Stress in Longer Words

What is word stress?

In some languages, each syllable in each word is pronounced with the exact same stress.

English is not one of those languages. English has its own rhythm, complete with its own vocal music. This means that one part of a certain word is said louder and longer than other parts of the same word.

It is something that is completely natural for English speakers, but something ESL students can learn from practicing their conversational skills and by learning the rules for using word stress.

Using sufixxes to predict stress

Stress the suffix itself:

• ee: employee, refugee, trainee, referee
• eer: engineer, career, volunteer
• ese: Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese
• ique: unique, antique, technique

Stress the syllable immediately before the suffix:

• ial: memorial, financial, artificial, essential
• ual: visual, unusual, intellectual, individual
• ian: Canadian, vegetarian, pedestrian, politician
• sion: explosion, occasion, conclusion, permission
• tion: definition, production, situation, qualification

Stress the second syllable before the suffix

• ate: operate, exaggerate, associate,integrate, certificate
• ize: apologize,criticize,recognize, computerize
• ary: secretary,necessary, contemporary, vocabulary
• ous: dangerous, mysterious, spontaneous, simultaneous