WORD STRESS IN ENGLISH SPEECH

- increased force of loudness

- characteristic loudness, prominence,
and increased force
1. Monosyllabic Words
- one-syllable words/
monosyllables
- words are stressed in isolation
- blend with the nearest word in
context and lose part of original sound
- reduced to a different form (in
blending)

supreme
semester

giraffe
subsidiary

acknowledge

Exercise 4. Stress the third syllable of each

word.
volunteer
apparatus
correspond
elementary
mayonnaise
beneficiary
undertake
choreography

manufacture
photosynthesis
departmental
parliamentary
propaganda
opportunity
equilibrium
scientific

Exercise 1. Read each word.

deal
care
east
hem
sun
cell

sail
hold
cent
may
get
can

tame
whole
seal

2. Multi-syllable words
- with two or more syllables
- have only one strong stress
- strongly-stressed syllable in the
words are spoken louder, longer, and
clearer than the rest of the
unstressed syllables
Exercise 2. Stress only the first syllable of each
word.
notice
transferable
urchin
oratory
titan
participle
vivid
voluntary

taffeta
notary
Vatican
profile
mechanize
matinee
supervise
origin

survive
original
obscure
variety
retrench
particular

misrepresent
contemporary
superimpose
pronunciation
misunderstand
temperamental

accommodation
prevarication
authoritarian
extemporaneous
alliteration
socialization

Exercise 6. Stress the fifth syllable of each

word.
personification
inexplicability
denaturalize
insubordination
onomatopoeia
insuperability

indemnification
extemporization
indispensability
capitalization
indiscrimination
inevitability

syllable
ostracize

Exercise 7. Read the following sentences

stressing the appropriate word or
syllable.

parliament
vegetable

Exercise 3. Stress the second syllable of each

word.
cartoon
distinguish
technique
consortium
unless
department

Exercise 5. Stress the fourth syllable of each

word.

horizon
accustom
abundance

1. A stressed syllable is pronounced

loudly and clearly.
2. A special technique is used in
preparing cartoons.
3. They will negotiate their legitimate
demands.
4. Science apparatus is necessary in
the elementary department.
5. An illegitimate child can be a
beneficiary.
6. A departmental test was given.

3. Noun Verb Shifts

- a shift in the position of syllable stress ->
change in the meaning
Noun and Adjective strong
stress in the first syllable
Verbs strong in the second
syllable
Exercise 8. Read the following with the
appropriate stress.
Noun Verb
contract
convert
contrast
process
conflict
exploit

Verb - Noun
discount
desert
export
incline
excerpt
pervert

Exercise 9. Read the following drill sentences

stressing the appropriate syllable

in each noun-verb shift according to its

use in context.
1. Her beauty entranced the movie fans as
she neared the theater entrance.
2. You can extract vanilla, an aromatic
extract, from a certain tropical orchid.
3. The producers retail their goods
wholesale or retail.
4. She is intelligent but dishonest is the
converse of the statement She is
dishonest but intelligent.
5. Girls should converse in soft voices.
6. They had to process their travel papers
but in the process some documents got
lost.
7. Digest your food well.
8. The hapless pervert might pervert some
truths in the cross examination.
9. Give me a digest of the senators
speeches.
10. The store offers a 10% discount.