How do you stress compound words? Usage seems to be inconsistent.
B balakrishnanijk Member Joined Jul 24, 2007 Member Type Other Native Language Malayalam Home Country India Current Location India Feb 25, 2012 #1 How do you stress compound words? Usage seems to be inconsistent.
BobK Moderator Staff member Joined Jul 29, 2006 Location Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK Member Type Retired English Teacher Native Language English Home Country UK Current Location UK Feb 25, 2012 #2 Usage is inconsistent because the link between the component words varies. A black bird may be a rook or a crow or a male blackbird; but a female blackbird is a brown bird. b Last edited: Feb 25, 2012
Usage is inconsistent because the link between the component words varies. A black bird may be a rook or a crow or a male blackbird; but a female blackbird is a brown bird. b
T TheParser VIP Member Joined Dec 8, 2009 Member Type Other Native Language English Home Country United States Current Location United States Feb 25, 2012 #3 ***** NOT A TEACHER ***** Excellent question. One book says that in compounds, the stress (louder sound) is often on the first word: SICK room (NOT: sick ROOM. The room is not sick. It is a room for the sick.) ROOMmate. BASKETball. SIDEwalk. Be very careful: We ate a HOT dog. We chased a hot DOG. Credit: A Basic Grammar of Modern English (1979) by Professor Bruce L. Liles.
***** NOT A TEACHER ***** Excellent question. One book says that in compounds, the stress (louder sound) is often on the first word: SICK room (NOT: sick ROOM. The room is not sick. It is a room for the sick.) ROOMmate. BASKETball. SIDEwalk. Be very careful: We ate a HOT dog. We chased a hot DOG. Credit: A Basic Grammar of Modern English (1979) by Professor Bruce L. Liles.