What is compound word stress

Compound words usually consist of two words (two components) that may be written separately, with a hyphen, or as one word. Rules and recommendations for the use of the hyphen with compound words are rather complicated and subject to change, so it is best to consult a good up-to-date dictionary.

Examples of compound words:

toothpaste; flashlight; night club

go out; light-green; twenty-five

Note: Both components (both words) in compound words are stressed. In this material, capital letters show the syllable / word with primary stress. Secondary stress is on the other component of the compound word. Secondary stress is not shown here. (You can listen to compound words in Listening for Stress in Compound Words (AmE) in the section Phonetics.)

Note: English terms

The terms «open compound; closed compound; hyphenated compound» are often used in English linguistic materials.

Compound words written as two separate words are called «open compounds». For example: credit card; high school; light bulb; post office.

Compound words written as one word are called «closed compounds» (or «solid compounds»). For example: airplane, highland, lighthouse, railroad.

Compound words with a hyphen are called «hyphenated compounds». For example: bad-tempered; good-looking; high-minded; light-hearted.

Compound nouns

Compound nouns are very common in English. Many dictionaries give compound nouns as separate entries, but their stress is not always indicated. Use the links to online dictionaries on the page Vocabulary to check the transcription of compound nouns and to listen to their pronunciation.

In compound nouns, both components (both words) are stressed. Primary stress falls on the first component (the first word), even if the two words are written separately. Usually, the second component is a noun. The first component may be a noun, a gerund, an adjective, or a verb.

FOOTball; ARMchair; MAILbox

PHOtograph; TELegram; TELescope

WRITing desk; SWIMming pool

HIGH school; HIGHway; HOT dog

CRYbaby; PUSHcart; BREAKthrough

Primary stress on the first component

Primary stress on the first component reflects the tight connection between the two parts of a compound noun. This stress is the main distinguishing mark between a compound noun (stress on the first component) and a regular / free Attribute + Noun combination in which primary stress is on the second word (on the noun).

Compare these pairs in which the first word combination is a compound noun (tight connection between the two components; primary stress on the first component; secondary stress on the second component), and the second is a free combination of an adjective or participle with a noun (loose connection between the two words; primary stress on the second word; secondary stress on the first word).

GREENhouse – green HOUSE

BLACKboard – black BOARD

DARKroom – dark ROOM

EVEning dress – evening SKY

WALKing stick – walking PEOPLE

READing test – reading BOY

SINGing lesson – singing GIRL

MOBile phone – mobile PERson

STONE Age – stone BUILDing

HOT dog – hot TEA

PAPer knife – paper BAG

ENGlish teacher – English TEACHer

SUMmertime – summer CLOTHES

SUMmer camp – summer SPORTS

NIGHT school, EVEning school – night HOURS, evening HOURS

There are some exceptions from the standard pattern of compound noun stress, for example, manKIND. In some cases, there are two variants of stress in compound nouns, for example, well-BEing; WELL-being.

Note: Most compound nouns are usually written as one word (without a hyphen) or as two separate words. But some compound nouns are hyphenated. For example: cease-fire; court-martial; cross-purposes; father-in-law; mother-in-law; great-grandfather; great-grandson; self-control; self-service; well-wisher.

Compound nouns written as two words

Language learners usually have no problem with stress in compound nouns written as single words (POSTcard; PANcake) but may have difficulty identifying compound nouns written as two separate words (CREDit card; WEDding cake).

Examples of compound nouns that are usually written as two separate words are given below. Primary stress is on the first word; secondary stress is on the second word.

FOOTball player; CAR dealer

FIRE fighter; SMOKE detector

MATH student; GRAMMar book

CONference hall; MEDical school

MINeral water; FRUIT juice

PORK chop; CARVing knife

FRYing pan; dePARTment store

LIVing room; LIGHT bulb

TRAIN station; BUS stop

PARKing lot; DRIVing test

eCONomy class; dePARture time

CREDit card; SAVings account

CELL phone; PHONE call

POST office; TELephone book

BLOOD type; HEALTH check

DRINKing problem; HEART disease

DEATH sentence; LIFE insurance

HORror movie; GHOST story

AIR pressure; WEATHer report

Note: The rules of adding the plural ending s/es and the apostrophe to compound nouns are described in Adding the Ending s/es to Nouns and Verbs and Adding the Apostrophe to Nouns in the section Writing.

Phrasal verbs with postpositions

Phrasal verbs with postpositions (with adverbial particles) are compound verbs in which both components are stressed, usually with stronger stress on the postposition.

‘fall aPART; ‘turn aWAY

‘come BACK; ‘come IN

‘break DOWN; ‘break IN

‘break THROUGH; ‘go ON

‘take OFF; ‘look OUT;

‘move OVer; ‘give UP

‘make UP; ‘bring UP

(See examples with these phrasal verbs in the subsection Phrasal Verbs in the section Idioms.)

If a compound noun is formed from a phrasal verb, primary stress in it falls on the first component, and the noun is usually written as a single word or with a hyphen.

GETaway; COMEback

BREAKdown; BREAKthrough

LOOKout; OUTlook

DOWNfall; UPbringing

MAKE-up; TAKE(-)off

Compound adjectives

Both parts of compound adjectives are stressed. Stronger stress usually falls on the second component of two-word compound adjectives.

dark-GREEN; light-BROWN

grayish-BLUE; bright-RED

red-HOT; white-HOT

absent-MINDed; low-SPIRited

old-FASHioned; cold-BLOODed

well-KNOWN; well-DRESSed

broken-HEARTed; HEARTbroken

easyGOing, easy-GOing

good-LOOKing; longSTANDing

snow-WHITE; sky-BLUE

stone-BLIND; ice-COLD

duty-FREE; skin-DEEP

man-MADE; handMADE

half-DEAD; half-FULL

self-CONscious; self-CONfident

Note: Stress on the noun

If one of the components in a two-word adjective is a noun, stronger stress may fall on the noun, irrespective of whether it is the first or second component.

COLor-blind; WATerproof

high-CLASS; high-SPEED

low-COST; low-KEY

LAW-abiding; EARsplitting

off-COLor

off-BALance

AIRsick; SEAsick

Note: Hyphen with compound adjectives

A compound adjective before the noun that it modifies is written with a hyphen: a dark-blue dress; a reddish-brown rug; a well-known writer; a well-read student.

Many compound adjectives in the position after the linking verb are written as two separate words, without a hyphen. Examples: Her dress is dark blue. The rug is reddish brown. This writer is well known.

Many other compound adjectives keep the hyphen in such cases: He is absent-minded and old-fashioned. She is good-looking and good-natured. She is well-read in English poetry.

Combinations of adverbs ending in «ly» with adjectives or participles are not hyphenated: a widely known fact; entirely white hair; a highly paid lawyer.

If a compound noun written as two separate words is used as an attribute before another noun, such an attribute is usually hyphenated: a high-school teacher; the living-room window; a parking-lot attendant.

Compound numerals

In compound numerals consisting of several words, each component / each word is stressed (except «and»); the last component receives the strongest stress.

Compound numerals from twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated. Fractions in the function of nouns may be with or without a hyphen.

thirTEEN; sevenTEEN

fifTEENTH; eighTEENTH

twenty-THREE; forty-SIX

fifty-SEVen; ninety-EIGHT

sixty-SECond; seventy-FIFTH

five HUNdred and thirty-TWO

three hundred THOUsand

one-HALF, one HALF

two-THIRDS, two THIRDS

one twenty-FIFTH

twenty-three HUNdredths

(Read more about the pronunciation of numbers in Numbers and Numerals in the section Miscellany.)

Ударение в сложных словах

Сложные слова обычно состоят из двух слов (двух компонентов), которые могут быть написаны раздельно (в два слова), с дефисом, или слитно (как одно слово). Правила и рекомендации по употреблению дефиса со сложными словами довольно сложны и подвержены изменению, поэтому лучше всего проверять написание в хорошем современном словаре.

Примеры сложных слов:

зубная паста; фонарик; ночной клуб

выйти; светло-зелёный; двадцать пять

Примечание: Оба компонента (оба слова) в сложных словах ударные. В этом материале, заглавные буквы показывают слог / слово с главным ударением. Второстепенное ударение на другом компоненте сложного слова. Второстепенное ударение не показано здесь. (Вы можете послушать сложные слова в материале Listening for Stress in Compound Words (AmE) в разделе Phonetics.)

Примечание: Английские термины

Термины «open compound; closed compound; hyphenated compound» часто употребляются в английских лингвистических материалах.

Сложные слова, которые пишутся раздельно, в два слова, называются «open compounds». Например: credit card; high school; light bulb; post office.

Сложные слова, которые пишутся слитно, как одно слово, называются «closed compounds» (или «solid compounds»). Например: airplane, highland, lighthouse, railroad.

Сложные слова с дефисом называются «hyphenated compounds». Например: bad-tempered; good-looking; high-minded; light-hearted.

Сложные существительные

Сложные существительные очень употребительны в английском языке. Многие словари дают сложные существительные как отдельные словарные статьи, но их ударение не всегда указано. Используйте ссылки на онлайн-словари на странице Vocabulary, чтобы проверить транскрипцию сложных существительных и послушать их произношение.

В сложных существительных оба компонента (оба слова) ударные. Главное ударение падает на первый компонент (первое слово), даже если эти два слова пишутся раздельно. Обычно, второй компонент – существительное. Первым компонентом может быть существительное, герундий, прилагательное или глагол.

футбол; кресло; почтовый ящик

фотография; телеграмма; телескоп

письменный стол; плавательный бассейн

средняя школа; шоссе; сосиска

плакса; ручная тележка; прорыв

Главное ударение на первом компоненте

Главное ударение на первом компоненте отражает крепкую связь между двумя частями сложного существительного. Это ударение является главным различительным признаком между сложным существительным (ударение на первом компоненте) и обычным / свободным сочетанием Определение + существительное, в котором главное ударение ставится на втором слове (на существительном).

Сравните эти пары, в которых первое словосочетание – сложное существительное (крепкая связь между двумя компонентами; главное ударение на первом компоненте; второстепенное ударение на втором компоненте), а второе – свободное сочетание прилагательного или причастия с существительным (не крепкая связь между двумя словами; главное ударение на втором слове; второстепенное ударение на первом слове).

теплица, парник – зелёный дом (цвет)

школьная доска – чёрная доска (цвет)

комната для проявки фото – тёмная комната

вечернее платье (тип одежды) – вечернее небо

трость для ходьбы – гуляющие люди

тест по чтению – читающий мальчик

урок пения – поющая девочка

мобильный телефон – мобильный человек

Каменный век – каменное здание

сосиска (в булочке) – горячий чай

нож для бумаги – бумажный пакет

учитель английского – учитель-англичанин

лето, летний сезон – летняя одежда

летний лагерь (для детей) – летние виды спорта

вечерняя школа – ночные часы, вечерние часы (период времени)

Есть некоторые исключения из стандартной модели ударения сложных существительных, например, manKIND (человечество). В некоторых случаях есть два варианта ударения в сложных словах, например, well-BEing; WELL-being (благосостояние).

Примечание: Большинство сложных существительных обычно пишутся слитно, как одно слово (без дефиса) или раздельно, как два отдельных слова. Но некоторые сложные существительные пишутся с дефисом. Например: cease-fire; court-martial; cross-purposes; father-in-law; mother-in-law; great-grandfather; great-grandson; self-control; self-service; well-wisher.

Сложные существительные с написанием в два слова

Изучающие язык обычно не имеют проблем с ударением в сложных существительных, которые пишутся как одно слово (POSTcard; PANcake), но могут испытывать трудность с узнаванием сложных существительных, которые пишутся как два отдельных слова (CREDit card; WEDding cake).

Примеры сложных существительных, которые обычно пишутся раздельно, как два слова, даны ниже. Главное ударение на первом слове; второстепенное ударение на втором слове.

футболист; торговец автомобилями

пожарный; дымоуловитель

студент математики; учебник грамматики

зал заседаний; мединститут

минеральная вода; фруктовый сок

свиная отбивная; нож для разделки мяса

сковорода; универмаг

гостиная; электрическая лампочка

вокзал; автобусная остановка

автостоянка; экзамен по вождению

эконом-класс; время отправления

кредитная карточка; сберегательный счёт

сотовый телефон; телефонный звонок

почта; телефонный справочник

группа крови; медосмотр

злоупотребление алкоголем; болезнь сердца

смертный приговор; страхование жизни

фильм ужасов; рассказ с привидениями

давление воздуха; прогноз погоды

Примечание: Правила прибавления окончания мн. числа s/es и апострофа к сложным существительным описаны в материалах Adding the Ending s/es to Nouns and Verbs и Adding the Apostrophe to Nouns в разделе Writing.

Фразовые глаголы с послелогами

Фразовые глаголы с послелогами (с наречными частицами) – это сложные глаголы, в которых оба компонента ударные, обычно с более сильным ударением на послелоге.

развалиться на части; отвернуться

вернуться; войти

сломаться; ворваться

прорваться, пробиться; продолжать

взлететь; выглянуть

подвинуться; отказаться

накладывать косметику; воспитывать (детей)

(Посмотрите примеры с этими фразовыми глаголами в подразделе Phrasal Verbs в разделе Idioms.)

Если от фразового глагола образуется сложное существительное, то главное ударение в нём ставится на первом компоненте, и это существительное обычно пишется как одно слово (слитно) или с дефисом.

побег; возвращение

поломка; прорыв

пункт наблюдения; вид, перспектива

падение; воспитание

косметика; взлёт

Сложные прилагательные

Обе части сложного прилагательного ударные. Более сильное ударение обычно ставится на втором компоненте сложных прилагательных, состоящих из двух слов.

темно-зелёный; светло-коричневый

серо-голубой; ярко-красный

раскалённый докрасна; раскалённый добела

рассеянный; удручённый

старомодный; хладнокровный

хорошо известный; хорошо одетый

с разбитым сердцем; с разбитым сердцем

с лёгким характером

привлекательный; давний, длительный

белоснежный; небесно-голубой

совершенно слепой; ледяной

беспошлинный; неглубокий, поверхностный

созданный человеком; сделанный вручную

полумёртвый; наполовину полный

мнительный; самоуверенный

Примечание: Ударение на существительном

Если в сложном прилагательном один из компонентов существительное, более сильное ударение может падать на существительное, независимо от того, является оно первым или вторым компонентом.

не различающий цвета; водонепроницаемый

высокого класса; скоростной

недорогой; неброский

законопослушный; оглушительный

нестандартного цвета; сомнительный

несбалансированный

страдающий воздушной болезнью; страдающий морской болезнью

Примечание: Дефис со сложными прилагательными

Сложное прилагательное перед определяемым существительным пишется через чёрточку: a dark-blue dress, a reddish-brown rug, a well-known writer, a well-read student (начитанный студент).

Многие сложные прилагательные в положении после глагола-связки пишутся как два отдельных слова, без дефиса. Примеры: Her dress is dark blue. The rug is reddish brown. This writer is well known.

Многие другие сложные прилагательные сохраняют дефис в таких случаях: He is absent-minded and old-fashioned. She is good-looking and good-natured. She is well-read in English poetry.

Сочетания наречий, оканчивающихся на «ly», с прилагательными или причастиями пишутся без дефиса: a widely known fact; entirely white hair; a highly paid lawyer.

Если сложное существительное, которое пишется раздельно, как два слова, употреблено как определение перед другим существительным, такое определение обычно пишется через дефис: a high-school teacher; the living-room window; a parking-lot attendant.

Сложные числительные

В сложных числительных, состоящих из нескольких слов, каждый компонент / каждое слово ударное (кроме «and»); последний компонент получает самое сильное ударение.

Сложные числительные от двадцати одного до девяноста девяти пишутся через дефис. Дроби в функции существительных могут быть с дефисом или без него.

тринадцать; семнадцать

пятнадцатый; восемнадцатый

двадцать три; сорок шесть

пятьдесят семь; девяносто восемь

шестьдесят второй; семьдесят пятый

пятьсот тридцать два

триста тысяч

одна вторая

две третьих

одна двадцать пятая

двадцать три сотых

(Прочитайте ещё о произношении чисел в материале Numbers and Numerals в разделе Miscellany.)

Semantic factor: given
below are the rules of word stress in English:

1. In words of 2 or 3 syllables the primary
stress mostly falls on the first syllable, e.g.’error,
‘cabinet.

2 In prefixal words the primary stress
typically falls on the syllable, following the prefix, e.g.
im’possible, re’call, be’hind..

3. In prefixal words with prefixes having their
own meaning, the place of stress is on the prefix, e.g.
‘anti-‘capitalism, ‘non-’stop,
‘ex-‘minister. .

4. In prefixed verbs which are distinguished
from similarly spelt nouns and adjectives, the place of stress is on
the second syllable, nouns and adjectives have their stress on the
initial syllable, e.g.

Verb noun adjective

to com’pound ‘compound
‘compound

to in’crease ‘increase

5. Suffixes: -esce,
-esque, ate,-ize, -fy, -ette, -ique, -ee, -eer, -ade have
the place of stress on the preceding syllable on themselves, e.g.
,pictu’resque, ,ciga’rette,
tech’nique, ,refe’ree, ,pio’neer, etc.

6. Suffixes: -ical,
-ic, -ion, ity, -cient, -iency, — cous, -ual, uous, -ety, -itous,ive,
-ative(-itive), -itude, -ident, -inal, -ital, -wards have
the place of stress on the preceding syllable, e.g. economic,
grammatical, position, majority, special, etc.

7. In words of four or more syllables the place
of stress is on the antepenultimate syllable (third from the end),
e.g. emergency, calamity.

In compound words
the following rules of stress are observed:

1. single stress
is used when a compound word consists

a) of two nouns: ‘door-handle,
‘housekeeper, light-house, ‘keyhole,
etc.

b) of an attribute and a noun: ‘dining-room
‘washing-powder, etc.
.

2. double stress
is used:

a) in compound adjectives of which the first
element is an adjective, e.g.

‘red’hot, ‘bad’tempered,
‘good-‘looking etc.

b) in numerals from 13 to 19, e.g.
‘four’teen, ‘fif’teen,
‘eight’teen, etc.

The stress in double-stressed compounds is
subject to rhythmical variations in the same way as double-stressed
simple words, e.g. ‘second-hand
‘clothes, ‘all the second’hand, a ‘good-looking ‘girl, ‘all
good-‘looking ‘girls.

4. The functional aspect of word stress.

Stress in English and Ukrainian is not only
free, but also shifting .
In both languages the place of stress may shift, which helps to
differentiate different
parts of speech.

When the shifting of word stress serves to
perform distinctive function, V.Vassilyev terms this suprasegmental
phonological unit form distinctive
accenteme, when it serves to distinguish the meaning of different
words, its term is word-distinctive accenteme.

To sum it up, word stress in a language
performs three functions:

1. Word stress constitutes a word, it
organizes the syllables of a word into a language unit having a
definite accentual structure, that is a pattern of relationship among
the syllables; a word does not exist without the word stress. Thus
the word stress performs the
constitutive function. Sound continuum
becomes a phrase when it is divided into units organized by word
stress into words.

2. Word stress enables a person to identify a
succession of syllables as a definite accentual pattern of a word.
This function of word stress is known as identificatory
(or recognitive). Correct accentation
helps to listener to make the process of communication easier,
whereas the distorted accentual pattern of words, misplaced word
stresses prevent normal understanding.

3. Word stress alone is capable of
differentiating the meaning of words or their forms, thus performing
its distinctive function.
The accentual patterns of words or the degrees of word stress and
their positions form oppositions, e.g. ‘import
– im’port, ‘billow – be’low.

V.Vassilyev introduces the term “accenteme”
for words stress as a supresegmental phonological unit having
different degrees and placement in a word. For instance the primary
accenteme is opposed to the weak word accenteme (unstressed
position), in ‘import – im’port
differentiating the noun from the verb.
A.C.Gimson establishes three groups of words with identical spelling
representing different parts of speech which are opposed by means

f
shifting of the stress.

1. A small group of words where the noun is
   differentiated from a verb by the opposition of the accentual
   parttern of the word alone, e.g. ’increase
   – in’crease; ‘insult – in’sult; ‘impress –
   im’press;’inlay – in’lay.

2. The second group where the shifting of the
   stress which means the change of the accentual pattern of the word
   may be or may not be accompanied by the reduction of the vowel in
   the unstressed syllable of the verbs, e.g.:

‘transport [
] – trans’port
[ ] or [ ],

‘torment
[ ] – tor’ment
[ ] or [ ].

1. The largest group of such pairs of words manifests the change

of their accentual pattern together with the
qualitative

reduction of the unstressed vowels, e.g.

‘combine [
] or [ ],

‘conduct
[ ] or [ ],

‘contrast
[ ] or [ ], and many others.

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Описание презентации по отдельным слайдам:

• 

  1 слайд

  Stress in compound words

• 

  2 слайд

  Words composed of separable root morphemes are called compounds.
  Among compound words we find compound nouns, adjectives, verbs. 

• 

  3 слайд

  Compound words usually consist of two words (two components) that may be written separately, with a hyphen, or as one word.
  Rules and recommendations for the use of the hyphen with compound words are rather complicated and subject to change, so it is best to consult a good up-to-date dictionary.

• 

  4 слайд

  Examples of compound words:
  toothpaste; flashlight
  зубная паста; фонарик
  night club
  ночной клуб
  go out; light-green
  выйти; светло-зелёный
  twenty-five
  двадцать пять

• 

• 

  6 слайд

  In compound nouns, both components (both words) are stressed.
  Primary stress falls on the first component (the first word), even if the two words are written separately.
  Usually, the second component is a noun.
  The first component may be a noun, a gerund, an adjective, or a verb.

• 

  7 слайд

  FOOTball; ARMchair; MAILbox
  футбол; кресло; почтовый ящик
  PHOtograph; TELegram; TELescope
  фотография; телеграмма; телескоп
  WRITing desk; SWIMming pool
  письменный стол; плавательный бассейн
  HIGH school; HIGHway; HOT dog
  средняя школа; шоссе; сосиска
  CRYbaby; PUSHcart; BREAKthrough
  плакса; ручная тележка; прорыв

• 

  8 слайд

  Primary stress on the first component

• 

  9 слайд

  Primary stress on the first component reflects the tight connection between the two parts of a compound noun. This stress is the main distinguishing mark between a compound noun (stress on the first component) and a regular / free Attribute + Noun combination in which primary stress is on the second word (on the noun).

• 

  10 слайд

  Compare these pairs where the first is a compound noun (tight connection between the two components; primary stress on the first component; secondary stress on the second component), and the second is a free combination of an adjective or participle with a noun (loose connection between the two words; primary stress on the second word; secondary stress on the first word).

• 

  11 слайд

  GREENhouse – green HOUSE
  теплица, парник – зелёный дом (цвет)
  BLACKboard – black BOARD
  школьная доска – чёрная доска (цвет)
  BLACKbird – black BIRD
  дрозд– черная птица
  GOLDfish – gold FISH
  золотая рыбка — рыба золотого цвета
  STRONGbox — strong BOX
  сейф — крепкий ящик

• 

  12 слайд

  DARKroom – dark ROOM
  комната для проявки фото – тёмная комната
  EVEning dress – evening SKY
  вечернее платье (тип одежды) – вечернее небо
  WALKing stick – walking PEOPLE
  трость для ходьбы – гуляющие люди
  READing test – reading BOY
  тест по чтению – читающий мальчик
  SINGing lesson – singing GIRL
  урок пения – поющая девочка
  MOBile phone – mobile PERson
  мобильный телефон – мобильный человек

• 

  13 слайд

  STONE Age – stone BUILDing
  каменный век – каменное здание
  ENGlish teacher – English TEACHer
  учитель английского – учитель-англичанин
  SUMmertime – summer CLOTHES
  лето, летний сезон – летняя одежда
  NIGHT school, EVEning school – night HOURS, evening HOURS
  вечерняя школа – ночные часы, вечерние часы (период времени)

• 

  14 слайд

  There are some exceptions from the standard pattern of compound noun stress, for example,
  manKIND (человечество).
  Sometimes there are two variants of stress in compound nouns:
  well-BEing; WELL being (благосостояние).

• 

  15 слайд

  Compound nouns written as two words

• 

  16 слайд

  Language learners usually have no problem with stress in compound nouns written as single words (POSTcard; PANcake) but may have difficulty identifying compound nouns written as two separate words (CREDit card; WEDding cake).
  Primary stress is on the first word; secondary stress is on the second word.

• 

  17 слайд

  FOOTball player; CAR dealer
  футболист; торговец автомобилями
  FIRE fighter; SMOKE detector
  пожарный; дымоуловитель
  MATH student; GRAMMar book
  студент математики; учебник грамматики
  CONference hall; MEDical school
  зал заседаний; мединститут
  MINeral water; FRUIT juice
  минеральная вода; фруктовый сок
  PORK chop; CARVing knife
  свиная отбивная; нож для разделки мяса

• 

  18 слайд

  FRYing pan; dePARTment store
  сковорода; универмаг
  LIVing room; LIGHT bulb
  гостиная; электрическая лампочка
  TRAIN station; BUS stop
  вокзал; автобусная остановка
  PARKing lot; DRIVing test
  автостоянка; экзамен по вождению
  eCONomy class; dePARture time
  эконом-класс; время отправления
  CREDit card; SAVings account
  кредитная карточка; сберегательный счёт

• 

  19 слайд

  CELL phone; PHONE call
  сотовый телефон; телефонный звонок
  POST office; TELephone book
  почта; телефонный справочник
  BLOOD type; HEALTH check
  группа крови; медосмотр
  DRINKing problem; HEART disease
  злоупотребление алкоголем; болезнь сердца
  DEATH sentence; LIFE insurance
  смертный приговор; страхование жизни
  HORror movie; GHOST story
  фильм ужасов; рассказ с привидениями
  AIR pressure; WEATHer report
  давление воздуха; прогноз погоды

• 

• 

  21 слайд

  Proper nouns are specific names of people, places or things.
  For example: Jeniffer, Spain, Google. 
  The second word is always the one that takes the stress
  Examples:
  North DAKOTA
  Mr. SMITH
  Apple INCORPORATED

• 

• 

  23 слайд

  Reflexive pronouns show that the action affects the person who performs the action.
  For example: I hit myself. 
  The second syllable usually takes the stress.
  Examples:
  mySELF
  themSELVES
  ourSELVES

• 

  24 слайд

  Phrasal verbs with postpositions

• 

  25 слайд

  Phrasal verbs with postpositions (with adverbial particles) are compound verbs in which both components are stressed, usually with stronger stress on the postposition.

• 

  26 слайд

  ‘fall aPART; ‘turn aWAY
  развалиться на части; отвернуться
  ‘come BACK; ‘come IN
  вернуться; войти
  ‘break DOWN; ‘break IN
  сломаться; ворваться
  ‘break THROUGH; ‘go ON
  прорваться, пробиться; продолжать
  ‘take OFF; ‘look OUT
  взлететь; выглянуть
  ‘move OVer; ‘give UP
  подвинуться; отказаться
  ‘make UP; ‘bring UP
  накладывать косметику; воспитывать (детей)

• 

  27 слайд

  If a compound noun is formed from a phrasal verb, primary stress in it falls on the first component, and the noun is usually written as a single word or with a hyphen.
  GETaway; COMEback
  побег; возвращение
  BREAKdown; BREAKthrough
  поломка; прорыв
  LOOKout; OUTlook
  пункт наблюдения; вид, перспектива
  DOWNfall; UPbringing
  падение; воспитание
  MAKE-up; TAKE(-)off
  косметика; взлёт

• 

  28 слайд

  Compound adjectives

• 

  29 слайд

  Both parts of compound adjectives are stressed. Stronger stress usually falls on the second component of two-word compound adjectives.
  dark-GREEN; light-BROWN
  темно-зелёный; светло-коричневый
  grayish-BLUE; bright-RED
  серо-голубой; ярко-красный
  red-HOT; white-HOT
  раскалённый докрасна; раскалённый добела
  absent-MINDed; low-SPIRited
  рассеянный; удручённый
  old-FASHioned; cold-BLOODed
  старомодный; хладнокровный

• 

  30 слайд

  well-KNOWN; well-DRESSed
  хорошо известный; хорошо одетый
  broken-HEARTed; HEARTbroken
  с разбитым сердцем; с разбитым сердцем
  easyGOing, easy-GOing
  с лёгким характером
  good-LOOKing; longSTANDing
  привлекательный; давний, длительный
  snow-WHITE; sky-BLUE
  белоснежный; небесно-голубой

• 

  31 слайд

  stone-BLIND; ice-COLD
  совершенно слепой; ледяной
  duty-FREE; skin-DEEP
  беспошлинный; неглубокий, поверхностный
  man-MADE; handMADE
  созданный человеком; сделанный вручную
  half-DEAD; half-FULL
  полумёртвый; наполовину полный
  self-CONscious; self-CONfident
  мнительный; самоуверенный

• 

  32 слайд

  Stress on the noun

• 

  33 слайд

  If one of the components in a two-word adjective is a noun, stronger stress may fall on the noun, irrespective of whether it is the first or second component.
  COLor-blind; WATerproof
  не различающий цвета; водонепроницаемый
  high-CLASS; high-SPEED
  высокого класса; скоростной
  low-COST; low-KEY
  недорогой; неброский
  LAW-abiding; EARsplitting
  законопослушный; оглушающий
  off-COLor
  нестандартного цвета; сомнительный
  off-BALance
  несбалансированный
  AIRsick; SEAsick
  страдающий воздушной болезнью; страдающий морской болезнью

• 

  34 слайд

  Compound numerals

• 

  35 слайд

  In compound numerals consisting of several words, each component / each word is stressed (except «and»); the last component receives the strongest stress.
  Compound numerals from twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated. Fractions in the function of nouns may be with or without a hyphen.

• 

  36 слайд

  thirTEEN; sevenTEEN
  тринадцать; семнадцать
  fifTEENTH; eighTEENTH
  пятнадцатый; восемнадцатый
  twenty-THREE; forty-SIX
  двадцать три; сорок шесть
  fifty-SEVen; ninety-EIGHT
  пятьдесят семь; девяносто восемь
  sixty-SECond; seventy-FIFTH
  шестьдесят второй; семьдесят пятый

• 

  37 слайд

  five HUNdred and thirty-TWO
  пятьсот тридцать два
  three hundred THOUsand
  триста тысяч
  one-HALF, one HALF
  одна вторая
  two-THIRDS, two THIRDS
  две третьих
  one twenty-FIFTH
  одна двадцать пятая
  twenty-three HUNdredths
  двадцать три сотых

• 

  38 слайд

  Thank you for attention

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English Syllables and Stress Patterns

Syllables and stress are two of the main areas of spoken language. Pronouncing words with the stress on the correct syllables will help you improve your spoken English, make your sentences easier to understand and help you sound more like a native speaker.

English syllables are stress-timed. English is classed as a ‘stress-based’ language, which means the meanings of words can be altered significantly by a change in word stress and sentence stress. This is why it is important to learn how to use word stress in English and develop an understanding of sentence stress and English stress patterns.

 

The English language is heavily stressed with each word divided into syllables. Here are some examples of English words with different numbers of syllables. These sets of words are followed by a series of examples using the correct stress placement:

Words with one syllable 

The, cold, quite, bed, add, start, hope, clean, trade, green, chair, cat, sign, pea, wish, drive, plant, square, give, wait, law, off, hear, trough, eat, rough, trout, shine, watch, for, out, catch, flight, rain, speech, crab, lion, knot, fixed, slope, reach, trade, light, moon, wash, trend, balm, walk, sew, joke, tribe, brooch

Words with two syllables

Party, special, today, quiet, orange, partner, table, demand, power, retrieve, doctor, engine, diet, transcribe, contain, cabbage, mountain, humour, defend, spatial, special, greedy, exchange, manage, carpet, although, trophy, insist, tremble, balloon, healthy, shower, verbal, business, mortgage, fashion, hover, butcher, magic, broken

Words with three syllables

Fantastic, energy, expensive, wonderful, laughable, badminton, idiot, celery, beautiful, aggression, computer, journalist, horrify, gravity, temptation, dieting, trampoline, industry, financial, distinguished, however, tremendous, justify, inflation, creation, injustice, energise, glittering, tangible, mentalise, laughable, dialect, crustacean, origin

Words with four syllables

Understanding, indecisive, conversation, realistic, moisturising, American, psychology, gregarious, independence, affordable, memorandum, controversial, superior, gymnasium, entrepreneur, traditional, transformation, remembering, establishment, vegetation, affectionate, acupuncture, invertebrate

Words with five syllables

Organisation, uncontrollable, inspirational, misunderstanding, conversational, opinionated, biological, subordination, determination, sensationalist, refrigerator, haberdashery, hospitality, conservatory, procrastination, disobedience, electrifying, consideration, apologetic, particularly, compartmentalise, hypochondria

Words with six syllables

Responsibility, idiosyncratic, discriminatory, invisibility, capitalisation, extraterrestrial, reliability, autobiography, unimaginable, characteristically, superiority, antibacterial, disciplinarian, environmentalist, materialism, biodiversity, criminalisation, imaginatively, disobediently

Words with seven syllables

Industrialisation, multiculturalism, interdisciplinary, radioactivity, unidentifiable, environmentalism, individuality, vegetarianism, unsatisfactorily, electrocardiogram

English Stress Patterns

When thinking about syllables and stress in English, usually we find that one syllable of a word is stressed more than the others. There are always one or more stressed syllables within a word and this special stress placement helps words and sentences develop their own rhythm.

Syllables and stress patterns in English help to create the sounds, pronunciations and rhythms that we hear all around us.

Word Stress in English

We come to recognise these English syllables and stress patterns in conversations in real life interactions and on the radio and television. Using the correct stressed syllables within a word is an important part of speech and understanding.

Pronouncing words with the right word stress will make your language sound more natural to native speakers. Here are some words from the previous lists with the stressed syllable in bold:

Two syllable words stress patterns:

Quiet, party, special, today, orange, partner, table, demand, power, retrieve, engine,  diet, greedy, exchange, manage, carpet, although, relax, comfort

Three syllable words stress patterns:

Fantastic, energy, expensive, aggresion, wonderful, laughable, badminton, celery, temptation, trampoline,  industry, dintinguished, financial, however, tremendous, library

 

Four syllable words stress patterns:

Understanding, indecisive, conversation, realistic, moisturising, American, psychology, independence, entrepreneur, transformation, fascinating, comfortable

Five syllable words stress patterns:

Uncontrollable, inspirational, misunderstanding, conversational, opinionated, biological, alphabetical, subordination, refrigerator, haberdashery, hospitality

Six syllable words stress patterns:

Responsibility, idiosyncratic, invisibility, capitalisation, discriminatory or discriminatory, antibacterial, superiority, autobiography, materialism, biodiversity, criminalisation, imaginatively,

Seven syllable words stress patterns:

Industrialisation, multiculturalism, interdisciplinary, radioactivity, unidentifiable, environmentalism, individuality, vegetarianism, unsatisfactorily, electrocardiogram

Syllables and Stress Patterns in English Speech

Using clear syllables and stress patterns is an important part of speech. The correct word stress in English is crucial for understanding a word quickly and accurately.

Even if you cannot hear a word well and are not familiar with the context, you can often still work out what the word is, simply from listening to which syllable is stressed.

In the same way, if a learner pronounces a word differently from the accepted norm, it can be hard for a native speaker to understand the word. The word or sentence might be grammatically correct, but if they have used the wrong (or an unexpected) stress pattern or the wrong stressed syllables, it could make it unintelligible to a native.

Learning a language is all about communication and being able to make yourself understood. This is why syllables and stress patterns in spoken English are so important.

 

English Word Stress Rules

Here are some general rules about word stress in English:

• Only vowel sounds are stressed (a,e,i,o,u).

• A general rule is that for two syllable words, nouns and adjectives have the stress on the first syllable, but verbs have the stress on the second syllable.

For example: table (noun), special (adjective), demand (verb).

• Words ending in ‘ic’, ‘tion’ or ‘sion’ always place their stress on the penultimate (second to last) syllable. (e.g. supersonic, Atlantic, dedication, attention, transformation, comprehension).

• Words ending in ‘cy’, ‘ty’, ‘gy’ and ‘al’ always place their stress on the third from last syllable. (e.g. accountancy, sincerity, chronology, inspirational, hypothetical).

• Words ending in ‘sm’ with 3 or fewer syllables have their stress on the first syllable (e.g. prism, schism, autism, botulism, sarcasm) unless they are extensions of a stem word. This is often the case with words ending ‘ism’.

• Words ending in ‘ism’ tend to follow the stress rule for the stem word with the ‘ism’ tagged onto the end (e.g. cannibal = cannibalism, expression = expressionism, feminist = feminism, opportunist = opportunism).

• Words ending in ‘sm’ with 4 or more syllables tend to have their stress on the second syllable (e.g. enthusiasm, metabolism).

Words ending in ‘ous’

• Words ending in ‘ous’ with 2 syllables have their stress on the first syllable (e.g. monstrous, pious, anxious, pompous, zealous, conscious, famous, gracious, gorgeous, jealous, joyous).

• English words ending in ‘ous’ with 4 syllables usually have their stress on the second syllable (e.g. gregarious, anonymous, superfluous, androgynous, carnivorous, tempestuous, luxurious, hilarious, continuous, conspicuous). There are some exceptions using different stressed syllables, such as sacrilegious, which stresses the 3rd syllable.

Words ending in ‘ous’ with 3 or more syllables do not always follow a set stress pattern. Here are some common English words with 3 syllables ending in ‘ous’ and their stress placement:

Words ending in ‘ous’ with stress on first syllable

fabulous, frivolous, glamorous, calculus, dubious, envious, scandalous, serious, tenuous, chivalrous, dangerous, furious

Words ending in ‘ous’ with stress on second syllable

enormous, audacious, facetious, disastrous, ficticious, horrendous, contagious, ambitious, courageous

Stress can changing the meaning of a word

Remember, where we place the stress in English can change the meaning of a word. This can lead to some funny misunderstandings – and some frustrating conversations!

Words that have the same spelling but a different pronunciation and meaning are called heteronyms. Here are a few examples of words where the stressed syllable changes the meaning of the word:

• Object

The word ‘object’ is an example of an English word that can change meaning depending on which syllable is stressed. When the word is pronounced ‘object’ (with a stress on the first syllable) the word is a noun meaning an ‘item’, ‘purpose’ or ‘person/thing that is the focus’ of a sentence.

For example:

• • She handed the lady a rectangular object made of metal
  • He was the object of the dog’s affection
  • The ring was an object of high value
  • The object of the interview was to find the best candidate for the job
  • The object was small and shiny – it could have been a diamond ring!

But if the same word is pronounced ‘object‘ (with the stress on the second syllable) the word is now a verb, meaning ‘to disagree with’ something or someone.

For example:

• • They object to his constant lateness
  • The man objected to the size of his neighbour’s new conservatory
  • She strongly objects to being called a liar
  • We object to the buildings being demolished
  • No one objected to the proposal for more traffic lights

• Present

When the word ‘present’ is pronounced ‘present’ (with the stress on the first syllable) the word is a noun meaning ‘a gift’ or an adjective meaning ‘here / not absent’.

For example:

• • She handed him a beautifully wrapped present
  • The book was a present from their grandparents
  • Everyone was present at the meeting

But when the word is pronounced ‘present’ (with the stress on the second syllable) the word is now a verb meaning ‘to introduce’ something or someone, ‘to show’ or ‘to bring to one’s attention’. It can also be used when talking about presenting a TV or radio show (i.e. to be a ‘presenter’).

For example:

• • May I present Charlotte Smith, our new store manager
  • Bruce Forsyth used to present ‘Strictly Come Dancing’
  • I’d like to present my research on the breeding habits of frogs
  • They presented the glittering trophy to the winner
  • She was presented with the Oscar
  • This new situation presents a problem

• Project

Another example of an English word changing meaning depending on where you place the stress is the word ‘project’. This can be the noun when the stressed syllable is at the start – ‘project’ (a task).

For example:

• • They started work on the research project immediately
  • She looked forward to her next project – repainting the house
  • He enjoyed writing restaurant reviews – it was his current passion project

However, this word becomes a verb when the stressed syllables moves to the end – ‘to project‘ (to throw/launch, to protrude, to cause an image to appear on a surface, or to come across/make an impression).

For example:

• • The object was projected into the air at high velocity
  • The film will be projected onto the screen
  • The chimney projects 3 metres from the roof
  • She always projects herself with confidence

Stress patterns in compound words 

Compound words are single words made up of two distinct parts. They are sometimes hyphenated. Here are examples of stress patterns in compound words in English:

• Compound nouns have the stress on the first part: e.g. sugarcane, beetroot, henhouse, tripwire, lighthouse, newspaper, porthole, roundabout, willpower

• Compound adjectives and verbs have the stress on the second part:
  e.g. wholehearted, green-fingered, old-fashioned, to understand, to inform, to short-change, to overtake

English sentence stress 

Once you understand word stress in English, you need to think about sentence stress. This means deciding which words to stress as part of the sentence as a whole. Stressed syllables can create a distinctive, rhythmic pattern within a sentence. This is how English stress patterns are related to the rhythm of English and help create the ‘music’ of a language.

English speakers tend to put stress on the most important words in a sentence in order to draw the listener’s attention to them. The most important words are the words that are necessary for the meaning of the sentence. Sentence stress is just as important as word stress for clarity. For example:

‘The cat sat on the mat while eating its favourite food’

The most important words here are: ‘cat’, ‘mat’, ‘eating’ and ‘food’. Even if you only hear those words, you would still be able to understand what is happening in the sentence simply from hearing which words are stressed.

Clearly, it is the nouns and verbs that are the most important parts of the sentence, as these are the ‘content words’ that help with meaning. Content words are usually stressed.

 

The adjectives, adverbs and conjunctions all add flavour to the sentence, but they are not absolutely necessary to understand the meaning. These ‘helper’ words are usually unstressed.

In our example sentence: ‘The cat sat on the mat while eating its favourite food’, we have already used the word ‘cat’ so we do not need to emphasise the word ‘its’ (or ‘he/she’ if you want to give the cat a gender), because we already know who is eating the food (i.e. the cat).

English word stress within a sentence

Stress patterns affect words and sentences in English.

The stress on a word (the word stress) is the emphasis placed on that word. In the sentence below, “I never said he ate your chocolate”, the stressed word will change the meaning or implication of the sentence:

Stressing the first word ‘I’ implies that I (the speaker) never said it. It might be true or it might not be true – the point is, I never said it – someone else did.

Stressing the second word ‘never’ emphasises that I never said it. There was never an occasion when I said it (whether it is true or not).

Stressing the third word ‘said’ means that I never said it. He might have eaten your chocolate, but I didn’t say it. I might have thought it, but I never said it out loud (I may only have implied it).

Stressing the fourth word ‘he’ means I didn’t say it was him that ate your chocolate, only that someone did.

Stressing the fifth word ‘ate’ means I didn’t say he had eaten it. Perhaps he took it and threw it away or did something else with it.

 

Stressing the sixth word ‘your’ means it wasn’t your chocolate he ate –  it could have been someone else’s chocolate.

Stressing the seventh word ‘chocolate’ emphases that it was not your chocolate he ate – he ate something else belonging to you.

So the sentence stress in English makes all the difference to the meaning of the whole sentence. The stressed word in the sentence is the one we should pay the most attention to.

Stress placement affects the whole understanding of the English language. This issue is strongly related to the rhythm of English. Getting the right word stress, sentence stress and rhythm leads to the perfect communication of your intended message.

Stressed Vowel Sounds and Weak Vowels in English

The necessary words in an English sentence are stressed more by increasing the length and clarity of the vowel sound.

In contrast, the unnecessary words are stressed less by using a shorter and less clear vowel sound. This is called a ‘weak’ vowel sound.

In fact, sometimes the vowel sound is almost inaudible. For example, the letter ‘a’ in English is often reduced to a muffled ‘uh’ sound. Grammarians call this a ‘shwa’ or /ə/.

You can hear this ‘weak’ vowel sound at the start of the words ‘about’ and ‘attack’ and at the end of the word ‘banana’. They can sound like ‘ubout’, ‘uttack’ and ‘bananuh’ when spoken by a native English speaker. The article ‘a’ as a single word is also unstressed and reduced in this way to a weak ‘uh’ sound.

 

For example: ‘Is there a shop nearby?’ sounds like ‘Is there-uh shop nearby?’ This shwa can also be heard in other instances, such as in the word ‘and’ when it is used in a sentence. For example: ‘This book is for me and you’ can sound sound like ‘This book is for me un(d) you’.

The reason for this weak stress pattern in English is to help the rhythm and speed of speech. Using this weak ‘uh’ sound for the vowel ‘a’ helps the speaker get ready for the next stressed syllable by keeping the mouth and lips in a neutral position.

To pronounce the ‘a’ more clearly would require a greater opening of the mouth, which would slow the speaker down.

As English is a stress-timed language, the regular stresses are vital for the rhythm of the language, so the vowel sounds of unstressed words in English often get ‘lost’.

In contrast, syllable-timed languages (such as Spanish) tend to work in the opposite way, stressing the vowel sounds strongly, while the consonants get ‘lost’.

Click on the highlighted text to learn more about how English word stress and sentence stress relates to the rhythm of English and intonation in English.

 

What do you think about syllables and stress in English?

Do you find the syllables and stress patterns a difficult part of learning a new language?

Have you had any funny misunderstandings from stressing the wrong syllable in English? We’d love to hear your stories!

Are there any English words or sentences with odd stressed syllables or difficult stress patterns that you would like advice on?

Can you think of good way to remember or practise correct English word stress and sentence stress?

Do you have any ideas to help EFL students improve their understanding of syllables and stress?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments box.

 

What is word stress?

Word stress, also called lexical stress, is the emphasis a speaker places on a specific syllable in a multi-syllable word.

Word stress is especially hard for non-native speakers to master. While there are a few conventions and general rules governing which syllable is stressed in a word based on its spelling alone, these conventions are often unreliable.

Before we look at these conventions and their exceptions, let’s discuss how we can indicate syllables and word stress in writing.

Indicating syllables in writing

In this section, we’ll be using different symbols to indicate syllable division in words. For the normal spelling of words, we’ll be using a symbol known as an interpunct ( · ) (also called a midpoint, middle dot, or centered dot). For example, the word application would appear as app·li·ca·tion.

When the pronunciation of a word is transcribed using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), there are three different symbols we use. For syllables that receive the primary stress, we use a short vertical line above and immediately before the syllable being emphasized ( ˈ ); for secondary stress, we use the same vertical line, but it appears below and before the syllable ( ˌ ); and, while this guide usually does not mark them in IPA transcriptions, we will indicate unstressed syllables in this section with periods. Using application as an example again, its pronunciation would be transcribed in IPA as /ˌæp.lɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/.

Written syllables vs. spoken syllables

The syllable breakdowns in the written “dictionary” form of words are often divided slightly differently compared to the phonetic “spoken” form used in IPA transcriptions.

Specifically, the written form divides syllables according to established syllable “types,” based on spelling patterns such as double consonants, short vowels contained within two consonants, and vowel digraphs. The spoken form, on the other hand, divides syllables according to the phonetic pronunciation of the word, and the difference between these two can sometime lead to syllable breakdowns that don’t look like they correspond to one another. For example, the word learning is divided in the dictionary as learn·ing, but it is divided as /ˈlɜr.nɪŋ/ in IPA transcription—the placement of the first N is not the same.

Because this part of the guide is more concerned with the phonetic placement of word stress rather than the technical breakdown of syllables (as found in dictionary entries), the examples we use will try to match the written form as closely as possible to the spoken form. Looking at the learning example again, we would divide the syllables as lear·ning to match its IPA transcription. Just be aware that these will often be slightly different to what one may find in a dictionary. For more technical information on how syllables are formed and divided within words, check out the chapter on Syllables.

Primary vs. secondary stress

Every word has one syllable that receives a primary stress—that is, it is vocally emphasized more than any other syllable. Some longer words also have a secondary stress, which is more emphatic than the unstressed syllables but not as strong as the primary stress. (Some words can even have more than one secondary stress.)

Let’s look at some examples, with the primary stress in bold and the secondary stress in italics:

• ab·sen·tee (/ˌæb.sənˈti/)
• cem·e·ter·y (/ˈsɛm.ɪˌtɛr.i/)
• dis·be·lief (/ˌdɪs.bɪˈlif/)
• in·for·ma·tion (/ˌɪn fərˈmeɪ ʃən/)
• labo·ra·tor·y (/ˈlæb.rəˌtɔr.i/; the initial O is usually silent)
• mil·i·tar·y (/ˈmɪl.ɪˌtɛr.i/)
• or·din·ar·y (/ˈɔr.dənˌɛr.i/)
• sec·re·tar·y (/ˈsɛk.rɪˌtɛr.i/)
• tem·po·rar·y (/ˈtɛm.pəˌrɛr.i/)
• un·a·pol·o·get·ic (/ˌʌn.əˌpɑl.əˈʤɛt.ɪk/)

Unfortunately, secondary stress is extremely unpredictable. Primary stress, on the other hand, can often be predicted according to a few different conventions.

Determining word stress

There are only two consistent, reliable rules about word stress in English:

• 1. Only the vowel sound within a syllable is stressed; stress is not applied to consonant sounds.

• 2. Any given word, even one with many syllables, will only have one syllable that receives the primary stress in speech. Some longer words also receive a secondary stress, which we’ll look at more closely further on. (By definition, single-syllable words only ever have a single stress, though certain function words can be unstressed altogether, which we’ll discuss later.)

However, determining which syllable is emphasized in a given word is not always straightforward, as a word’s spelling is usually not enough on its own to let us know the appropriate stress. There are a few general conventions that can help make this easier to determine, but there are many exceptions and anomalies for each.

Determining stress based on word type

One common pronunciation convention many guides provide is that nouns and adjectives with two or more syllables will have stress placed on the first syllable, while verbs and prepositions tend to have their stress on the second syllable. While there are many examples that support this convention, it is also very problematic because there are many exceptions that contradict it.

Let’s look at some examples that support or contradict this convention.

Nouns and adjectives will have stress on the first syllable

Nouns

Adjectives

app·le (/ˈæp.əl/) bott·le (/ˈbɑt.əl/) busi·ness (/ˈbɪz.nɪs/; the I is silent) cherr·y (/ˈʧɛr.i/) cli·mate (/ˈklaɪ.mɪt/) crit·ic (/ˈkrɪt.ɪk/) dia·mond (/ˈdaɪ.mənd/) el·e·phant (/ˈɛl.ə.fənt/) en·ve·lope (/ˈɛnvəˌloʊp/) fam·i·ly (/ˈfæm.ə.li/) In·ter·net (/ˈɪn.tərˌnɛt/) knowl·edge (/ˈnɑl.ɪʤ/) mu·sic (/ˈmju.zɪk/) pa·per (/ˈpeɪ.pər/) sam·ple (/ˈsæm.pəl/) satch·el (/ˈsætʃ.əl/) ta·ble (/ˈteɪ.bəl/) tel·e·phone (/ˈtɛl.əˌfoʊn /) ton·ic (/ˈtɑn.ɪk/) win·dow (/ˈwɪn.doʊ/)

clev·er (/ˈklɛv.ər/) comm·on (/ˈkɑm.ən/) diff·i·cult (/ˈdɪf.ɪˌkʌlt/) fa·vor·ite (/ˈfeɪ.vər.ɪt/) fem·i·nine (/ˈfɛm.ə.nɪn/) funn·y (/ˈfʌn.i/) happ·y (/ˈhæp.i/) hon·est (/ɑn.ɪst/) litt·le (/ˈlɪt.əl/) mas·cu·line (/ˈmæs.kju.lɪn/) narr·ow (/ˈnær.oʊ/) or·ange (/ˈɔr.ɪnʤ/) pleas·ant (/ˈplɛz.ənt/) pre·tty (/ˈprɪ.ti/) pur·ple (/ˈpɜr.pəl/) qui·et (/ˈkwaɪ.ət/) sim·ple (/ˈsɪm.pəl/) sub·tle (/ˈsʌt.əl/) trick·y (/ˈtrɪk.i/) ug·ly (/ˈʌg.li/)

As we said already, though, there are many exceptions to this convention for both nouns and adjectives. Let’s look at some examples:

Nouns	Adjectives
ba·na·na (/bə.ˈnæ.na/) ca·nal (/kə.ˈnæl/) com·put·er (/kəm.ˈpju.tər/) de·fence (/dɪ.ˈfɛns/) des·sert (/dɪ.ˈzɜrt/) di·sease (/dɪ.ˈziz/) ex·tent (/ɪk.ˈstɛnt/) ho·tel (/hoʊ.ˈtɛl/) ma·chine (/mə.ˈʃin/) pi·a·no (/pi.ˈæ.noʊ/) po·ta·to (/pə.ˈteɪˌtoʊ/) re·ceipt (/rɪ.ˈsit/) re·venge (/rɪ.ˈvɛnʤ/) suc·cess (/sɪk.ˈsɛs/)	a·live (/ə.ˈlaɪv/) a·noth·er (/əˈnʌð.ər/) com·plete (/kəm.ˈplit/) dis·tinct (/dɪsˈtinkt/) e·nough (/ɪ.ˈnʌf/) ex·pen·sive (/ɪk.ˈspɛn.sɪv/) ex·tinct (/ɪk.ˈtiŋkt/) i·ni·tial (/ɪ.ˈnɪ.ʃəl/) in·tense (/ɪn.ˈtɛns/) po·lite (/pəˈlaɪt/) re·pet·i·tive (/rɪ.ˈpɛt.ɪ.tɪv/) un·think·a·ble (/ʌnˈθɪŋk.ə.bəl/)

Verbs and prepositions will have stress on the second syllable

Verbs	Prepositions
a·pply (/əˈplaɪ/) be·come (/bɪˈkʌm/) com·pare (/kəmˈpɛr/) di·scuss (/dɪˈskʌs/) ex·plain (/ɪkˈspleɪn/) ful·fil (/fʊlˈfɪl/) in·crease (/ɪnˈkris/) ha·rass (/həˈræs/) la·ment (/ləˈmɛnt/) ne·glect (/nɪˈglɛkt/) pre·vent (/prɪˈvɛnt/) qua·dru·ple (/kwɑˈdru.pəl/) re·ply (/rɪˈplaɪ/) suc·ceed (/səkˈsid/) tra·verse (/trəˈvɜrs/) un·furl (/ʌnˈfɜrl/) with·hold (/wɪθˈhoʊld/)	a·bout (/əˈbaʊt/) a·cross (/əˈkrɔs/) a·long (/əˈlɔŋ/) a·mong (/əˈmʌŋ/) a·round (/əˈraʊnd/) be·hind (/bɪˈhaɪnd/) be·low (/bɪˈloʊ/) be·side (/bɪˈsaɪd/) be·tween (/bɪˈtwin/) de·spite (/dɪˈspaɪt/) ex·cept (/ɪkˈsɛpt/) in·side (/ˌɪnˈsaɪd/) out·side (/ˌaʊtˈsaɪd/) un·til (/ʌnˈtɪl/) u·pon (/əˈpɑn/) with·in (/wɪðˈɪn/) with·out (/wɪðˈaʊt/)

As with nouns and adjectives, there are a huge number of exceptions that have primary stress placed on the first or third syllable. In fact, almost every verb beginning with G, H, J, K, L, and M has its primary stress placed on the first syllable, rather than the second.

Let’s look at a few examples:

Verbs

Prepositions

ar·gue (/ˈɑr.gju/) beck·on (/ˈbɛk.ən/) can·cel (/ˈkæn.səl/) dom·i·nate (/ˈdɑm.əˌneɪt/) en·ter·tain (/ˌɛn.tərˈteɪn/) fas·ten (/ˈfæs.ən/) gam·ble (/ˈgæm.bəl/) hin·der (/ˈhɪn.dər/) i·so·late (/ˈaɪ.səˌleɪt/) jin·gle (/ˈʤɪŋ.gəl/) kin·dle (/ˈkɪn.dəl/) leng·then (/ˈlɛŋk.θən/) man·age (/ˈmæn.ɪʤ/) nour·ish (/ˈnɜr.ɪʃ/) or·ga·nize (/ˈɔr.gəˌnaɪz/) per·ish (/ˈpɛr.ɪʃ/) qua·ver (/ˈkweɪ.vər/) ram·ble (/ˈræm.bəl/) sa·vor (/ˈseɪ.vər/) threat·en (/ˈθrɛt.ən/) un·der·stand (/ˌʌn.dərˈstænd/) van·ish (/ˈvæn.ɪʃ/) wan·der (/ˈwɑn.dər/) yo·del (/ˈjoʊd.əl/)

af·ter (/ˈæf.tər/) dur·ing (/ˈdʊr.ɪŋ/) in·to (/ˈɪn.tu/) on·to (/ˈɑn.tu/) un·der (/ˈʌn.dər/)

Initial-stress-derived nouns

As we saw previously, we commonly place stress on the first syllable of a noun. When a word can operate as either a noun or a verb, we often differentiate the meanings by shifting the stress from the second syllable to the first (or initial) syllable—in other words, these nouns are derived from verbs according to their initial stress.

Let’s look at a few examples of such words that change in pronunciation when functioning as nouns or verbs:

Word	Noun	Verb
contest	con·test (/ˈkɑn.tɛst/) Meaning: “a game, competition, or struggle for victory, superiority, a prize, etc.”	con·test (/kənˈtɛst/) Meaning: “to dispute, contend with, call into question, or fight against”
desert	des·ert (/ˈdɛz.ərt/) Meaning: “a place where few things can grow or live, especially due to an absence of water”	de·sert (/dɪˈzɜrt/) Meaning: “to abandon, forsake, or run away from”
increase	in·crease (/ˈɪn.kris/) Meaning: “the act or process of growing larger or becoming greater”	in·crease (/ɪnˈkris/) Meaning: “to grow larger or become greater (in size, amount, strength, etc.)”
object	ob·ject (/ˈɑb.ʤɛkt/) Meaning: “any material thing that is visible or tangible”	ob·ject (/əbˈʤɛkt/) Meaning: “to present an argument in opposition (to something)”
permit	per·mit (/ˈpɜr.mɪt/) Meaning: “an authoritative or official certificate of permission; license”	per·mit (/pərˈmɪt/) Meaning: «to allow to do something»
present	pres·ent (/ˈprɛz.ənt/) Meaning: “the time occurring at this instant” or “a gift”	pre·sent (/prɪˈzɛnt/) Meaning: “to give, introduce, offer, or furnish”
project	proj·ect (/ˈprɑʤ.ɛkt/) Meaning: “a particular plan, task, assignment, or undertaking”	pro·ject (/prəˈʤɛkt/) Meaning: “to estimate, plan, or calculate” or “to throw or thrust forward”
rebel	reb·el (/ˈrɛb.əl/) Meaning: “a person who revolts against a government or other authority”	re·bel (/rɪˈbɛl/) Meaning: “to revolt or act in defiance of authority”
record	rec·ord (/ˈrɛk.ərd/) Meaning: “information or knowledge preserved in writing or the like” or “something on which sound or images have been recorded for subsequent reproduction”	re·cord (/rəˈkɔrd/) Meaning: “to set down in writing or the like”
refuse	ref·use (/ˈrɛf.juz/) Meaning: “something discarded or thrown away as trash”	re·fuse (/rɪˈfjuz/) Meaning: “to decline or express unwillingness to do something”
subject	sub·ject (/ˈsʌb.ʤɛkt/) Meaning: “that which is the focus of a thought, discussion, lesson, investigation, etc.”	sub·ject (/səbˈʤɛkt/) Meaning: “to bring under control, domination, authority”

Although this pattern is very common in English, it is by no means a rule; there are just as many words that function as both nouns and verbs but that have no difference in pronunciation. For instance:

Word	Noun	Verb
amount	a·mount (/əˈmaʊnt/)	a·mount (/əˈmaʊnt/)
answer	an·swer (/ˈæn.sər/)	an·swer (/ˈæn.sər/)
attack	a·ttack (/əˈtæk/)	a·ttack (/əˈtæk/)
challenge	chall·enge (/ˈtʃæl.ɪnʤ/)	chall·enge (/ˈtʃæl.ɪnʤ/)
contact	con·tact (/ˈkɑn.tækt/)	con·tact (/ˈkɑn.tækt/)
control	con·trol (/kənˈtroʊl/)	con·trol (/kənˈtroʊl/)
forecast	fore·cast (/ˈfɔrˌkæst/)	fore·cast (/ˈfɔrˌkæst/)
monitor	mon·i·tor (/ˈmɑn.ɪ.tər/)	mon·i·tor (/ˈmɑn.ɪ.tər/)
pepper	pep·per (/ˈpɛp.ər/)	pep·per (/ˈpɛp.ər/)
report	re·port (/rɪˈpɔrt/)	re·port (/rɪˈpɔrt/)
respect	re·spect (/rɪˈspɛkt/)	re·spect (/rɪˈspɛkt/)
support	su·pport (/səˈpɔrt/)	su·pport (/səˈpɔrt/)
witness	wit·ness (/ˈwɪt.nɪs/)	wit·ness (/ˈwɪt.nɪs/)
worry	worr·y (/ˈwɜr.i/)	worr·y (/ˈwɜr.i/)

Word stress in compound words

Compound nouns and compound verbs typically create pronunciation patterns that help us determine which of their syllables will have the primary stress. Compound adjectives, on the other hand, are most often pronounced as two separate words, with each receiving its own primary stress, so we won’t be looking at them here.

We’ll also briefly look at reflexive pronouns. Although these aren’t technically compounds, they have a similarly predictable stress pattern.

Compound nouns

A compound noun is a noun consisting of two or more words working together as a single unit to name a person, place, or thing. Compound nouns are usually made up of two nouns or an adjective and a noun, but other combinations are also possible, as well.

In single-word compound nouns, whether they are conjoined by a hyphen or are simply one word, stress is almost always placed on the first syllable. For example:

• back·pack (/ˈbækˌpæk/)
• bath·room (/ˈbæθˌrum/)
• draw·back (/ˈdrɔˌbæk/)
• check-in (/ˈtʃɛkˌɪn/)
• foot·ball (/ˈfʊtˌbɔl/)
• hand·bag (/ˈhændˌbæɡ/)
• green·house (/ˈgrinˌhaʊs/)
• hair·cut (/ˈhɛrˌkʌt/)
• log·in (/ˈsʌn.ɪnˌlɔ/)
• mo·tor·cy·cle (/ˈmoʊ.tərˌsaɪ kəl/)
• on·look·er (/ˈɑnˌlʊkər/)
• pas·ser·by (/ˈpæs.ərˌbaɪ/)
• son-in-law (/ˈsʌn.ɪnˌlɔ/)
• ta·ble·cloth (/ˈteɪ.bəlˌklɔθ/)
• wall·pa·per (/ˈwɔlˌpeɪ.pər/)
• web·site (/ˈwɛbˌsaɪt/)

One notable exception to this convention is the word af·ter·noon, which has its primary stress on the third syllable: /ˌæf.tərˈnun/.

Single-word compound verbs

The term “compound verb” can refer to a few different things: phrasal verbs, which consist of a verb paired with a specific preposition or particle to create a new, unique meaning; prepositional verbs, in which a preposition connects a noun to a verb; combinations with auxiliary verbs, which form tense and aspect; and single-word compounds, in which a verb is combined with a noun, preposition, or another verb to create a new word. For the first three types of compound verbs, each word is stressed individually, but single-word compounds have a unique pronunciation pattern that we can predict.

For most single-word compound verbs, stress will be on the first syllable. However, if the first element of the compound is a two-syllable preposition, stress will be placed on the second element. For example:

• air-con·dit·ion (/ˈeɪr.kənˌdɪʃ.ən/)
• ba·by·sit (/ˈbeɪ.biˌsɪt/)
• cop·y·ed·it (/ˈkɑ.piˌɛd.ɪt/)
• day·dream (/ˈdeɪˌdrim/)
• down·load (/ˈdaʊnˌloʊd/)
• ice-skate (/ˈaɪsˌskeɪt/)
• jay·walk (/ˈʤeɪˌwɔk/)
• kick-start (/ˈkɪkˌstɑrt/)
• o·ver·heat (/ˌoʊ.vərˈhit/)
• proof·read (/ˈprufˌrid/)
• stir-fry (/ˈstɜrˌfraɪ/)
• test-drive (/ˈtɛstˌdraɪv/)
• un·der·cook (/ˌʌndərˈkʊk/)
• wa·ter·proof (/ˈwɔ.tərˌpruf/)

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are not technically compounds (“-self” and “-selves” are suffixes that attach to a base pronoun), but they look and behave similarly. In these words, -self/-selves receives the primary stress.

• my·self (/maɪˈsɛlf/)
• her·self (/hərˈsɛlf/)
• him·self (/hɪmˈsɛlf/)
• it·self (/ɪtˈsɛlf/)
• one·self (/wʌnˈsɛlf/)
• your·self (/jərˈsɛlf/)
• your·selves (/jərˈsɛlvz/)
• them·selves (/ðəmˈsɛlvz/)

Word stress dictated by suffixes

While the stress in many words is very difficult to predict, certain suffixes and other word endings will reliably dictate where stress should be applied within the word. This can be especially useful for determining the pronunciation of longer words. (There are still some exceptions, but much fewer than for the other conventions we’ve seen.)

For the suffixes we’ll look at, primary stress is either placed on the suffix itself, one syllable before the suffix, or two syllables before the suffix. Finally, we’ll look at some suffixes that don’t affect a word’s pronunciation at all.

Stress is placed on the suffix itself

“-ee,” “-eer,” and “-ese”

These three suffixes all sound similar, but they have different functions: “-ee” indicates someone who benefits from or is the recipient of the action of a verb; “-eer” indicates someone who is concerned with or engaged in a certain action; and “-ese” is attached to place names to describe languages, characteristics of certain nationalities, or (when attached to non-place names) traits or styles of particular fields or professions.

For example:

-ee	-eer	-ese
ab·sen·tee (/ˌæbsənˈti/) a·tten·dee (/əˌtɛnˈdi/) de·tai·nee (/dɪˈteɪˈni/) in·ter·view·ee (/ɪnˌtər.vyuˈi/) li·cen·see (/ˌlaɪ.sənˈsi/) mort·ga·gee (/ˌmɔr.gəˈʤi/) pa·ro·lee (/pə.roʊˈli/) ref·e·ree (/ˌrɛf.əˈri/) ref·u·gee (/ˌrɛf.jʊˈʤi/) trai·nee (/treɪˈni/) warr·an·tee (/ˌwɔr.ənˈti/)	auc·tio·neer (/ˌɔk.ʃəˈnɪər/) com·man·deer (/ˌkɑ.mənˈdɪər/) dom·i·neer (/ˌdɑm.ɪˈnɪər/) en·gi·neer (/ˌɛn.ʤɪˈnɪər/) moun·tai·neer (/ˌmaʊn.tɪˈnɪər/) prof·i·teer (/ˌprɑf.ɪˈtɪər/) pupp·e·teer (/ˌpʌp.ɪˈtɪər/) rack·e·teer (/ˌræk.ɪˈtɪər/) vol·un·teer (/ˌvɑl.ɪnˈtɪər/)	Chi·nese (/tʃaɪˈniz/) Jap·a·nese (/ˌʤæp.əˈniz/) jour·na·lese (/ˌʤɜr.nəˈliz/) Leb·a·nese (/ˌlɛb.əˈniz/) le·ga·lese (/ˌli.gəˈliz/) Mal·tese (/ˌmɔlˈtiz/) Por·tu·guese (/ˌpɔr.tʃəˈgiz/) Si·a·mese (/ˌsaɪ.əˈmiz/) Tai·wa·nese (/ˌtaɪ.wɑˈniz/) Vi·et·na·mese (/viˌɛt.nɑˈmiz/)

(The word employee usually follows this same pattern, but it is one of a few words that has its primary stress on different syllables depending on dialect and personal preference.)

Some other words that feature the “-ee” ending also follow the same pattern, even though they are not formed from another base word. For instance:

• chim·pan·zee (/ˌtʃɪm.pænˈzi/)
• guar·an·tee (/ˌgær.ənˈti/)
• jam·bo·ree (/ˌʤæm.bəˈri/)
• ru·pee (/ru.ˈpi/)

Be careful, though, because other words don’t follow the pattern. For example:

• ap·o·gee (/ˈæp.əˌʤi/)
• co·ffee (/ˈkɔ.fi/)
• co·mmit·tee (/kəˈmɪt.i/)
• kedg·e·ree (/ˈkɛʤ.əˌri/)
• te·pee (/ˈti.pi/)

“-ology”

This suffix is used to denote fields of scientific study or discourse; sets of ideas, beliefs, or principles; or bodies of texts or writings. Primary stress is placed on the syllable in which “-ol-” appears. For example:

• a·strol·o·gy (/əˈstrɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• bi·ol·o·gy (/baɪˈɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• car·di·ol·o·gy (/ˌkɑr.diˈɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• e·col·o·gy (/ɪˈkɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• ge·ol·o·gy (/ʤiˈɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• i·de·ol·o·gy (/ˌaɪ.diˈɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• lex·i·col·o·gy (/ˌlɛk.sɪˈkɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• meth·o ·dol·o·gy (/ˌmɛθ.əˈdɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• neu·rol·o·gy (/nʊˈrɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• psy·chol·o·gy (/saɪˈkɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• ra·di·ol·o·gy (/reɪ.diˈɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• so·ci·ol·o·gy (/ˌsoʊ.siˈɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• tech·nol·o·gy (/tɛkˈnɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• u·rol·o·gy (/jʊˈrɑl.ə.ʤi/)
• zo·ol·o·gy (/zuˈɑl.ə.ʤi/)

“-osis”

This suffix is used to form the names of diseases, conditions, and other medical processes. Stress is placed on the syllable in which “-o-” appears

• ac·i·do·sis (/ˌæs.ɪˈdoʊ.sɪs/)
• cir·rho·sis (/sɪˈroʊ.sɪs/)
• di·ag·no·sis (/ˌdaɪ.əgˈnoʊ.sɪs/)
• en·do·me·tri·o·sis (/ˌɛn.doʊˌmi.triˈoʊ.sɪs/)
• fib·ro·sis (/faɪˈbroʊ.sɪs/)
• hyp·no·sis (/hɪpˈnoʊ.sɪs/)
• mi·to·sis (/maɪˈtoʊ.sɪs/)
• ne·cro·sis (/nəˈkroʊ.sɪs/)
• os·te·o·po·ro·sis (/ˌɑs.ti.oʊ.pəˈroʊ.sɪs/)
• prog·no·sis (/prɑgˈnoʊ.sɪs/)
• sym·bi·o·sis (/ˌsɪm.biˈoʊ.sɪs/)
• tu·ber·cu·lo·sis (/tʊˌbɜr.kjəˈloʊ.sɪs/)

Stress is placed on syllable immediately before the suffix

“-eous” and -“ious”

These two suffixes are both used to form adjectives meaning “having, characterized by, or full of,” most often attaching to base nouns.

In many cases, the E and I are pronounced individually, but for many other words they are silent, instead serving to mark a change in pronunciation for the previous consonant. For example:

-eous

-ious

ad·van·ta·geous (/ˌæd vənˈteɪ.ʤəs/) boun·te·ous (/ˈbaʊn.ti.əs/) cou·ra·geous (/kəˈreɪ.ʤəs/) dis·cour·te·ous (/dɪsˈkɜr.ti.əs/) ex·tra·ne·ous (/ɪkˈstreɪ.ni.əs/) gas·e·ous (/ˈgæs.i.əs/) hid·e·ous (/ˈhɪd.i.əs/) ig·ne·ous (/ˈɪg.ni.əs/) misc·e·lla·ne·ous (/ˌmɪs.əˈleɪ.ni.əs/) nau·seous (/ˈnɔ.ʃəs/) out·ra·geous (/aʊtˈreɪ.ʤəs/) pit·e·ous (/ˈpɪt.i.əs/) righ·teous (/ˈraɪ.tʃəs/) si·mul·ta·ne·ous (/ˌsaɪ.məlˈteɪ.ni.əs/) vi·tre·ous (/ˈvɪ.tri.əs/)

am·phib·i·ous (/æmˈfɪb.i.əs/) bo·da·cious (/boʊˈdeɪ.ʃəs/) con·ta·gious (/kənˈteɪ.ʤəs/) du·bi·ous (/ˈdu.bi.əs/) ex·pe·diti·ous (/ˌɛk spɪˈdɪʃ.əs/) fa·ce·tious (/fəˈsi.ʃəs/) gre·gar·i·ous (/grɪˈgɛər.i.əs/) hi·lar·i·ous (/hɪˈlɛr.i.əs/) im·per·vi·ous (/ɪmˈpɜr.vi.əs/) ju·dici·ous (/ʤuˈdɪʃ.əs/) la·bor·i·ous (/ləˈbɔr.i.əs/) my·ster·i·ous (/mɪˈstɪr.i əs/) ne·far·i·ous (/nɪˈfɛr.i.əs/) ob·vi·ous (/ˈɑb.vi.əs/) pro·digi·ous (/prəˈdɪʤ.əs/) re·bell·ious (/rɪˈbɛl.jəs/) su·per·sti·tious (/ˌsu.pərˈstɪ.ʃəs/) te·na·cious (/teˈneɪ.ʃəs/) up·roar·i·ous (/ʌpˈrɔr.i.əs/) vi·car·i·ous (/vaɪˈkɛər.i.əs/)

“-ia”

This suffix is used to create nouns, either denoting a disease or a condition or quality.

In most words, the I is pronounced individually. In other words, it becomes silent and indicates a change in the pronunciation of the previous consonant. (In a handful of words, I blends with a previous vowel sound that is stressed before the final A.)

For example:

• ac·a·de·mi·a (/ˌæk.əˈdi.mi.ə/)
• bac·ter·i·a (/bæk.ˈtɪər.i.ə/)
• cat·a·to·ni·a (/ˌkæt.əˈtoʊ.ni.ə/)
• de·men·tia (/dɪˈmɛn.ʃə/)
• en·cy·clo·pe·di·a (/ɛnˌsaɪ.kləˈpi.di.ə/)
• fan·ta·sia (/fænˈteɪ.ʒə/)
• hy·po·ther·mi·a (ˌhaɪ.pəˈθɜr.mi.ə/)
• in·som·ni·a (/ɪnˈsɑm.ni.ə/)
• leu·ke·mi·a (/luˈki.mi.ə/)
• mem·or·a·bil·i·a (/ˌmɛm.ər.əˈbɪl.i.ə/)
• no·stal·gia (/nɑˈstæl.ʤə/)
• par·a·noi·a (/ˌpær.əˈnɔɪ.ə/)
• re·ga·li·a (/rɪˈgeɪ.li.ə/)
• su·bur·bi·a (/səˈbɜr.bi.ə/)
• tri·vi·a (/ˈtrɪ.vi.ə/)
• u·to·pi·a (/juˈtoʊ.pi.ə/)
• xen·o·pho·bi·a (/ˌzɛn.əˈfoʊ.bi.ə/)

“-ial”

The suffix “-ial” is used to form adjectives from nouns, meaning “of, characterized by, connected with, or relating to.” Like “-ia,” I is either pronounced individually or else becomes silent and changes the pronunciation of the previous consonant. For example:

• ad·ver·bi·al (/ædˈvɜr.bi.əl/)
• bac·ter·i·al (/bækˈtɪr.i.əl/)
• con·fi·den·tial (/ˌkɑn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/)
• def·e·ren·tial (/ˌdɛf.əˈrɛn.ʃəl/)
• ed·i·tor·i·al (/ˌɛd.ɪˈtɔr.i.əl/)
• fa·mil·i·al (/fəˈmɪl.jəl/)
• gla·cial (/ˈgleɪ.ʃəl/)
• in·flu·en·tial (/ˌɪn.fluˈɛn.ʃəl/)
• ju·di·cial (/ʤuˈdɪʃ.əl/)
• me·mor· i·al (/məˈmɔr.i.əl/)
• o·ffici·al (/əˈfɪʃ.əl/)
• pro·ver·bi·al (/prəˈvɜr.bi.əl/)
• ref·e·ren·tial (/ˌrɛf.əˈrɛn.ʃəl/)
• su·per·fi·cial (/ˌsu.pərˈfɪʃ.əl/)
• terr·i·tor·i·al (/ˌtɛr.ɪˈtɔr.i.əl/)
• ve·stig·i·al (/vɛˈstɪʤ.i.əl/)

“-ic” and “-ical”

These two suffixes form adjectives from the nouns to which they attach. For both, the primary stress is placed on the syllable immediately before “-ic-.” For example:

-ic

-ical

a·tom·ic (/əˈtɑm.ɪk) bur·eau·crat·ic (/ˌbjʊər.əˈkræt.ɪk) cha·ot·ic (/keɪˈɑt.ɪk/) dem·o·crat·ic (/ˌdɛm.əˈkræt.ɪk/) en·er·get·ic (/ˌɛn.ərˈʤɛt.ɪk/) for·mu·la·ic (/ˌfɔr.mjəˈleɪ.ɪk/) ge·net·ic (/ʤəˈnɛt.ɪk/) hyp·not·ic (/hɪpˈnɑt.ɪk/) i·con·ic (/aɪˈkɑn.ɪk/) ki·net·ic (/kəˈnɛt.ɪk/) la·con·ic (/leɪˈkɑn.ɪk/) mag·net·ic (/mægˈnɛt.ɪk/) no·stal·gic (/nəˈstæl.ʤɪk) opp·or·tu·nis·tic (/ˌɑp.ər.tuˈnɪs.tɪk/) pe·ri·od·ic (/ˌpɪər.iˈɑd.ɪk/) re·a·lis·tic (/ˌri.əˈlɪs.tɪk/) sym·pa·thet·ic (/ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/) ti·tan·ic (taɪˈtæn.ɪk/) ul·tra·son·ic (/ˌʌl.trəsɑn.ɪk/) vol·can·ic (/vɑlˈkæn.ɪk/)

an·a·tom·i·cal (/ˌæn.əˈtɑm.ɪ.kəl) bi·o·log·i·cal (/ˌbaɪ.əˈlɑʤ.ɪ.kəl/) chron·o·log·i·cal (/ˌkrɑn.əˈlɑʤ.ɪ.kəl/) di·a·bol·i·cal (/ˌdaɪ.əˈbɑl.ɪ.kəl/) e·lec·tri·cal (/ɪˈlɛk.trɪ.kəl/) far·ci·cal (/ˈfɑr.sɪ.kəl/) ge·o·graph·i·cal (/ʤi.əˈgræf.ɪ.kəl/) his·tor·i·cal (/hɪˈstɔr.ɪ.kəl/) in·e·ffec·tu·al (/ˌɪn.ɪˈfɛk.tʃu.əl/) lack·a·dai·si·cal (/ˌlæk.əˈdeɪ.zɪ.kəl/) mu·si·cal (/ˈmju.zɪ.kəl/) nau·ti·cal (/ˈnɔ.tɪ.kəl/) op·ti·cal (/ˈɑp.tɪ.kəl/) par·a·dox·i·cal (/pær.əˈdɑks.ɪ.kəl/) psy·cho·an·a·lyt·i·cal (/ˌsaɪ.koʊ.æn.əˈlɪt.ɪ.kəl/) rhe·tor·i·cal (/rɪˈtɔr.ɪ.kəl/) sy·mmet·ri·cal (/sɪˈmɛt.rɪ.kəl/) ty·ran·ni·cal (/tɪˈræn.ɪ.kəl/) um·bil·i·cal (/ʌmˈbɪl.ɪ.kəl/) ver·ti·cal (/ˈvɜr.tɪ.kəl/) whim·si·cal (/ˈwɪm.zɪ.kəl/) zo·o·log·i·cal (ˌzoʊ.əˈlɑʤ.ɪ.kəl/)

While this pattern of pronunciation is very reliable, there are a few words (mostly nouns) ending in “-ic” that go against it:

• a·rith·me·tic* (/əˈrɪθ.mə.tɪk/)
• her·e·tic (/ˈhɛr.ɪ.tɪk/)
• lu·na·tic (/ˈlu.nə.tɪk/)
• pol·i·tics (/ˈpɑl.ɪ.tɪks/)
• rhet·o·ric (/ˈrɛt.ə.rɪk/)

(*This pronunciation is used when arithmetic is a noun. As an adjective, it is pronounced a·rith·me·tic [/ˌæ.rɪθˈmɛ.tɪk/].)

“-ify”

This suffix is used to form verbs, most often from existing nouns or adjectives. While the primary stress is placed immediately before “-i-,” the second syllable of the suffix, “-fy,” also receives a secondary stress. For instance:

• a·cid·i·fy (/əˈsɪd.əˌfaɪ/)
• be·at·i·fy (/biˈæt.əˌfaɪ/)
• class·i·fy (/ˈklæs.əˌfaɪ/)
• dig·ni·fy (/ˈdɪg.nəˌfaɪ/)
• e·lec·tri·fy (/ɪˈlɛk.trəˌfaɪ/)
• fal·si·fy (/ˈfɔlsə.faɪ/)
• horr·i·fy (/ˈhɔr.əˌfaɪ/)
• i·den·ti·fy (/aɪˈdɛn.təˌfaɪ/)
• mag·ni·fy (/ˈmægnəˌfaɪ/)
• no·ti·fy (/ˈnoʊ.təˌfaɪ/)
• ob·jec·ti·fy (/əbˈʤɛk.təˌfaɪ/)
• per·son·i·fy (/pərˈsɑn.əˌfaɪ/)
• rat·i·fy (/ˈræt.əˌfaɪ/)
• so·lid·i·fy (/səˈlɪd.əˌfaɪ/)
• tes·ti·fy (/ˈtɛs.təˌfaɪ/)
• ver·i·fy (/ˈvɛr.əˌfaɪ/)

“-ity”

This suffix is the opposite of “-ic(al)”—that is, it is used to create nouns from adjectives. The I is pronounced in an individual syllable, with the word’s primary stress occurring immediately before it. For instance:

• a·bil·i·ty (/əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/)
• ba·nal·i·ty (/bəˈnæl.ɪ.ti/)
• ce·leb·ri·ty (/səˈlɛb.rɪ.ti/)
• dis·par·i·ty (/dɪˈspær.ɪ.ti/)
• e·qual·i·ty (/əˈkwɑl.ɪ.ti/)
• func·tion·al·i·ty (/ˌfʌŋk.ʃənˈæl.ɪ.tɪ/)
• gen·e·ros·i·ty (/ˌʤɛn.əˈrɑs.ɪ.ti/)
• hu·mid·i·ty (/hjuˈmɪd.ɪ.ti/)
• i·niq·ui·ty (/ɪˈnɪk.wɪ.ti/)
• jo·vi·al·i·ty (/ʤoʊ.vi.ˈæl.ɪ.ti/)
• le·gal·i·ty (/liˈgæl.ɪ.ti/)
• ma·jor·i·ty (/məˈʤoʊr.ɪ.ti/)
• nor·mal·i·ty (/noʊrˈmæl.ɪ.ti/)
• ob·scur·i·ty (/əbˈskʊər.ɪ.ti/)
• prac·ti·cal·i·ty (/præk.tɪˈkæl.ɪ.ti/)
• qual·i·ty (/ˈkwɑl.ɪ.ti/)
• rec·i·proc·i·ty (/ˌrɛs.əˈprɑs.ɪ.ti/)
• scar·ci·ty (/ˈskɛr.sɪ.ti/)
• tech·ni·cal·i·ty (/ˌtɛk.nɪˈkæl.ɪ.ti/)
• u·na·nim·i·ty (/ˌju.nəˈnɪm.ɪ.ti/)
• ve·loc·i·ty (/vəˈlɑs.ɪ.ti/)

“-tion” and “-sion”

These two syllables are used to create nouns, especially from verbs to describe an instance of that action. Depending on the word, the /ʃ/ or /tʃ/ sounds made by “-tion” and the /ʃ/ or /ʒ/ sounds made by “-sion” will be part of the stressed syllable or the final unstressed syllable. For example:

-tion

-sion

au·diti·on (/ɔˈdɪʃ.ən/) bi·sec·tion (/baɪˈsɛk.ʃən/) can·ce·lla·tion (/ˌkæn.sɪˈleɪ.ʃən/) di·screti· on (/dɪˈskrɛʃ.ən/) ex·haus·tion (/ɪgˈzɔs.tʃən/) flo·ta·tion (/floʊˈteɪ.ʃən/) grad·u·a·tion (/ˌgræʤ.uˈeɪ.ʃən/) hos·pi·tal·i·za·tion (/ˌhɑs.pɪ.təl.ɪˈzeɪʃ.ən/) ig·ni·tion (/ɪgˈnɪʃ.ən/) jur·is·dic·tion (/ˌʤʊər.ɪsˈdɪk.ʃən/) lo·co·mo·tion (/ˌloʊ.kəˈmoʊ,ʃən/) mod·i·fi·ca·tion (/ˌmɑd.ə.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/) nom·i·na·tion (/ˌnɑm.əˈneɪ.ʃən/) ob·struc·tion (/əbˈstrʌk.ʃən/) pros·e·cu·tion (/ˌprɑs.ɪˈkyu.ʃən/) re·a·li·za·tion (/ˌri.ə.ləˈzeɪ.ʃən/) se·cre·tion (/sɪˈkri.ʃən/) tra·diti·on (/trəˈdɪʃ.ən/) u·ni·fi·ca·tion (/ˌju.nə.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/) vi·bra·tion (/vaɪˈbreɪ.ʃən/)

a·bra·sion (/əˈbreɪ.ʒən) a·ver·sion (/əˈvɜr.ʒən/) co·llisi·on (/kəˈlɪʒ.ən/) com·pul·sion (/kəmˈpʌl.ʃən/) di·ffu·sion (/dɪˈfju.ʒən/) di·men·sion (/dɪˈmɛn.ʃən/) e·ro·sion (/ɪˈroʊ.ʒən/) fu·sion (/ˈfju.ʒən/) i·llu·sion (/ɪˈlu.ʒən/) in·va·sion (/ɪnˈveɪ.ʒən/) man·sion (/ˈmæn.ʃən/) ob·sessi·on (/əbˈsɛʃ.ən/) o·cca·sion (/əˈkeɪ.ʒən/) per·cussi·on (/pərˈkʌʃ.ən/) pro·pul·sion (/prəˈpʌl.ʃən) re·missi·on (/rɪˈmɪʃ.ən/) sub·ver·sion (/səbˈvɜr.ʒən/) su·spen·sion (/səˈspɛn.ʃən/) trans·fu·sion (/trænsˈfju.ʒən/) ver·sion (/ˈvɜr.ʒən/)

The word television is an exception to this rule, and in most dialects it has the primary stress placed on the first syllable: /ˈtɛl.əˌvɪʒ.ən/.

Stress applied two syllables before the suffix

“-ate”

This suffix is most often used to create verbs, but it can also form adjectives and nouns. In words with three or more syllables, the primary stress is placed two syllables before the suffix. For example:

• ac·cen·tu·ate (/ækˈsɛn.tʃuˌeɪt/))
• bar·bit·ur·ate (/bɑrˈbɪtʃ.ər.ɪt/)
• co·llab·o·rate (/kəˈlæb.əˌreɪt/)
• diff·e·ren·ti·ate (/ˌdɪf.əˈrɛn.ʃiˌeɪt/)
• e·nu.me·rate (/ɪˈnu.məˌreɪt/)
• fa·cil·i·tate (/fəˈsɪl.ɪˌteɪt/)
• ge·stic·u·late (/ʤɛˈstɪk.jəˌleɪt/)
• hu·mil·i·ate (/hjuˈmɪl.iˌeɪt/)
• in·ad·e·quate (/ɪnˈæd.ɪ.kwɪt/)
• le·git·i·mate (/lɪˈʤɪt.əˌmɪt/)
• ma·tric·u·late (/məˈtrɪk.jəˌleɪt/)
• ne·cess·i·tate (/nəˈsɛs.ɪˌteɪt/)
• o·blit·e·rate (/əˈblɪt.əˌreɪt/)
• par·tic·i·pate (/pɑrˈtɪs.ɪ.ɪt/)
• re·frig·er·ate (/rɪˈfrɪʤ.əˌreɪt/)
• stip·u·late (/ˈstɪp.jəˌleɪt/)
• tri·an·gu·late (/traɪˈæŋ.gjə.leɪt/)
• un·for·tu·nate (/ʌnˈfɔr.tʃə.nɪt/)
• ver·te·brate (/ˈvɜr.tə.brɪt/)

“-cy”

This suffix attaches to adjectives or nouns to form nouns referring to “state, condition, or quality,” or “rank or office.” For example:

• a·dja·cen·cy (/əˈʤeɪ.sən.si/)
• a·gen·cy (/ˈeɪ.ʤən.si/)
• bank·rupt·cy (/ˈbæŋk.rʌpt.si/)
• com·pla·cen·cy (/kəmˈpleɪ.sən.si/)
• de·moc·ra·cy (/dɪˈmɑk.rə.si/)
• ex·pec·tan·cy (/ɪkˈspɛk.tən.si/)
• flam·boy·an·cy (/flæmˈbɔɪ.ən.si/)
• fre·quen·cy (/ˈfri.kwən.si/)
• in·sur·gen·cy (/ɪnˈsɜr.ʤən.si/)
• in·fan·cy (/ ˈɪnfən.si/)
• lieu·ten·an·cy (/luˈtɛn.ən.si/)
• ma·lig·nan·cy (/məˈlɪg.nən.si/)
• pro·fici·en·cy (/prəˈfɪʃ.ən.si/)
• re·dun·dan·cy (/rɪˈdʌn.dən.si/)
• su·prem·a·cy (/səˈprɛm.ə.si/)
• trans·par·en·cy (/trænsˈpɛər.ən.si/)
• va·can·cy (/ˈveɪ.kən.si/)

Unlike some of the other suffixes we’ve looked at so far, this one has a number of exceptions. For these, the primary stress is placed three syllables before the suffix:

• ac·cur·a·cy (/ˈæk.jər.ə.si/)
• can·di·da·cy (/ˈkæn.dɪ.də.si/)
• com·pe·ten·cy (/ˈkɑm.pɪ.tən.si/)
• del·i·ca·cy (/ˈdɛl.ɪ.kə.si/)
• ex·trav·a·gan·cy (/ɪkˈstræv.ə.gən.si/)
• im·me·di·a·cy (/ɪˈmi.di.ə.si/)
• in·ti·ma·cy (/ˈɪn.tɪ.mə.sɪ/)
• lit·er·a·cy (/ˈlɪt.ər.ə.sɪ/)
• le·git·i·ma·cy (/lɪˈʤɪt.ə.mə.si/)
• occ·u·pan·cy (/ˈɑk.jə.pən.si/)
• pres·i·den·cy (/ˈprɛz.ɪ.dən.si/)
• rel·e·van·cy (/ˈrɛl.ɪ.vən.si/)
• surr·o·ga·cy (/ˈsɜr.ə.gə.si/)

Unfortunately, there are no patterns in these words to let us know that their primary stress will be in a different place; we just have to memorize them.

“-phy”

This ending is actually a part of other suffixes, most often “-graphy,” but also “-trophy” and “-sophy.” The primary stress in the word will appear immediately before the “-gra-,” “-tro-,” and “-so-” parts of the words. For example:

• a·tro·phy (/ˈæ.trə.fi/)
• bib·li·og·ra·phy (/ˌbɪb.liˈɑg.rə.fi/)
• cal·lig·ra·phy (/kəˈlɪg.rə.fi/)
• dis·cog·ra·phy (/dɪsˈkɑɡ.rə.fi/)
• eth·nog·ra·phy (/ɛθˈnɑg.rə.fi/)
• fil·mog·ra·phy (/fɪlˈmɑɡ.rə.fi/)
• ge·og·ra·phy (/ʤiˈɑɡ.rə.fi/)
• i·co·nog·ra·phy (/ˌaɪ.kəˈnɑg.rə.fi/)
• or·thog·ra·phy (/ɔrˈθɑg.rə.fi/)
• phi·los·o·phy (/fɪˈlɑs.ə.fi/)
• pho·tog·ra·phy (/fəˈtɑg.rə.fi/)
• ra·di·og·ra·phy (/ˌreɪ.dɪˈɑɡ.rə.fɪ/)
• so·nog·ra·phy (/səˈnɑg.rə.fi/)
• the·os·o·phy (/θɪˈɑs.ə.fi/)
• ty·pog·ra·phy (/taɪˈpɑg.rə.fi/)

Suffixes that don’t affect word stress

While many suffixes dictate which syllable is stressed in a word, there are others that usually do not affect the stress of the base word at all. Let’s look at some examples of these (just note that this isn’t an exhaustive list):

“-age”	“-ish”*	“-hood”	“-less”	“-ness”	“-ous”
an·chor·age brok·er·age cov·er·age e·quip·age her·mit·age lev·er·age or·phan·age me·ter·age pa·tron·age sew·er·age vic·ar·age	am·a·teur·ish ba·by·ish car·toon·ish dev·il·ish fe·ver·ish hea·then·ish og·re·ish pur·pl·ish tick·l·ish va·ga·bond·ish yell·ow·ish	a·dult·hood broth·er·hood fath·er·hood like·li·hood moth·er·hood neigh·bor·hood par·ent·hood sis·ter·hood vic·tim·hood wo·man·hood	ar·mor·less bo·di·less col·or·less di·rec·tion·less e·mo·tion·less feath·er·less hu·mor·less lim·it·less mean·ing·less o·dor·less pen·ni·less re·gard·less struc·ture·less tick·et·less vi·bra·tion·less win·dow·less	ad·ven·tur·ous·ness bash·ful·ness com·pet·i·tive·ness de·ceit·ful·ness e·ffec·tive·ness fa·ce·tious·ness glo·ri·ous·ness hid·e·ous·ness il·lust·ri·ous·ness jag·ged·ness king·li·ness li·ti·gious·ness mean·ing·ful·ness nerv·ous·ness o·blique·ness per·sua·sive·ness quea·si·ness re·morse·less·ness sub·ver·sive·ness to·geth·er·ness u·biq·ui·tous·ness venge·ful·ness war·i·ness youth·ful·ness zeal·ous·ness	an·al·o·gous blas·phe·mous can·cer·ous dan·ger·ous fi·brous glam·or·ous li·bel·ous mu·ti·nous o·dor·ous per·il·ous ran·cor·ous scan·dal·ous treach·er·ous val·or·ous

Inflectional suffixes (suffixes that form plurals, change verb tense, create comparative ajectives and adverbs, etc.) do not affect word stress either. Let’s look at a few examples:

• a·maze→a·maz·ing (creates the present participle / gerund)
• blank·et→blank·et·ed (creates the past tense)
• com·pro·mise→com·pro·mis·es (creates the third-person singular form)
• drows·y→drows·i·er (creates the comparative form)
• hap·py→hap·pi·est (creates the superlative form)
• re·sponse→re·spons·es (creates the plural form)

*“-ish” at the end of verbs

The examples of the suffix “-ish” that we looked at previously were all adjectives formed from various parts of speech (usually nouns). However, “-ish” can also appear naturally at the end of verbs—that is, it doesn’t attach to existing base words, but is rather the result of the word’s evolution in English. For these verbs, primary stress always occurs on the syllable immediately before “-ish.” For example:

• a·ston·ish (/əˈstɑn.ɪʃ/)
• bran·dish (/ˈbræn.dɪʃ/)
• cher·ish (/ˈtʃɛr.ɪʃ/)
• de·mol·ish (/dɪˈmɑl.ɪʃ/)
• ex·tin·guish (/ɪkˈstɪŋ.gwɪʃ/)
• fur·nish (/ˈfɜr.nɪʃ/)
• gar·nish (/ˈgɑr.nɪʃ/)
• im·pove·rish (/ɪmˈpɑv.rɪʃ/; the E is silent)
• lan·guish (/ˈlæŋ.gwɪʃ/)
• nour·ish (/ˈnɜr.ɪʃ/)
• pub·lish (/ˈpʌb.lɪʃ/)
• re·plen·ish (/rɪˈplɛn.ɪʃ/)
• tar·nish (/ˈtɑr.nɪʃ/)

Unstressed Words (Function Words)

We discussed earlier how words have at least one primary stress centered around a vowel sound; however, this is not always the case. This is because English consists of two types of words: content words and function words.

Content words (also known as lexical words) communicate a distinct lexical meaning within a particular context—that is, they express the specific content of what we’re talking about at a given time. These include nouns, adjective, adverbs, and most verbs. Content words will always have at least one syllable that is emphasized in a sentence, so if a content word only has a single syllable, it will always be stressed.

Function words (also known as structure words) primarily serve to complete the syntax and grammatical nuance of a sentence. These include pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, articles, determiners, and auxiliary verbs. In contrast to content words, single-syllable function words are commonly (but not always) unstressed in a sentence—since they are not providing lexical meaning integral to the sentence, we often “skip over” them vocally. Take the following sentence:

• “Bobby wants to walk to the playground.”

The particle to, the preposition to, and the definitive article the are all said without (or without much) stress. The content words (Bobby, wants, walk, and playground), on the other hand, each have at least one syllable that is emphasized.

Let’s look at some single-syllable function words that can either be stressed or unstressed in a given sentence:

Function Word	Stressed	Unstressed
a	/eɪ/	/ə/
an	/æn/	/ən/
am	/æm/	/əm/
are	/ɑr/	/ər/
be	/bi/	/bɪ/
can	/kæn/	/kən/
could	/kʊd/	/kəd/
do	/du/	/dʊ/ or /də/
have	/hæv/	/həv/
of	/ʌv/ or /ɑv/	/əv/ or /ə/
or	/ɔr/	/ər/
should	/ʃʊd/	/ʃəd/
the	/ði/	/ðə/ or /ðɪ/
to	/tu/	/tə/
was	/wɑz/	/wəz/
were	/wɜr/	/wər/
would	/wʊd/	/wəd/

Words with multiple pronunciations

It is not uncommon for English words to have more than one pronunciation even when there is no change in meaning, especially between different regional dialects. This difference usually occurs in the pronunciation of certain vowel or consonant sounds, but it can also affect which syllable in the word receives the primary stress.

For example:

Word	Pronunciation 1	Pronunciation 2
address (noun)	a·ddress /əˈdrɛs/	add·ress /ˈæd.rɛs/
adult	a·dult /əˈdʌlt/	ad·ult /ˈæd.ʌlt/
advertisement	ad·ver·tise·ment /ˌæd.vərˈtaɪz.mənt/ (AmE)	ad·ver·tise·ment /ædˈvɜr.tɪz.mənt/ (BrE)
applicable	app·li·ca·ble /ˈæp.lɪ.kə.bəl/	a·ppli·ca·ble /əˈplɪ.kə.bəl/
café	ca·fé /kæˈfeɪ/ (AmE)	ca·fé /ˈkæˈfeɪ/ (BrE)
Caribbean	Car·i·bbe·an /ˌkær.əˈbi.ən/	Ca·ribb·e·an /kəˈrɪb.i.ən/
chauffeur	chau·ffeur /ˈʃoʊ.fər/	chau·ffeur /ʃoʊˈfɜr/
composite	com·pos·ite /kəmˈpɑz.ɪt/ (AmE)	com·pos·ite /ˈkɑm.pəz.ɪt/ (BrE)
controversy	con·tro·ver·sy /ˈkɑn.trəˌvɜr.si/	con·trov·er·sy /kənˈtrɑv.er.si/ (BrE)
employee	em·ploy·ee /ɛmˈplɔɪ.i/	em·ploy·ee /ɛm.plɔɪˈi/
fiancé(e)	fi·an·cé(e) /ˌfi.ɑnˈseɪ/	fi·an·cé(e) /fiˈɑn.seɪ/
garage	ga·rage /gəˈrɑʒ/ (AmE)	gar·age /ˈgær.ɑʒ/ (BrE)
kilometer	ki·lom·e·ter /kɪˈlɑm.ɪ.tər/	kil·o·me·ter /ˈkɪl.əˌmi.tər/
lingerie	lin·ge·rie /ˌlɑn.ʒəˈreɪ/ (AmE)	lin·ge·rie /ˈlæn.ʒə.ri/ (BrE)
preferable	pref·er·a·ble /ˈprɛf.ər.ə.bəl/	pre·fer·a·ble /prɪˈfɜr.ər.ə.bəl/
transference	trans·fer·ence /trænsˈfɜr.əns/	trans·fer·ence /ˈtræns.fər.əns/

Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict when a word will have different stress patterns, as they are often the result of variations in regional dialects, rather than the origin of the words themselves. If you hear someone pronounce a word with an intonation you haven’t heard before, check a reliable dictionary to see what is the most common pronunciation.