Since it is littered with exceptions, you should always keep in mind that there are no definite rules to English, but general rules and patterns that can be followed.įirst, only one syllable can be stressed in an English word regardless if it has two, three, or even four or more syllables. This video lesson provides an introduction into syllable and word stress rules:Įnglish is a very inconsistent language when it comes to rules. General Rules and Patterns for Word Stress This is not only a difficult concept to grasp for Asian speakers studying English, but generally for all English as a second language students.Įven if one understands that importance of word stress, knowing exactly where to emphasize stress is no easy task. The syllables which are not stressed are called the weak or quiet ones. In the word ‘important’, the second syllable is stressed, so it is pronounced stronger and should read imPORtant. Įach syllable needs to be pronounced, but some syllables are stressed or emphasized on more than others, depending on the word. Think of the words important, realistic and communication. Then there are words with three, four and even five or more syllables. Words such as pretty, quiet and export are broken up into two syllables. Meaning each of these words only has one sound. Short words like dog, car, box and so on are one syllable words. And here’s how it works:Įach word in English is broken into a number of syllables. What Is Word Stress?Įnglish is not a flat language, but one of stresses and varying intonations. If you get word stress wrong, it might be difficult to understand you, as there are several words which sound similar and can only be distinguished by word stress (in spoken language). It means, that in multisyllabic words, some syllables are spoken with greater emphasis than others.
Word stress is crucial to properly pronounce words in the English language.
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