Syllable Stress in English

Do you struggle with Syllable Stress in English questions and would like to master it once and for all?

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

• define Syllable Stress with examples.
• differentiate between Syllable Stress and Emphatic Stress.
• identify questions on Syllable Stress.
• correctly answer questions on Syllable Stress.

Shall we begin?

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What is Syllable Stress?

First.

We need to understand the meaning of both “syllable” and “stress”.

• A syllable is the smallest unit of a word which can be pronounced in ONE breath or heartbeat.

• Stress is the emphasis or forceful pronunciation of a part or an entire word which changes its meaning.

Thus.

SYLLABLE STRESS is the emphasis placed on a particular syllable in a word.

It is also called “Word Stress” which is different from EMPHATIC STRESS IN ENGLISH.

Difference between Syllable Stress and Emphatic Stress

Syllable Stress or Word Stress places emphasis on a PARTICULAR syllable in a word.

EXAMPLES:

• for-GET
• en-ter-TAIN
• in-ter-NA-tion-al

EMPHATIC STRESS or Sentence Stress places emphasis on an ENTIRE word in a sentence.

EXAMPLES:

• He will FORGET to come today.
• Did she ENTERTAIN her guests?

Syllable stress pattern rules

Syllable Stress pattern rules are in two categories:

• Syllable Stress rules for disyllabic words.
• Syllable Stress rules for polysyllabic words.

Syllable stress rules for disyllabic words

1) Most disyllabic NOUNS and ADJECTIVES are stressed on their FIRST syllable.

EXAMPLES

• RE-fuse
• PRE-sent
• HAND-some

2) Most disyllabic VERBS and PREPOSITIONS are stressed on their SECOND syllable.

EXAMPLES:

• re-FUSE
• pre-SENT
• be-SIDE

How to answer Syllable Stress for Disyllabic Words?

EXAMPLE:

Choose the option with a different stress pattern from the others.

• (A) guitar
• (B) guilty
• (C) confuse
• (D) relief

Step #1: Identify the part of speech of each word.

• (A) guitar (NOUN)
• (B) guilty (ADJECTIVE)
• (C) confuse (VERB)
• (D) relief (NOUN)

Step #2: Place the stress according to the stress pattern rules for disyllabic words.

• (A) GUI-tar
• (B) GUIL-ty
• (C) con-FUSE
• (D) RE-lief