11/3/13

Methodology: stress patterns in English | Onestopenglish

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Methodology: stress patterns in English

By Tim Bowen Lev el: Starter/beginner, Elementary , Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper intermediate, Adv anced An article discussing English stress pattern rules and how to teach them. I am really struggling to find information about stress patterns in English. I hav e a student who wants rules about where to put the stress in words. Are there rules and how do I find a way of teaching her? Nina Jawitz This is a huge area. Howev er, there are some fairly regular patterns and these might help y our student. The following general rules may be of some use but bear in mind that there will often be ex ceptions! 1 . With v erbs of two sy llables, if the second sy llable of the v erb contains a long v owel or a diphthong, or if it ends with more than one consonant, the second sy llable is stressed. Ex amples: apply, attract, complete, arrive, resist 2. With v erbs of two sy llables, if the final sy llable contains a short v owel and one (or no) final consonant, the first sy llable is stressed. Ex amples: enter, open, equal, borrow , profit Ex ceptions to this rule include admit and permit (v erb). 3. There are some suffix es (or word endings) that usually carry stress. Words with these endings usually carry stress on the last sy llable: -ain -ee -eer -ese -ette -esque entertain refugee mountaineer Portuguese cigarette (NB American English would stress the first sy llable) picturesque

4. The main or primary stress usually falls on the sy llable before these endings: -ion -ious / eous -ity -iv e -graphy decision, application contentious, courageous simplicity ex tensiv e photography , biography
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www.onestopenglish.com/support/ask-the-experts/methodology-questions/methodology-stress-patterns-in-english/146393.article

11/3/13

Methodology: stress patterns in English | Onestopenglish

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5. In compound words or words made up of two elements, there are again some general patterns. If the first part of the word is broadly speaking a noun, then the first element will normally carry more stress: typew riter, car ferry, suitcase, tea cup If the first part is broadly speaking an adjectiv e, then the second element will carry more stress loudspeaker, bad-tempered, black market, young learner As far as a 'way of teaching' is concerned, perhaps the most effectiv e method is to raise awareness of the issue of word stress and to encourage good learning habits. Get students used to the idea of marking or highlighting the stress when they note down items of v ocabulary in their note-books. Make them aware of the sy mbols used by dictionaries to indicate primary and secondary word stress. Draw their attention to the patterns ex emplified abov e and compare these with the stress patterns in their own language, highlighting similarities and differences. To practise word stress, sorting words into groups according to their word stress can be an effectiv e activ ity . If y ou hav e the lux ury of y our own classroom, wall posters with lists of words following particular patterns can be used and new words added to these lists when they arise. Some teachers hav e found it helpful to group these under the names of countries which ex emplify patterns and act as a kind of mnemonic. For ex ample, V enezuela has the pattern: ..* . Ex amples of words following this pattern are entertainment, ov erwhelming and constitution.

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