3. A compound noun = ‘N1 + N2 takes stress on the first noun (N1)
E.g. ‘Lady-bird, ‘Taxi-driver, ‘School-bag, ‘Silk-worm, ‘Pencil-case, ‘Suit-case.
4. A compound noun = ‘Adj. + N takes stress on the adjective (Adj.)
E.g. ‘Black-board, ‘Green-house, ‘Round-table, ‘Black-smith, ‘White-house.
5. A compound adjective = Adj. + ‘V(pp) takes stress on the verb (V (pp)).
E.G. Well-‘done, Well-‘known, Old-‘fashioned, Narrow-‘minded.
6. A compound verb = Preposition + ‘V takes stress on the verb (V).
E.g. Under-‘stand, Over-‘do, Over-‘flow, Under-‘estimate.
7. A phrasal verb (V + ‘Prep/or ‘Adv) takes stress on the Prep/or Adv.
E.g. Sit ‘down, Fly a’way, Stand ‘up, Climb ‘up, Run a’way, Go ‘into.
8. A word that ends (finishes) with one of these five (5) endings takes stress on the
second syllable from end.
The endings are (-ic(s), -sion(s), -tion(s), -ive, -ant)
E;g. ‘Graph/ic – ‘Ma/gic – Me/’chan/ic – ‘Pan/ic – ‘Pub/lic.
‘Vi/sion – Di/’vi/sion – Con/’clu/sion – Tel/e/’vi/sion or ‘Tel/e/vi/sion
In/tro/’duc/tion – Si/tu/’a/tion – In/’ten/tion.
Ex/’pens/ive – Ef/’fect/ive – Com/’puls/ive (But : In/’quis/i/tive)
Im/’por/tant – Re/’sis/tant – As/’sis/tant.
9. A word that ends (finishes) with one of these thirteen (13) endings takes stress on
the third syllable from end. (Words of 3 syllables or more.)
The endings are (-cy, -ty, -phy, – -gy, -al, -er, –ful, – less, -ous, -fy, -ible, -able, -ist,
-ness, -ize, etc…)
E.g. U/ni/’ver/si/ty, Sim/i/’lar/i/ty, Re/’al/i/ty
Phi/’los/o/phy, Pho/’tog/ra/phy
Ge/’ol/o/gy, Tech/’nol/o/gy, Bi/’ol/o/gy
‘Phys/i/cal, ‘Man/u/al, Me/’chan/i/cal
Pho/’tog/ra/pher, Ki/’lo/me/ter, ‘Car/pen/ter (But: Com/’put/er)(2nd)
‘Beau/ti/ful, ‘Plen/ti/ful (But: Re/’spect/ful, De/’light/ful) (2nd)
‘Col/our/less,
‘Dan/ger/ous, ‘Mar/vel/lous (But: Cou/’ra/geous, De/’li/cious) (2nd)
‘Beau/ti/fy, ‘Sim/pli/fy, ‘Rec/ti/fy, ‘Fal/si/fy
‘Hor/ri/ble, ‘Cre/di/ble, In/’cre/di/ble
Re/’spect/a/ble, ‘Ca/pa/ble, De/’pend/a/ble
‘Jour/nal/ist, ‘Sci/en/tist, ‘Phys/is/ist, Bi/’o/log/ist
‘Help/less/ness, ‘Care/less/ness, ‘Clev/er/ness
‘Civ/i/lize, ‘So/siol/ize, ‘Ang/li/cize. But: ‘Gen/e/ra/lize (2 and 3 contain /ә/)
« It is never late to learn »
“A word a day keeps ignorance away”
“A sound or a letter, learning is better
Say your word or write you letter”
“Utter it now, or utter it then,
You’ll put it down using your own Pen”
