Universidad Arturo Michelena

Facultad de Humanidades, Letras y Arte

Escuela de Idiomas Modernos

Oral III

Material Compilado por: Prof. Mariela Pinto Sequera

STRESS
STRESS is the degree of force or loudness with which syllables are spoken in English.
English is a stress-timed language. That is, stressed syllables appear at a roughly steady tempo
(approximately fixed tempo), and non-stressed syllables are shortened to accommodate this.
MICE
EAT
The MICE
EAT
The MICE
will have
EATen
The MICE might have been EATing

CHEESE.
the CHEESE.
the CHEESE.
the CHEESE.

Stressed syllables in English are louder than non-stressed syllables, as well as being longer and having a
higher pitch.
Ordinarily, grammatical or function words do not receive stress, whereas content or lexical words
must have at least one stressed syllable.

Word stress in English

Word Stress is phonemic in English, this is the movement of stress in a word from one position to
another changes the meaning of the word.
For example, the words desert /'dezrt/ and dessert /d'zt/ are distinguished by stress, as are the noun
a record /'rek.rd/ and the verb to record /r'krd/.
Word Stress in English is the magic key to understanding spoken English. Native speakers of English use
word stress naturally. Word stress is so natural for them that they do not even know they use it.
Non-native speakers, who speak English to native speakers without using word stress, encounter two
problems:
1.
They find it difficult to understand native speakers, especially those speaking fast.
2.
The native speakers may find it difficult to understand them.
To understand word stress helps to understand what syllable is. Every word is made from syllables.
Each word has one, two, three or more syllables.

Importance of word stress

Word stress is not used in all languages. Some languages, Japanese or French for example, pronounce
each syllable with eq-ual em-pha-sis. Other languages, English for example, use word stress.
Every language has its own rhythm. Look at the two sentences below: Which sounds more natural in
English? Why?
1. Big black dogs chase small white cats
2. A big black dog is chasing a little cat
The answer is number two, and the reason is that it has an alternation of stressed and unstressed
syllable. All the syllables are stressed in the first sentence.
Word stress is not an optional extra that you can add to the English language if you want. It is part of
the language! English speakers use word stress to communicate rapidly and accurately, even in difficult
conditions. If, for example, you do not hear a word clearly, you can still understand the word because
of the position of the stress.

Rules of word stress in English

In English, we do not say each syllable with the same force or strength in one word.
We accentuate ONE syllable, this is, we say one syllable very loudly (big, strong, important) and all
the other syllables remain very quietly.
Lets take 3 words: photograph, photographer and photographic. Do they sound the same when
spoken? No, because we stress ONE syllable in each word, and it is not always the same syllable.
This happens in ALL words with 2 or more syllables: TEACHer, JaPAN, CHINa, aBOVE, converSAtion,
INteresting, imPORtant, deMAND, etCETera.
The syllables that are not stressed are weak or small or quiet. Native speakers of English listen carefully
for the STRESSED syllables, but not the weak syllables. If you use word stress in your speech, you will
instantly and automatically improve your pronunciation and your comprehension. There are three
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 smaller than the primary, and its 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. Probably the best way to learn is from experience. Listen carefully to spoken English
and try to develop a feeling for the music of the language.
3.

A word cannot start with two unstressed syllables.

Word Stress General Tendencies

1. Two-syllable nouns and adjectives (stress on the first syllable)
SUSpect, INsult, PREsent, Apple, TAble, HAppy, CLEver, COffee.
EXCEPTIONS: hoTEL, laGOON, shamPOO, JaPAN, caREER, poLICE, baLOON.
2. Two-syllable verbs (stress on the second syllable)
susPECT, inSULT, preSENT, deCIDE, acCEPT, beGIN, exPLAIN, believe
3. Stress on penultimate syllable
Words ending in:
-ic: geoGRAphic, cliMAtic, autoMAtic, BAsic
-tion: reveLAtion, opeRAtion, simuLAtion, proMOtion, ACtion
-sion: PAssion, adMIssion, TENsion, teleVIsion*
* Some people stress the first syllable TElevision
4. Stress on the ante-penultimate syllable
Words ending in:
-cy: deMOcracy, conSIStency, Agency
-ty: aBIlity, tranQUIlity, bruTAlity, elecTRIcity
-phy: phoTOgraphy, biOgraphy, phiLOsophy
-gy: geOlogy, eCOlogy, aPOlogy
-al: CRItical, geoLOgical, OPtional, aDDItional. Exception: proPOsal
5. Compound words
Compound nouns (stress on the first part):
BLACKbird, GREENhouse, FOOTball, UNderworld

Compound adjectives (stress on the second part):

bad-TEMpered, old-FAshioned, good-LOOKing, well-KNOWN

Compound verbs (stress on the second part):

underSTAND, overFLOW, write DOWN, look OVER

Degrees of Stress
When words are said in isolation, there are usually four different types of stressed used:
1. PRIMARY STRESS ( / ) Carried by the clear/full vowel sound with the highest pitch
2. SECONDARY STRESS ( __ ) Carried by the clear/full vowel that does not have the primary
stress. This stress is only seen in long words (4 or more syllables) or compounds. Its Pre-Tonic,
which means it can only be found before the primary stress.
3. TERTIARY STRESS ( - ) Carried by a clear/full vowel that has no stress but cannot be reduced
4. WEAK STRESS ( . ) Carried by the weak/unstressed vowel sound within the word.
Stressed syllables have clear vowels, a higher pitch and are longer. Unstressed syllables don't have a
high pitch and are shorter.

The arrangement of the stress on the syllables of a word is called STRESS PATTERN
/ .
apple

/
cat

__ . / . .
university

LOOK! Modern dictionaries use the IPA stressing: primary stress ( ' ) before the stressed syllable and
secondary stress ( ) in long words (4 or more syllables) that have another high pitch of voice but not
as higher as the primary stressed syllable. They do not place tertiary nor weak stress.
Depending on the source you use to identify the types of stress on stress patterns, you will see that
their names are different. Some use the word unstressed or zero to refer to weak stress. And some
others add another degree of stress; the tertiary stress to refer to those syllables that do not carry a
primary or a secondary stress but are pronounced with full vowels.
DO NOT FREAK OUT! Trust your ears and remember there are different approaches for this. Hence,
the best ways to understand, identify and use stress appropriately are speaking and listening.
Stress Functions
Stress has both referential and differential functions. The Referential stress indicates the way in
which each syllable in a word is pronounced. The Differential stress indicates the difference between
two words that are similar but belong to different grammatical categories.

Prefixes
A prefix is a particle added to the beginning of a stem changing its meaning.
Neutral Prefixes: They do not interfere with the stress pattern of the stem. They bear secondary stress.
bi-: bilingual, bimonthly
de-: defrost, de-stress
dis-: dislike, disagree
ex-: ex-president, ex-lover
mis-: misunderstand, mishear, misprint
out-: out-sing, outdo
over-: overtake, overdo, overshadow
pre-: presuppose, prepay

pro-: pro-British, pro-Catholic

re-: rewrite, retake, reread
sub-: subeditor, substandard, subculture
un-: (adj: adj) unnatural, unlikely
un-: (v : v) unlock, unbutton
under-: undercover, undertake
up-: upgrade, uphold

An exception to the general pattern (secondary on the prefix + primary on the stem) occurs when a
prefixed word functions as a noun, having the same pattern as a noun compound. In this case, the
prefix tends to carry primary stress and the noun receives tertiary stress.

Suffixes
A suffix is a particle added to the end of a stem deriving a new word, with different meaning
(sometimes) and grammatical category. Suffixes affect stress in one of three ways:
1. Neutral suffixes: they dont affect the stress pattern of the stem and carry weak stress
_en: widen, shorten
_er: teacher, reporter
_ful: cheerful, thoughtful
_hood /hd/: sisterhood, brotherhood
_ing: opening, amazing
_ish: tarnish, devilish
_less: powerless, fearless
_ly: happily, aggressively
_ship: scholarship, membership
_able: taxable, comfortable

_al: proposal, optional

_dom: boredom, dukedom
_ess: hostess, mistress
_ist: humanist, communist
_ment: development, agreement
_or: actor, moderator
_ness: tenderness, illness
_some: lonesome, gruesome
_y: funny, sunny

These suffixes receive tertiary stress because the diphthong /a/ cannot be reduced to //:
_wise: otherwise, likewise
_ize (AmE): organize, authorize/ _ise (BrE): organise, authorise

2. Suffixes that receive stress: they receive the primary stress; hence, they affect the stress
pattern of the stem
_aire: doctrinaire, questionnaire, millionaire*, solitaire*
_esque: picturesque, humoresque, Romanesque
_oon: balloon, lagoon, typhoon, tycoon
_ee: employee, chimpanzee, pedigree, addressee
_ique: boutique, technique, unique
_ette: vinaigrette, silhouette, brunette, cigarette*
_eer: engineer, volunteer, pioneer
_eur: entrepreneur, coiffeur, chauffeur*
_euse: masseuse, chanteuse
_ese: Portuguese, Japanese, journalese, Taiwanese
_ain: entertain, ascertain
_et /e/: buffet, ballet*, bouquet*, valet*
_ade: lemonade, masquerade, marmalade, escapade*
*these words are sometimes pronounced with primary stress on the first syllable. Check their
phonetic transcriptions in BrE and AmE.

3. Shift stress: the primary stress shifts to the syllable immediately preceding the suffix.
_eous: adVANntage, advanTAgeous
_graphy: PHOto, phoTOgraphy
_ic: CLImate, cliMAtic
_ical: eCOlogy, ecoLOgical
_ity: TRANquil, tranQUIlity
Suffixes with the iV sequence (I + Vowel a, o, u)
_ia, _ial, _ian, _ion, _ious, _ium, _ius, etc.
When these suffixes are preceded by an alveo-palatal consonant, they are pronounced with
unstressed schwa: Institution, television, Asian, option, initial, Polynesia, Indonesia, ambitious.
When preceded by other consonants, they are pronounced with /i/ or /j/: aluminium (BrE)/
aluminum (AmE), Chromium, Sagittarius, pictorial.

Differential Stress
1.

Noun: REcord - Verb: reCORD

Noun / Adjective

Verb

/
Present
Permit
Project
Conflict
Subject
Suspect
Object
Rebel
Desert
Frequent

/
Present
Permit
Project
Conflict
Subject
Suspect
Object
Rebel
Desert
Frequent

/ Insult
Contract
Export
Combine
Perfect
Protest

Insult
Contract
Export
Combine
Perfect
Protest

In the list below, the stress pattern is the same for both nouns and verbs
/
Exchange
Express
Command
Control
Delay
Remark
Surprise
Support

/
Comfort
Comment
Contact
Promise
Program

2. Adjective: graduate /rdut/ - Verb: graduate /rduet/

The ate ending is weak-stressed in adjectives and pronounced /t/, and tertiary-stressed in
verbs and pronounced /et/
Word

Adjective

Verb

Advocate
Aggregate
Alternate
Animate
Approximate
Deliberate
Delegate
Duplicate
Elaborate
Estimate
Intimate
Legitimate
Moderate
Precipitate
Separate

The ed ending of adjectives sometimes have an extra syllable pronounced /d/, and verbs
follow the rules for the regular past tense and past participle.
Word

Adjective

Verb

Blessed
Beloved
Learned
Dogged
Legged

Sometimes, even when there is an adjective with no corresponding verb, the adjective is still
pronounced /d/: naked, rugged, crooked, wicked, etc.

3. Compound Noun: WHITE house - Adjective + Noun: white HOUSE

A compound noun occurs when two words come together to form a new word. They are used
and pronounced as a single word. Stress will vary between compound nouns and words that
look like compound nouns but are functioning as adjectives modifying nouns.
Compound Noun

Adjective + Noun

/ Darkroom

__
/
Dark room

Greenhouse

Green house

Bluebird

Blue bird

Lighthouse

Light house

Cheapskates

Cheap skates

Longboat

Long boat

Hardball

Hard ball

Sweetbread

Sweet bread

Blackbird

Black bird

!!! Practice transcriptions and look for the meanings of these compound nouns and phrasal verbs
4. Phrasal verb: turned UP/ Adjective: TURNED up
Phrasal verb: make UP - Noun: MAKE-up
A phrasal verb consists of a verb in combination with an adverb, a preposition, or both. They
are pronounced as a unit.
Noun / Adjective

Phrasal verb

/ Takeoff
Lookout
Checkup
Dropout
Checkout
Run-down
Runoff

__ /
Take off
Look out
Check up
Drop out
Check out
Run down
Run off

/ Getaway
Takeaway
Runaway
Runabout

__ /
Get away
Take away
Run away
Run about

MORE EXAMPLES FOR PRACTICING

-Transcribe and write the stress patternCompounds

Compound Nouns:
Hot dog

Butter knife

Blueberry

Reception desk

Heavyweight

Drama teacher

Birdcage

Tomato sauce

Crossword

Policeman

Mailbox

Paper plates

Footprint

Chocolate cake

Apple pie
Compound Adjectives: Depending on their location in a sentence, the stress pattern will change. Attributive
adjectives (before the noun) are Primary tertiary stressed (/ -); and Predicative adjectives (separated from
the noun, after a linking verb be, seem, look, taste) are Secondary primary stressed (__ /). If the compound
adjective has more than two syllables, then you should include weak stress to the pattern.
Make sentences as in the example:
1. Attributive adjective: A good-looking man

2. Predicative adjective: That man is good-looking

(/ - )

( __ / )
Adjective
Cold-blooded
Secondhand
Middle-aged
Bad-tempered
Well-trained
Part-time
Old-fashioned
Narrow-minded
Never-ending
Long-lasting
Ice-cold
Fat-free
Midlife
Worldwide

Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs that follow the verb + adverb combination have secondary stress on the first element and primary
stress on the second element. The most common adverbial particles are: across, ahead, along, away, back,
behind, down, in, off, on, over, under and up.
Phrasal verbs that follow the verb + preposition combination have primary stress on the first element, and the
preposition carries a tertiary stress. The most common prepositions are: about, at, for, from, of, to and with.
Phrasal verbs consisting of three elements have primary stress on the second element, secondary stress on the
first element and the third element carries weak stress (reduced vowel on the preposition).
Get in

Come in

Laugh at

Look for

Sit down

Get along

Turn away

Look at

Think about

Take care of

Do over

Run out of

Put aside

Get along with

Ask for

Keep up with

Wake up

Look forward to

Turn off

Get out of

References:
Allegra, M., Fang, P., Kukanauza, J. (2006). Stress. Universidad de Carabobo. Venezuela
Cardenas, Y. (2009). Fontica y Fonologa del Ingls II. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Peru
Celce-Murcia, M. (2010). Teaching Pronunciation: A Course Book and Reference Guide. 2nd edition. Cambridge
University Press. USA.
Trkenczy, M. (2013). English Phonological analysis Chapter 6: Word Stress. Etvs Lornd University.
Hungary. Retrieved from http://seas3.elte.hu/phono-analysis/book.html
Zapata,

A. (2009). Stress and Rhythm. Universidad de los Andes. Venezuela. Retrieved

http://webdelprofesor.ula.ve/humanidades/azapata/materias/phonetics_1/stress_and_rhythm.pdf

from