ENGL3 - Oral

Communication

Prepared by:Mr. Rodel Bryan C. Valdez

photographphotographer photographic

How do you utter these words?

Word No. of Syllables

Location of Stress

Photograph 3 1st syllable

Photographer

4 2nd syllable

Photographic

4 3rd syllable

They do not sound the same!

It is the relative force or prominence given to a syllable or a word.

We have three levels of stress:a. strong / ‘ /;b. medium /^/; andc. weak  / ˘/.

What is WORD STRESS?

make the word difficult to understand; and

change the meaning or grammatical category of a word.

Mistakes in stress can…

There are two basic things to keep in mind that will help you determine how to stress a word:

One word has only one stress. We can only stress vowels, not consonants.

/ ‘ /

Basics of Word Stress

1. Use high pitch2. Speak with loud voice3. Make the sound long

How to Pronounce Syllable with Strong Stress

wheelbarrow

1st Syllable

2nd Syllable

3rd Syllable

High Pitch

wheel

bar row

Loud Voice

WHEEL bar row

Long Sound

wheeeel bar row

Combination of the Three

WHEEEL bar row

Let’s Try It!

teacher

biceps

Rules in English Word Stress

One-syllable words (monosyllables) like do, has, and bay are stressed in isolation. In context, they blend with the nearest word, and lose a part of their original sound. There are also reduced to a different form. ◦ Example:

deal centeast sailsun get

sail tame

A. Monosyllabic Words

Most two-syllable words are stressed on the first syllable (e.g. heaven, builder, purchase).

◦ Other examples are: notice urchin titan vivid

B. Multi-syllable Words

Most two-syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable.◦ Examples:

present table

Most two-syllable adjectives are stressed on the first syllable◦ Examples:

slender clever

Most two-syllable verbs are stressed on the second syllable.◦ Examples

decide begin

Here’s more!

Many words which may be used as nouns or verbs carry the primary stress on the first syllable for nouns, and on the second syllable for verbs.

A. Noun-Verb Shifts

Let’s Try◦ The hapless pervert might pervert some truths in

the cross examination.◦ You can extract vanilla, an aromatic extract, from

a certain tropical orchid.◦ Girls should converse in soft voices.◦ They had to process their travel papers but in the

process some documents got lost.

Numbers ending in –teen may carry the stress on the last syllable to distinguish clearly between fifty and fifteen, sixty and sixteen, etc.

Those ending in –ieth are stressed on the first syllable as in thirtieth, etc.

Those ending in –eenth are stressed on the last syllable as in thirteenth.

B. Number Words

Let’s try:◦ Her booth number is thirteen not thirty.◦ Sixty alumnae attended the twentieth anniversary

of their graduation.◦ Seventy classrooms will be constructed on the

nineteenth of this month.

Intensive-reflexive pronouns carry the stronger stress on the last syllable.

C. Intensive-reflexive Pronouns

Some words formed by adding a prefix or suffix to a root word usually retain the same syllable stress such as local localize.◦ Other examples

ready readiness memory memorable electric electrical

D. Derived Words

Some words formed by adding affixes result in a change in syllable stress, function and meaning.

Observe the changes in the following:◦ Port◦ portable◦ portability

In every rule, there is an exception…

Words ending in –ee and –eer carry the primary stress on the ultimate.

Examples◦ referee◦ refugee◦ volunteer◦ engineer

◦ Exception --- committee

Stress on the Ultimate

Words ending in –sion, -tion, -cian, -tian, and –ic carry the primary stress on the penultimate of a word.

Examples◦ economic◦ education◦ technician◦ graduation◦ geographic◦ geologic

Stress on the Penultimate

Words ending in –phy, -al/-ical, -gy, -try, -cy, -fy, -ty, -meter carry the primary stress on the ante-penultimate of a word.

Examples◦ kilometer◦ philosophy◦ liturgy + cal = liturgical◦ biology

Stress on the Ante-penultimate

The stress depends on the structure of the combination.

Separable phrasal verbs carry the stress on the particle/preposition.◦ Example

Call up. Call up Mom. Call Mom up.

E. Phrasal Verb

Inseparable phrasal verbs carry the stress on the verb itself.◦ Example

Call on. Call on Mary. Call on her.

Noun-noun or adjective-noun combinations carry the stress positions on the basis of the meanings they convey.

Usually, for compound nouns, the stress is on the first part. e.g. windowpane, bathhouse, swimming pool

Usually, for compound adjectives and compound verbs, the stress is on the second part.◦ e.g. bad-tempered (adj.), understand (v.)

F. Word Combinations

If the first part of the compound shows the purpose for which the second part is intended, the first part of the combination receives the strong stress.◦ Example

sewing machine bathhouse swimming pool hair dryer class card

If the first part of the combination shows the material contained in the second part, the second part of the combination is stressed.◦ Example

leather bag plastic cups fruit salad paper roses silver bell chocolate cake apple pie

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

OBJECTFLOWERTABLE

BACK

KILOMETERPARAMETER

THERMOMETER

BACK

CLEVERHAPPY

BEGUILE

BACK

BAD-TEMPEREDWELL-MEANTGREEN-EYED

BACK

RELEASEARRANGE

BEGIN

BACK

OVERFLOWOVERLOOK

OUTPERFORM

BACK

UNDERGROUNDHAIRCUT

GREENHOUSE

BACK

NINETEENNINETY

BACK

TURN OFFBUCKLE UPBACK OFF

BACK

CONVICTSentence: “He is the convict who

escaped from the prison.”

BACK

CONVICTSentence: “They are the juries who will

convict on the slimmest evidence.”

PRESENTSentence: “I am worried with the present situation of our country.”

BACK

PRESENTSentence: “I want to present this research paper to my advisers.”

ECONOMICEMBLEMATICGEOGRAPHIC

BACK

DARKENFLATTENSHORTEN

BACK

PHILOSOPHYGEOMETRYBIOLOGY

BACK

NINETEENTHNINETIETH

BACK

ECONOMICALIDIOCYTESTIFY

BACK

YOURSELFHIMSELF

OURSELVES

BACK

THANK YOU FOR

LISTENING!

http://ocw.metu.edu.tr/pluginfile.php/10280/mod_resource/content/1/Word%20Stress%20in%20English.pdf

http://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/word-stress-rules.htm

A Practical Guide to Oral Communication by Ofelia Reyes and Ma. Fe F. Guba

Sources: