8 English Phrase Stress Guidelines to Promote Clear Communication
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There needs to be a rhythm to English sentences—it shouldn’t sound flat, monotone (all in the identical tone) and boring!
I do know it feels like a further problem, particularly when talking English is already tough.
Nevertheless, whenever you pronounce each little bit of a phrase and sentence with the identical pitch, quantity and size, it’d make it tough for native audio system to know you.
On this submit, we’ll present you simply methods to do phrase stress in English appropriately!
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Why Phrase Stress Issues
In her head, this sentence was comprehensible to Saskia:
“Dessert is my favourite factor!”
However when she stated this to a buddy, a local English speaker, he regarded confused and requested her:
“Why? It’s simply sand and has no life. It may be harmful!”
Then it was Saskia’s flip to be puzzled. Are you able to guess the supply of the issue?
Effectively, the issue right here is phrase stress. Saskia received the phrase (“dessert”—the candy heavenly factor) proper, however she stated it with the emphasis within the fallacious place and the phrase seemed like “desert”—a dry perilous place.
This is only one instance of how vital phrase stress is to enhancing your pronunciation and talking English like a local speaker.
This information will take you thru the fundamentals of this pronunciation problem and offer you eight guidelines to begin doing it proper. Along with phrase stress, it is very important be taught the pronunciation of the English dialect you wish to communicate.
What Is Phrase Stress?
In English, the person sounds of a phrase (i.e. syllables—which we’ll talk about in only a second) aren’t pronounced with the identical weight. One syllable receives extra emphasis than the others.
For instance, there are three syllables within the phrase “lovely” /BEAU-ti-ful/ and the phrase stress falls on the primary one /BEAU/.
Now that you’ve the definition of phrase stress, let’s dive deeper into syllables to grasp phrase stress.
Figuring out syllables to know phrase stress
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound. A phrase may need one syllable (like “an” or “can”) or extra, equivalent to “po-lice” (two syllables), “com-pa-ny” (three syllables) and “ne-ce-ssa-ry” (4 syllables).
Only for enjoyable, are you aware the English phrase with probably the most syllables?
The reply is “antidisestablishmentarianism.” (The opposition of the idea that there shouldn’t be an official church in a rustic.) The phrase has 12 syllables!
Keep in mind that syllables aren’t much like letters. For instance, “scratch” has seven letters however one syllable, whereas “umami” has 5 letters however three syllables.
Regardless of the phrase, take note of the vowels as a result of one in every of them will probably be the place you discover the stress of a phrase.
Options of a confused syllable
Now that you could emphasize a selected vowel in a selected syllable of a phrase. Nevertheless, you may nonetheless surprise precisely how to take action. Let’s check out a local speaker’s speech sample.
When a local speaker stresses a syllable in a phrase, that is what they do:
- Elevate the pitch of the syllable to a better degree
- Pronounce it with readability
- Create a extra distinctive facial motion
Don’t overlook these 5 options subsequent time you pronounce a phrase!
8 Phrase Stress Guidelines to Enhance Your English Pronunciation
1. Nouns and adjectives with two syllables
The rule: When a noun (a phrase referring to an individual, factor, place or summary high quality) or an adjective (a phrase that provides details about a noun) has two syllables, the stress is normally on the primary syllable.
Examples:
desk /TA-ble/
scissors /SCI-ssors/
fairly /PRE-tty/,
intelligent /CLE-ver/
Exceptions: Sadly, there are exceptions to this rule. It may very well be {that a} phrase was borrowed from one other language or it may very well be completely random. You simply should be taught these “outsiders” by coronary heart. Listed below are three phrases you can begin with:
lodge /ho-TEL/
excessive /ex-TREME/
concise /con-CISE/
2. Verbs and prepositions with two syllables
The rule: When a verb (a phrase referring to an motion, occasion or state of being) or a preposition (a small phrase that comes earlier than a noun, pronoun or the “-ing” type of a verb, and reveals its relation to a different phrase or a part of the sentence) has two syllables, the stress is normally on the second syllable.
Examples:
turn out to be / be-COME
present / pro-VIDE
apart /a-SIDE/
between /be-TWEEN/
3. Phrases which can be each a noun and a verb
The rule: Some phrases in English could be each a noun and a verb. In these circumstances, the noun has its phrase stress on the primary syllable, and with the verb, the stress falls on the second syllable.
If you happen to’ve been paying consideration, you’ll see that this rule is a derivation from the prior two sections. Nevertheless, this can be a separate part since these pairs of phrases are comparatively widespread in English they usually’re prone to trigger misunderstanding as a result of identical spelling.
Examples:
a gift /PRE-sent/ (a present) vs. to current /pre-SENT/ (give one thing formally)
He gave me a gift.
He introduced the prize.
a suspect /SU-spect/ (somebody who the police consider might have dedicated against the law) vs to suspect /su-SPECT/ (to consider that one thing is true, particularly one thing dangerous)
The suspect was caught by the police.
They think him of against the law.
There are, nevertheless, exceptions to this rule. For instance, the phrase “respect” has a stress on the second syllable each when it’s a verb and a noun.
4. Three syllable phrases ending in “er” and “ly”
The rule: Phrases which have three syllables and finish in “-er” or “-ly” usually have a stress on the primary syllable.
Examples:
orderly /OR-der-ly/
quietly /QUI-et-ly/
supervisor /MA-na-ger/
5. Phrases ending in “ic,” “sion” and “tion”
The rule: When a phrase ends in “ic,” “sion” or “tion,” the stress is normally on the second-to-last syllable. You depend syllables backwards and put a stress on the second from the tip.
Examples:
creation /cre-A-tion/
fee /com-MI-ssion/
photographic /pho-to-GRA-phic/
6. Phrases ending in “cy,” “ty,” “phy,” “gy” and “al”
The rule: When a phrase ends in “cy,” “ty,” “phy,” “gy” and “al,” the stress is commonly on the third to final syllable. Equally, you depend syllables backwards and put a stress on the third one from the tip.
Examples:
democracy /de-MO-cra-cy/
pictures /pho-TO-gra-phy/
logical /LO-gi-cal/
commodity /com-MO-di-ty/
psychology /psy-CHO-lo-gy/
7. Compound nouns
The rule: In most compound nouns (a noun made up of two or extra current phrases), the phrase stress is on the primary noun.
Examples:
classmate / CLASS-mate
armchair / ARM-chair
goldfish / GOLD-fish
8. Compound adjectives and verbs
The rule: In most compound adjectives (a single adjective made from multiple phrase and infrequently linked with a hyphen) and compound verbs (a multi-word verb that capabilities as a single verb), the stress is on the second phrase.
Examples:
old school /old-FA-shioned/
perceive /un-der–STAND/
Sources to Good Your Phrase Stress Abilities
Listed below are some sources to find out about this vital issue of English pronunciation:
- Forvo — Forvo is certainly one of many extra standard audio dictionaries available on the market. Translations are supplied if you happen to sort in a phrase in English, and a map is proven to offer you audio clips of how individuals say the actual phrase in various dialects. Different comparable ones are HowJSay and How you can Pronounce.
- Merriam-Webster — Merriam-Webster is a widely known dictionary and has high-quality definitions. It’s additionally out there as an app on each iOS and Android units. Different dictionaries with pronunciation citations you’ll be able to try are MacMillan and Cambridge.
- FluentU — FluentU is a language studying program that teaches with movies made by, and for, native English audio system. This implies you’ll be able to be taught and get used to the sounds of the language in context. Every clip comes with interactive subtitles the place you’ll be able to click on on a phrase to get its definition in addition to data on pronunciation.
- English Membership — English Membership is a well-liked web site for each English learners and academics. It supplies grammar classes in small, easy-to-understand elements. There are additionally enjoyable quizzes and video games so you’ll be able to apply the data you be taught. It’s completely free. You can too discover extra phrase stress quizzes and workouts from Phrase Stress and esl-lounge.
Mastering the topic of phrase stress isn’t simple, as there are numerous guidelines and exceptions. Whereas native audio system do it naturally, English learners should get there via loads of apply and repetition.
These eight English talking and phrase stress guidelines on this information might sound a bit overwhelming however they work as references. Subsequent time you hear a phrase or look one thing up in a dictionary, come again to those guidelines.
Make it a behavior to be extra conscious of what you be taught and shortly you’ll excellent your pronunciation.
Obtain:
This weblog submit is obtainable as a handy and moveable PDF that you just
can take anyplace.
Click on right here to get a duplicate. (Obtain)
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