Monosyllabic Words

Instructions: Say each of the following one-syllable words.

deal sail tame care hold

east cent whole hen may

sun get seal cell can

Multi-syllable words

Those with two or more syllables.

Exercise 1. Read the following stressing only the first syllable of each word.

notice syllable transferable

urchin vegetable voluntary

vivid supervise origin

Exercise 2. Read the following stressing the second syllable of each word.

technique original survive

unless giraffe department

semester acknowledge particular

Exercise 4. Read the following stressing the third syllable of each word.

volunteer manufacture correspond

elementary opportunity beneficiary

undertake scientific apparatus

Exercise 5. Read the following stressing the fourth syllable of each word.

misrepresent authoritarian socialization

misunderstand contemporary administration

accomodation pronunciation

Exercise 6. Read the following stressing the appropriate word or syllable.

1. A special technique is used in preparing cartoons.

2. A stressed syllable is pronounced loudly and clearly.

3. A departmental test was given.

Rules of Word Stress in English

There are two very simple rules about word stress:

1. One word has only one stress. (One word cannot have two stresses. If you hear two stresses, you hear two words. Two stresses cannot be one word. It is true that there can be a "secondary" stress in some words. But a secondary stress is much smaller than the main [primary] stress, and is only used in long words.)
2. We can only stress vowels, not consonants.

Here are some more, rather complicated, rules that can help you understand where to put the stress. But do not rely on them too much, because there are many exceptions. It is better to try to "feel" the music of the language and to add the stress naturally.

1 Stress on first syllable

2 Stress on last syllable

There are many two-syllable words in English whose meaning and class change with a change in stress. The word present, for example is a two-syllable word. If we stress the first syllable, it is a noun (gift) or an adjective (opposite of absent). But if we stress the second syllable, it becomes a verb (to offer). More examples: the words export, import, contract and object can all be nouns or verbs depending on whether the stress is on the first or second syllable.

3 Stress on penultimate syllable (penultimate = second from end)

For a few words, native English speakers don't always "agree" on where to put the stress. For example, some people say teleVIsion and others say TELevision. Another example is: CONtroversy and conTROversy.

4 Stress on ante-penultimate syllable (ante-penultimate = third from end)

5 Compound words (words with two parts)