RHYTHM OF

ENGLISH
Reporters :
Cristine P. Ligo
Shayne A. Romero
 Word Stress / ‘ /
The Rhythm of English is brought
about by the recurrence of stressed
and unstressed syllables in a word.
Stress is that mark or sound we put
on or give a word or syllables to
make it stand out in a group.
The elements of stress are :
 a. Force or intensity
( loudness )
 b. Pitch (tune)
 c. Duration
(length of the vowel
sound)
The Importance of Stress
It is important , however, that you
come to know when and where to put
the stress or stresses in a word even
without the guidance of the teacher by
learning how to consult the dictionary
every time you doubt the stress of a
word . Rather than rely on hunches , it
is best to develop this study habit.
At other times, the following
generalizations about stress in
certain words should be remembered

a. Most words with two syllables are stressed on

the first syllable: lesson, always, holy, better,
river, service.
b. Some words have definite rules of stress:
1. Compound nouns have primary stress on
the first component and a secondary stress on
the second; peacock, sunflower floodlight,
blackboard, lighthouse, armchair, lampshade,
milkfish, raindrop, doorknob.
 2. Compound verbs have a primary
stress on the second and the component
and a secondary stress on the first
component (the adverb). Understand,
outdo, overflow, undergo, interact,
overdose.
3. Intensive-reflexive pronouns receive
a stronger stress on the second syllable
such as yourself, myself, ourselves,
itself, herself, themselves.
 4. Numbers ending in- teen show a rhythmic
shift in stress from the first syllable to the last to
distinguish clearly between;
thirty – thirteen seventy – seventeen
forty – fourteen eight – eighteen
fifty – fifteen ninety – nineteen
sixty – sixteen
5. Many words show a functional shift in stress
to indicate their use either as a noun or as a verb.
As nouns, they are stressed on the first syllable; as
verbs, they are stressed on the second syllable:
Example: present – present record – record
permit – permit rebel – rebel
subject – subject address – address
6. Generally, when a suffix is added to a word, the
new form retains the stress on the same syllable as
the word from which it was derived.
happy – happiness cloudy – cloudiness
assign – assignment careless –
carelessness
merry – merriment teach – teacher
interest – interesting honest – honestly
7. Words ending in – tion, - sion, - ic, - ical, and –
ity always have primary stress on the syllable
preceding the ending.
Examples: logical,examination, extension, historic,
economic, simplicity, perfections, dedication,
possibility
 Some word have two stresses: Primary ( ‘ ), and
secondary ( ‘ ‘ ).
elementary organization understand
primary observation administrative
secondary education administration
Observe the , morphemic shift in stress in the following
pairs of words:
celebrate – celebration biology – biological
contribute – contribution electric – electrical
negotiate – negotiation economy – economic
method – methodical national – nationality
system – systematic continue – continuity
permit – permission communicate – communication
magic – magician experiment - experimental
 The following words are often
mispronounced. Practice saying them with
the stresses in the right places.
A. Words accented on the first syllable
1. Comfortable 8. Melancholy 15. Intimacy
2. Orchestra 9. Preferable 16. Pedestal
3. Ceremony 10. Protestant 17. Practicable
4. Applicable 11. Impious 18. Operator
5. Catholic 12. Category 19. Characteristic
6. Ancestor 13. Vegetable 20. Admirable
7. Honorable 14. Orator 21. Charitable
22. Deficit 33. Beefsteak 44. Temperament
23. Circumstance 34. Laboratory 45. Legislature
24. Cemetery 35. lamentable 46. interesting
25. Miserable 36. hospitable 47. decade
26. Theatre 37. certainly 48. inventory
27. Monastery 38. heroism 49. cucumber
28. Naval 39. eligible 50. seminar
29. Senator 40. kilometer
30. Delicacy 41. testimony
31. Dysentery 42. participle
32. Literature 43. maintenance
B. Words on the second syllable:
1. Adventure 11. innumerable 21. incomparable
2. Committee 12. Napoleon 22. administrative
3. Inevitable 13. appreciate 23. condolence
4. Appropriate 14. inhospitable 24. development
5. Utensil 15. admonish 25. irrevocable
6. Abbreviate 16. contribute 26. irreparable
7. Lieutenant 17. ancestral 27. illiteracy
8. Opponent 18. professor 28. incognito
9. Semester 19. establish 29. inestimable
10. Associate 20. incorrigible 30. commander
C. Words accented on the third syllable:
1. Antecedent 9. inadmissible 17. indefatigable
2. Satisfactory 10. inaccessible 18.indistinguishable
3. Convalescent 11. ambiguity 19. ingenuity
4. Adolescent 12. contradictory20. indescribable
5. Inappropriate13. continuity 21. interference
6. Cafeteria 14. cigarette 22. jamboree
7. Operation 15. supplementary 23. reproduction
8. Contributing 16. comprehensive 24. opportunity
D. Words accented on the fourth syllable:
1. Realization 9. pronunciation
2. Appreciation 10. fortification
3. Interpretation 11. enthronization
4. Extemporaneous 12. communication
5. Representation
6. Assimilation
7. Fertilization
8. Materialistic
E. Stress is phonemic in the following words:
NOUNS VERBS
1. Accent 1. Accent
2. Addict 2. addict
3. Address 3. address
4. Annex 4. annex
5. Combat 5. combat
6. Compound 6. compound
7. Conduct 7. conduct
8. Conflict 8. conflict
9. Consent 9. consent
10. Content 10. content
11. Contest 11. contest
12. Contract 12. contract
13. Contrast 13. contrast
14. Control 14. control
15. Converse 15. converse
16. Convert 16. convert
17. Convict 17. convict
18. Desert 18. desert
19. Digest 19. digest
20. Escort 20. escort
21. Graduate 21. graduate
22. Incense 22. incense
23. Increase 23. increase
24. Insult 24. insult
25. Object 25. object
26. Permit 26. permit
27. Present 27. present
28. Project 28. project
29. Protest 29. protest
30. Rebel 30. rebel
31. Record 31. record
32. Reject 32. reject
33. Subject 33. subject
34. Suspect 34. suspect
35. Transport 35. transport
 The Unstressed Vowel
Listen carefully and observe which syllable are not
stressed in the following words. Take note of how
they are pronounced.
present opera separate confidence
vowel society beautiful government
about family citizen history
around opinion successful responsible
abolish memory decision grammatical
 The sound heard in the unstressed
vowel is weak and indefinite. It is called
the SCHWA. It is never found in accented
syllables. All vowel sounds in unaccented or
unstressed syllables tend to this vowel
enunciation. It is made with the tongue
relaxed and at rest with the tip of the
tongue behind the lower teeth. It is one of
the most important elements in securing
correct rhythm and appropriate rate.
 In speaking or reading, the use
of this weak vowel helps to make
main points more prominent by
putting unaccented syllables and
certain small connecting words in
the background. This is constant
and marked in the connected
discourse of native speakers.
 Generally, the use of this neutral
or weak vowel is unknown to
Filipino. It has no counterpart in the
Philippine vernaculars. The habit of
giving full value to every word and
every syllable is what is characteristic
of Philippine native vernaculars.
When carried over into English, this
habit destroys characteristic English
rhythm and obscure meaning.
 Listen and repeat the following using the
weak vowel sound of the SCHWA in the
unstressed syllables.

A. Monday January August Spring

Tuesday February September Summer
Wednesday March October Winter
Thursday April November Autumn
Friday May December
Saturday June
Sunday July
B. Nation salmon religious municipal
college major principal community
occur general enterprise enthusiasm
social musical systematic development
drama language performance interesting
region business university celebration
Manila different subtraction ordinary
 Conversation Drill
Use the schwa in the unstressed syllables.
Kathy: We don’t have much time, do we?
We’re still dropping by at Rita’s place.
Jill: I’m hurrying as fast as I can, can’t you
see?
Kathy: Try to hurry a little bit more, will you? I
don’t want to be late.
Jill: Oh, we won’t be late. You know how
these affairs are. They never start on
time, do they?
Kathy: Maybe so, but I always like to get there
on time ahead of our guests.
Jill: Oh, your such a fuddy duddy, sister,
Don’t worry, I’ll get there with enough
time to spare.
Kathy: Is that a promise I can rely on?
Jill: It’s promise. Now leave me alone so I
can finish getting ready, okey?
Kathy: How long will it take you?
Jill: Give me just ten more minutes, will
you?
 Sentence Stress
The term sentence stress refers to the stress
that falls on certain words in a sentence.
The problem of sentences stress may be
divided into two parts:

1. Knowing where the stress falls in a word,

and
2. Knowing which words in the sentence
should be stressed.
 Which word should be stressed in a sentence?
1. Content words, and
2. Function words
Those words which have meaning in
themselves as words are the content words.
They are also referred to as thought or idea
word.
Those word have little or no meaning in
themselves as words but perform a
grammatical function in relation to other
words in the sentence are function words.
 Generally, content words are stressed and
function words are not stressed unless the
speaker wants to give special emphasis to
them.
Content words include:
a. Nouns
b. Verbs (except those listed as function words)
c. Demonstratives: This, that, these, those
d. Interrogatives: who, when, where, why,
what
e. Adjectives
f. Adverbs
Functions words include:
a. Articles
b. Prepositions
c. Personal pronouns
d. Possessive adjectives: my, his, your, etc.
e. Relative pronouns: who, what, which, etc.
f. Common conjunctions: and, but, as, if, etc.
g. The word one who used as a noun substitute:
the new one.
h. The auxiliary verbs and linking verbs: be, have,
do, will, must, etc. except:
1. When they occur at the end of the sentence
such as:
You know what time it is,
Tell us who you are.
I didn’t know where you were

Yes, I am.
2. when they are used in reiterative formulas:
didn’t they?
are you?
isn’t it?
Can’t also is slightly stressed in order to
distinguish its meaning from the positive can
which is unstressed.
Can he swim?
No, he can’t.
The first of two nouns used together
generally receives primary stress such as:
college student cocktail party practice teacher
term paper major general training ground
picture frame guest room flower vase
desk fan water color table tooth
 In two-word verbs, which are composed of a
verb and an adverbs, the second component
receives the primary stress while the first
component receives the secondary stress.
Examples:
Come in stand up shut up put on
Get off pick out speak up take off
Bring about turn around worn out warm up
Sit down put away think over stop over
Carry out sail on tune in operated on
 This general rule of sentence stress does
not apply when:
1. The speaker wants to call attention to a
word which normally is unstressed.
You’ll find the book on the desk. (not
under)
2. Because of a succession of stressed
syllables the speaker tends to unstress an
intervening stress:
That’s Ryan’s best composition.
 The following illustrates a significant
characteristic of English pronunciation. Stress
tends to recur intervals.

Listen and notice which words are

stressed:
1. Sister reads novels.
My sister reads novels.
My sister reads some novels.
My sister will read some novels.
My sister has been reading some novels.
2. The farmer raises ducks.
The farmer is planting rice.
The farmer is harvesting vegetables.
The farmer is marketing some vegetables.
3. The professor teaches well.
The professor teaches very well.
The professor is teaching very well.
The professor has been teaching very well.
 Note that the second sentence in the
series contains more unstressed syllables
than the first, the third more than the
second, and so on; but the number of
stresses remains the same. Using your pencil,
tap on your tables in groups of three; 1, 2, 3,
1-2-3. Then tap out the above series of
sentences as you repeat after the model.
See to it that you the same time to say
the last sentence in the series as you do the
first. Do not slow down the rhythm.
Drill
Make your voice louder on the stressed words.
1. I am glad to see you
2. How are you?
3. I’m fine, thank you.
4. He is an agriculturist.
5. Saturday is market day
6. Love thy neighbor as thyself.
7. The rainy season begins in June.
8. The grocery opens at five o’clock.
9. Were planning to have a field trip.
10. Was Bella present at the meeting? Yes, she was.