Stress
Stress in Simple Words:
One-Syllable Words:
If they are pronounced in isolation, they are said with primary stress.
Two-Syllable Words:
A. Verbs:
• The second syllable of the verb is stressed if it contains a long vowel or a diphthong or if it ends with more than one consonant:
pursuit /pejsu:t/
arrive /ejraiv/
attract /e'trukt/
assist /ejsist/
• The first syllable is stressed if the final syllable contains a short vowel with or without a final consonant:
enter /jente/
open /jeqpen/
equal /ji:kwel/
• The first syllable is stressed if the final syllable contains /eq/:
follow /jfmleq/
borrow /jbmreq/
B. Adjectives:
• Two-syllable adjectives are stressed according to the same rule of two-syllable verbs:
divine /dijvain/
correct /kejrekt/
lovely /jlrvli/
even /ji:ven/
hollow /jhmleq/
C. Nouns:
• The first syllable of the noun is stressed if the second syllable contains a short vowel.
money /jmrni/
product /jprmdrkt/
larynx /jluriŋks/
• The second syllable is stressed if it does not contain a short vowel.
estate /ijsteit/
balloon /bejlu:n/
design /dijzain/
Three-Syllable Words:
A. Verbs:
• The middle syllable is stressed if the last syllable contains a short vowel and ends with only one consonant:
determine /dijto:min/
encounter /iŋjkaqnte/
• The final syllable is stressed if it contains a long vowel or a diphthong, or if it ends with more than one consonants:
entertain /entejtein/
resurrect /rezejrekt/
B. Nouns:
• The middle syllable is stressed if it contains a long vowel or a diphthong:
disaster /dijzg:ste/
potato /pejteiteq/
• The first syllable is stressed if the final and the middle syllables contain a short vowel:
quantity /jkwmntiti/
cinema /jsinime/
C. Adjectives:
• The first syllable is always stressed in three-syllable adjectives:
opportune /jmpetju:n/
derelict /jderilikt/
insolent /jinslent/
anthropoid /junhrepnid/
COMPLEX WORDS
Complex words are of two major types: words made from a basic stem word with the addition of an affix, and compound words, which are made of two (or occasionally more) independent English words (e.g. ‘ice-cream’, ‘armchair’).
We will look first at the words made with affixes; these will be called affix words. Affixes are of two sorts in English: prefixes, which come before the stem (e.g. prefix ‘un- + stem ‘pleasant’ = ‘unpleasant’) and suffixes, which come after the stem (e.g. stem ‘good’ + suffix ‘-ness’ = ‘goodness’).
Affixes will have one of three possible effects on word stress:
1. The affix itself receives the primary stress:
• ‘semi-’ + ‘circle’ /jso:kl/ ‘semicircle’ /jsemiso:kl/
• ‘person’/jpo:sn/ + ‘-ality’ ‘personality’ /po:sjnuliti/
2. The word is stressed just as if the affix was not there
• ‘pleasant’ /jpleznt/ ‘unpleasant’ /rnjpleznt/
• ‘market’ /jmg:kit/ ‘marketing’ /jmg:kitiŋ/
3. The stress remains on the stern, not the affix, but is shifted to a different syllable:
• ‘magnet /jmugnet/ ‘magnetic’ /mugjnetik/
الرئيسية 
