WORD STRESS RULES

Group: Pham Thi Phuc

Do Thi Thu Ngoc
Ho Thi Quynh Anh
Nguyen Thi To Tram
Huynh Thi Thao Uyen
Nguyen Vu Xuan Quynh
Class: 09CNA07

I. TWO - SYLLABLE WORDS

Stress on the first syllable
Ex: baker, candy, heater, pretty, actor
Verbs with 2 syllables, stress on the second
syllable
Ex: present (v), import (v), export (v)
Exception: If the first syllable is a prefix,
stress on the second syllable
Ex: abroad, forecast, insane, impure,
transform, outdo, unseen

II. THREE SYLLABLE WORDS

Stress on the first syllable

Ex: cinema, calendar, beautiful
Exception:
Exception If the first or the first and the
second syllable are prefixes, stress on the
next syllable.
Ex: abnormal, attentive, connective, empower,
disapprove, disconnect

III. SPECIAL SUFFIXES

Stress on the third syllable counted from back to
front
- ous:
ous adventurous; autonomous; unamious
Exceptions: enormous, tremendous, momentous
- tude:
tude latitude; attitude; longitude; fortitude
- ate:
ate exaggerate; allocate; illustrate;
discriminate; demonstrate
- ize / -ise:
-ise modernize; revolutionize; normalize
- fy:
fy disqualify; satisfy; electrify

IV. OTHER SUFFIXES

Stress on the syllable right before the suffix
- ety / -ity:
-ity variety; capactity; captivity;
community; invisibility
- ia/ -ial/ -ian/ -iance/ -iar/ - ical/ - icant:
icant Asia;
commercial; electrician; luxuriance; familiar;
electrical; significant
- ience(cy)/ - ient:
ient impatience; deficiency;
obedient
- ion/- ior/ - ium:
ium criterion; inferior; harmonium;
exception: television

- ular/ - ual/ -al(adj): particular; habitual;

paternal
Exception:
Exception medical; federal; personal; comical;
chemical; literal; physical
- ic/ -ics:
-ics mechanic; electric; atomic; economic;
mathematics
Exception:
Exception arithmetic; arabic; politics
- ious/ -eous/ -uous:
-uous ambitious; courageous;
ingenuous
- cracy/ -logy/ -logist/ -graphy/ -metry/ -nomy:
-nomy
democracy; geology; biologist; geography;
geometry; astronomy

V. OTHER SUFFIXES (contd)

Stress right on the suffix
- ade:
ade charade; degrade; grenade; persuade;
stockade
- ee:
ee absentee; agree; referee; guarantee;
employee; exception: committee
- ese:
ese Chinese; Vietnamese; Japanese
- eer:
eer career; engineer; buccaneer; volunteer
- oo:
oo kangaroo; shampoo; taboo; bamboo
- oon:
oon afternoon; cartoon; lagoon; typhoon
- ette:
ette etiquette; serviette; kitchenette
- esque:
esque grotesque; humouresque; picturesque

VI. FOUR SYLLABLE OR MORE

WORDS
stress on the first syllable without special
suffixes above
Ex: necessary, difficulty, literature
When a word is formed by one or more
prefixes or suffixes (without suffixes above),
stress like the original words
Ex: question => unquestionable ;
respect => disrespectful;
nation => international ;
lucky => unluckily ;
happy => unhappiness

Exercises On Stressed Syllables

A.
1.

From each set of four words below, find a word which is stressed differently.
a. physical c. increase
b. activity d. significant

2.

a. various c. elaborate
b. purpose d. purity

3.

a. quantity c. believable
b. committee
d. commercial

4.

a. continent c. interest
b. permission
d. miserable

5.

a. product c. mistake
b. satisfy d. sequential

B. From each set of four words below, find a word which is stressed on
the second syllables
1.
a. amplify
b. analyze
c. altitude
d. Atomic
2.

a. definite
c. Description

b. adjective
d. interval

3.

a. musician
c. literature

b. difficult
d. virtuous

4.

a. envelope
c. excellent

b. ambitious
d. obstacle

5.

a. comedy
c. cabinet

b. cinema
d. maternal

C. From each set of four words below, find a word which stressed on
the first syllable
1.
a. identical
b. exercise
c. impatient
d. Arabia
2.

a. economic
c. tragedy

b. colonial
d. education

3.

a. experience
c. yesterday

b. maternal
d. physician

4.

a. parallel
c. efficiency

b. inferior
d. delicious

5.

a. consonant
c. deficient

b. refugee
d. exhibition