Financial English word stress mazes
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Which syllable to stress in financial vocabulary puzzles
Lesson Plan Content:
Financial English word stress mazes
Look at one of the mazes. Trace a route through the maze by only following the words which are stressed on the first syllable, starting at the top-left corner. You can go left, right, up or down from each square (not diagonally). When you think that you have finished, your teacher will tell you which square you should finish on and then how many squares are stressed on the first syllable, so you can try again if you haven’t matched those things. The word in brackets like “(an)” are just to show you what kind of word it is, so you don’t need to think about how those words are stressed.
Mark the stress on the other words to make sure that none are stressed on the 1st syllable. Then check the route through the maze as a class or with the answer key, asking about any words you pronounced wrongly, don’t know how to use, etc.
Work together to pronounce the words which are stressed on the first syllable, making sure that you pronounce them all correctly.
Work together to pronounce all the other words, making sure you stress the right syllable.
Do the same stages with one or more of the other mazes.
Use the words below to find out the word stress rules for these kinds of words:
- Most nouns
- Nouns and verbs with the same form (“to increase” and “an increase”, etc)
- Schwa (the “er” sound in “computer”)
- Most prefixes like “un-” and “mis-”
Version 1
|
finance
|
savings |
financial |
funding |
merchant |
(an) export |
|
account |
broker |
merger |
creditor |
deflation
|
colleague |
|
return |
percent |
diversify |
(to) produce
|
product |
company
|
|
application
|
acquisition
|
investment
|
invest
|
manage |
upgraded
|
|
exported
|
complaint
|
(to) present
|
return
|
interest |
updated
|
|
subsidiary
|
corporation
|
advisor
|
cashier
|
income
|
profit |
Version 2
|
dozen
|
advisory
|
(to) export |
guaranteed
|
(to) decrease |
succumb
|
|
(a) discount
|
payee
|
competitor
|
client |
income |
revenue |
|
seller
|
budget |
exchange
|
bankrupt |
performance
|
turnover |
|
support |
ceiling
|
restructure
|
bonus |
deductible
|
overdraft |
|
department
|
earnings
|
market |
asset |
(to) increase |
principal |
|
financier
|
cooperation
|
statistics
|
investor
|
ascend
|
heirloom
|
Version 3
|
premium
|
data |
repayment
|
employment
|
insider |
accord |
|
economy
|
shareholder
|
inherit
|
initial |
B2B |
commodity
|
|
taxable
|
fiscal |
consumer
|
collateral
|
IPO
|
economic
|
|
average
|
inflation
|
insure |
domestic
|
reserves
|
individual
|
|
fluctuate
|
debtor |
exchange |
debit |
billion |
prices |
|
deflation
|
leverage |
mortgage |
wholesale |
unlisted
|
payment |
Version 4
|
capital
|
output
|
productivity |
advise |
compete |
predict |
|
industrial
|
margin
|
retail
|
commercial
|
perform |
production
|
|
acquire
|
efficient |
private
|
consumption
|
estate
|
financially
|
|
manufacture |
prediction |
dividend
|
borrow |
volatility |
CFO |
|
percentage
|
complain
|
optimistic
|
sector
|
maximise |
household |
|
efficiency |
accountant
|
M&A
|
receive |
receipt
|
surplus
|
Version 5
|
bankruptcy
|
fiscally |
budgetary |
borrower |
retailer |
volatile |
|
taxation |
individualise
|
statistically |
competitive |
ascent |
pessimism
|
|
inheritance
|
indices |
industry |
forecast |
commerce |
maximum
|
|
commodified |
turbulent
|
inflate
|
insurance
|
recapitalise
|
unpredictable |
|
inefficient
|
listed
|
trader |
unproductive
|
manufacturer
|
uninsured
|
|
capitalisation
|
fluctuation
|
trillion
|
seventy
|
deficit |
salary |
Word stress maze activity answers
The words stressed on the first syllable are in bold. The stressed syllable of the other words is written in each square.
Version 1
|
finance
|
savings |
financial (2nd) |
funding |
merchant |
(an) export |
|
account (2nd) |
broker |
merger |
creditor |
deflation (2nd) |
colleague |
|
return (2nd) |
percent (2nd) |
diversify (2nd) |
(to) produce (2nd) |
product |
company
|
|
application (3rd) |
acquisition (3rd) |
investment (2nd) |
invest (2nd) |
manage |
upgraded (2nd) |
|
exported (2nd) |
complaint (2nd) |
(to) present (2nd) |
return (2nd) |
interest |
updated (2nd) |
|
subsidiary (2nd) |
corporation (3rd) |
advisor (2nd) |
cashier (2nd) |
income
|
profit |
Version 2
|
dozen
|
advisory (2nd) |
(to) export |
guaranteed (3rd) |
(to) decrease |
succumb (2nd) |
|
(a) discount
|
payee (2nd) |
competitor (2nd) |
client |
income |
revenue |
|
seller
|
budget |
exchange (2nd) |
bankrupt |
performance (2nd) |
turnover |
|
support (2nd) |
ceiling
|
restructure (2nd) |
bonus |
deductible (2nd) |
overdraft |
|
department (2nd) |
earnings
|
market |
asset |
(to) increase (2nd) |
principal |
|
financier (2nd) |
cooperation (4th) |
statistics (2nd) |
investor (2nd) |
ascend (2nd) |
heirloom
|
Version 3
|
premium
|
data |
repayment (2nd) |
employment (2nd) |
insider (2nd) |
accord (2nd) |
|
economy (2nd) |
shareholder
|
inherit (2nd) |
initial (2nd) |
B2B (3rd) |
commodity (2nd) |
|
taxable
|
fiscal |
consumer (2nd) |
collateral (2nd) |
IPO (3rd) |
economic (3rd) |
|
average
|
inflation (2nd) |
insure (2nd) |
domestic (2nd) |
reserves (2nd) |
individual (3rd) |
|
fluctuate
|
debtor |
exchange (2nd) |
debit |
billion |
prices |
|
deflation (2nd) |
leverage |
mortgage |
wholesale |
unlisted (2nd) |
payment |
Version 4
|
capital
|
output
|
productivity (3rd) |
advise (2nd) |
compete (2nd) |
predict (2nd) |
|
industrial (2nd) |
margin
|
retail |
commercial (2nd) |
perform (2nd) |
production (2nd) |
|
acquire (2nd) |
efficient (2nd) |
private
|
consumption (2nd) |
estate (2nd) |
financially (2nd) |
|
manufacture (3rd) |
prediction (2nd) |
dividend
|
borrow |
volatility (3rd) |
CFO (3rd) |
|
percentage (2nd) |
complain (2nd) |
optimistic (3rd) |
index
|
maximise |
household |
|
efficiency (2nd) |
accountant (2nd) |
M&A (3rd) |
receive (2nd) |
receipt (2nd) |
surplus
|
Version 5
|
bankruptcy
|
fiscally |
budgetary |
borrower |
retailer |
volatile |
|
taxation (2nd) |
individualise (3rd) |
statistically (2nd) |
competitive (2nd) |
ascent (2nd) |
pessimism
|
|
inheritance (2nd) |
indices |
industry |
forecast |
commerce |
maximum
|
|
commodified (2nd) |
turbulent
|
inflate (2nd) |
insurance (2nd) |
recapitalise (2nd) |
unpredictable (3rd) |
|
inefficient (3rd) |
listed
|
trader |
unproductive (3rd) |
manufacturer (3rd) |
uninsured (3rd) |
|
capitalisation (5th) |
fluctuation (3rd) |
trillion
|
seventy
|
deficit |
salary |
Schwa in financial vocabulary
Mark the stress on each word below, then say it with the unstressed vowel “schwa” as at least one of the other vowel sounds (like the first and third syllable of “banana”).
- acquire
- accord
- accountant
- acquisition
- advise
- billion
- broker
- client
- collateral
- company
- competitor
- complain
- cooperation
- corporation
- creditor
- data
- deductible
- dozen
- economy
- employment
- fiscal
- guaranteed
- individual
- inheritance
- initial
- insider
- investment
- M&A
- maximum
- merchant
- merger
- overdraft
- performance
- premium
- principal
- repayment
- restructure
- salary
- support
- taxable
- unpredictable
Which prefixes and suffixes are usually pronounced with schwa?
Financial vocabulary word formation
Without looking above, say as many different forms of these words as you can. Many forms not above are also possible.
- account
- acquire
- advise
- apply
- bankrupt
- borrow
- cash
- commerce
- compete
- complain
- consume
- credit
- date
- debt
- deflate
- economy
- employ
- finance
- fiscal
- fluctuate
- grade
- heir
- index
- industry
- inflate
- insure
- invest
- lever
- list
- manage
- maximum
- merge
- optimism
- pay
- percent
- perform
- predict
- produce
- profit
- receive
- retail
- structure
- tax
Compare with above, then share your extra ideas.
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