stress

[anass16]

iwanna learn more about stress and how can master it

[rewboss]

Not easy.

There is a rule of sorts. If a word has two or three syllables, it's often stressed on the first syllable. If a word has more than three syllables, it's often stressed on the "antepenultimate" syllable -- that is, the syllable before the syllable before the last syllable.

recap
telephone
disorganized

Unfortunately, there are so many exceptions, the rule isn't much use. For example:

alarm
computer
disobey
influenza

Sometimes you can even change the meaning of a word by shifting stress:

content (noun: something which is contained)
content (adjective: happy)

refuse (noun: garbage, trash, rubbish)
refuse (verb: the opposite of "accept")

Additionally, there are a few differences between British and American English.

I think the only way you will learn all this is to listen to native speakers as often as possible.

[Buddhaheart]

Over the years, I’ve made some generalizations while teaching elementary phonology to my ESL students which you might find useful. As Rewboss suggests, and I quote, “The only way you will learn all this is to listen to native speakers as often as possible.”

A. Some Generalizations:
1. Sufficing does not change position of stress of a noun but does attract it to the syllable just before the suffix syllable or the one before that syllable.

E.g. origin º original

Exception: open ºopenness

2. Stress a heavy syllable; never a weak one. Sometimes strong syllable don=t get be stressed as well.

3. Majority of the 2-syllable words (n. & adj.) are stressed on the 1st syllable (front weight).

Exception: <revert> v. \rw0vf:rt\.

4. Majority of the 3-syllable words are stressed on the 1st or 2nd syllable.

E.g. difficult

5. Alternate stress pattern in multi-syllable words.

Eg. <gneralization> /1®en.cr.aw.0zew.•cn/

6. Majority of the English words are stressed on the base syllable.

7. $90% of English 2-syllable nouns are stressed on the 1st syllable while $60% of English 2-syllable verbs are stressed on the 2nd syllable.

8. Stress syllable before <-tion> as in Anation@.

9. Stress syllable before <-ity>, <-ible>, <-ify>, <-ical> and <-logy> as in
Anationality@.


B. 2-syllable or 2-word (compound) Words:
1. Stress the 1st syllable as a first trial as most of the 2-syllable words are accented on the 1st syllable.

Eg. water

2. If the word can be a noun or verb:

2.1. Stress the 2nd syllable if it is a verb.

E.g. produce, record

Exception: father, open.

2.2. Stress the 1st if it is a noun.

E.g. produce, record

3. If the word can be a verb or an adjective:

3.1. Stress the 1st syllable if it is used as an adjective.

E.g. perfect

Exception: content

3.2. Stress the 2nd syllable if it is used as a verb as in 2.1. above.

4. If the word can be a noun or an adjective:

4.1. Stress the 1st syllable if the word is used as a noun.

E.g. complex, inverse

4.2. Stress the 2nd if the word is used as an adjective.

E.g. complex, inverse

5. Stress the 1st word if the word is made up of 2 individual (compound) words.

E.g. airport, freeway

6. Stress the 2nd syllable of a 2-word verb.

E.g. go away

7. Stress the 1st syllable of a 2-word noun.

E.g. Bedroom

8. Stress the 2nd word in a 2-word (compound) verb.

E.g. outsmart

9. Stress the 2nd syllable in a reflective pronoun.

E.g. myself

10. If the word is a verb:

10.1. Stress the 2nd syllable of a verb if it is a heavy syllable and if not, the 1st.

E.g. Apply

10.2. Do not stress the final \o�\ (the long Ao@) as in Afollow@ and Aborrow@.

11. In 2 syllable words containing double consonant, stress the 1st.

12. In a 2 syllable root words when the 2nd contains more than 1 vowel, stress the 2nd except of the 2nd vowel is a magic-e, stress the 1st.

E.g. elite

C. 3-syllable or 3-word Words:
1. Stress the 1st or 2nd syllable as a first trial.

E.g. newspaper

2. Stress the last syllable it contains <-ate>, <-ise>, <-ize>.

E.g. indicate, organize

3. Stress the 2nd syllable of a 3-word verb.

E.g. get out of

D. Adjective-noun Compounds or Phrases:
1. If it is a phrase, place primary stress on the noun, minor stress on the adjective.

E.g. black board, green home

2. If it is a compound word, place primary stress on the adjective, minor stress on the noun.

E.g. black board, green home