Word Stress rules in English

 

For the correct pronunciation of English words it is essential to learn the correct word stress along with the phonetic alphabets or sound system. English is said to be a stress-timed language as it gives more attention to the accent.

 

In a word not all the syllables are pronounced with equal emphasis. One syllable (sound unit) stands out than the others. For example in the word father (two syllables, 'fa'-'ther') the first syllable is more prominent than the second syllable. Therefore stress is marked on the first syllable 'fa'. A stress is marked above the accented syllable as shown in the brackets ('father).

 

There are a few rules for word stress, as follows

1. Words with same spelling and same sound can have difference in their pronunciation. If the word is a noun or adjective the stress falls on the first syllable. If the word is a verb the stress is on the second syllable

Eg:- Absent(noun) - /’ab-sənt/

Absent (verb) - /ab-‘sent/

 

Abstract (adj) |’æbstrækt|

Abstract (verb) |æb’strækt|

 

Accent (noun) |ˈæksent|

Accent (verb) |æk’sent|

2. Words with weak prefix are stressed on the root word, for example

    a’go, be’low, a’bout, a’bove, a’round

3. Words ending in –‘ion’ have the stress on the penultimate syllable (syllable before the final syllable)

Eg :- examination – e-xa-mi-‘na-tion, appli- ‘cation

Expla-’nation, antici-‘pation, cele-‘bration

4. Words that end in –ic, -ical, -ically, -ian are stressed on the syllable before the suffix

Eg:- arti’ficial, subs-‘tantial, Po-‘litical

5. Words ending with the suffix –eer and –ee are stressed on the suffix

Eg:- engi’neer, Pay’ee, exami-‘nee, absen-‘tee