JAMB English Note- Word Stress

Word Stress: An Overview

Word stress refers to the emphasis placed on one syllable of a word, making it louder, longer, and often higher in pitch than the other syllables. In English, word stress is crucial for correct pronunciation, meaning, and natural-sounding speech. Stress can change the meaning of a word depending on which syllable is stressed. Understanding word stress is key for both learners of English and native speakers to communicate clearly and effectively.

Types of Word Stress

1. Primary Stress: This is the strongest stress in a word, usually marked in dictionaries with a symbol like an apostrophe before the stressed syllable (e.g., ‘record).
2. Secondary Stress: This is weaker than the primary stress but still noticeable. It is often used in longer words with more than one stressed syllable.
3. Unstressed Syllables: These are syllables that are not emphasized and are pronounced more softly.

10 Guidelines for Word Stress

1. Stress in Multisyllabic Nouns and Adjectives
   • Most multisyllabic nouns and adjectives tend to have the primary stress on the first syllable.
   • Examples:
     1. ‘TAble
     2. ‘MAnager
     3. ‘DEsktop
     4. ‘PHOtograph
     5. ‘PAragraph
     6. ‘CONtract
     7. ‘REcord
     8. ‘TEAcher
     9. ‘VIsitor
     10. ‘SINGER
2. Stress in Multisyllabic Verbs
   • For verbs, the stress tends to fall on the second syllable.
   • Examples:
     1. reLAX
     2. aRRIVE
     3. reJECT
     4. exPLAIN
     5. beCOME
     6. deCIDE
     7. aRRIVE
     8. beLIEVE
     9. aRRANGE
     10. conSIDer
3. Compound Nouns
   • Compound nouns (two or more words combined to form a single noun) generally have the stress on the first word.
   • Examples:
     1. ‘TOOTHbrush
     2. ‘FIREplace
     3. ‘NEWSpaper
     4. ‘FOOTball
     5. ‘AIRplane
     6. ‘SUNlight
     7. ‘PENCILcase
     8. ‘LUNCHbox
     9. ‘DOORbell
     10. ‘POSTman
4. Compound Adjectives
   • Compound adjectives usually have stress on the second word.
   • Examples:
     1. old-‘FASHioned
     2. well-‘KNOWN
     3. high-‘TECH
     4. open-‘MINDED
     5. first-‘CLASS
     6. full-‘TIME
     7. hard-‘WORKing
     8. left-‘HANDED
     9. good-‘LOOKING
     10. big-‘HEARTed
5. Words Ending in -er, -ly, -ic, -sion, and -tion
   • Many words that end in -er, -ly, -ic, -sion, and -tion have stress on the first syllable.
   • Examples:
     1. ‘MAnager
     2. ‘BEhavior
     3. ‘PAragraph
     4. ‘MUsic
     5. ‘GRAPHic
     6. ‘TACtic
     7. reLAXation
     8. comPULsion
     9. eXPLOration
     10. coMPLExity
6. Stress in Words with Prefixes
   • The stress in words with prefixes is usually placed on the root word, not the prefix.
   • Examples:
     1. un’KNOWN
     2. disLIKE
     3. preDICT
     4. reVIsit
     5. exCITE
     6. imPORT
     7. misUNDERstand
     8. subSCRIBE
     9. enCOURage
     10. inCLUDE
7. Stress in Phrasal Verbs
   • In most phrasal verbs, the stress falls on the verb (not the particle).
   • Examples:
     1. ‘LOOK after
     2. ‘TURN off
     3. ‘CALL back
     4. ‘GIVE up
     5. ‘PICK up
     6. ‘SET up
     7. ‘TAKE over
     8. ‘CHECK in
     9. ‘BREAK down
     10. ‘COME in
8. Stress in Words Ending in -ity and -ic
   • Words ending in -ity and -ic tend to have stress on the second-to-last syllable.
   • Examples:
     1. auTHOrity
     2. speCIficity
     3. eLAstic
     4. geoLOGic
     5. pubLICity
     6. geNEric
     7. enERgetic
     8. maTERiality
     9. deMOcratic
     10. emBODIment
9. Stress in Nouns with Suffixes -ess, -ment, -ness
   • Nouns with suffixes like -ess, -ment, and -ness often stress the first syllable.
   • Examples:
     1. ‘ACTress
     2. ‘MANagement
     3. ‘HAppiness
     4. ‘SADness
     5. ‘STAtement
     6. ‘REAdiness
     7. ‘SADness
     8. ‘BUSIness
     9. ‘FITness
     10. ‘ILLness
10. Stress in Foreign Loanwords

• Foreign words, especially those borrowed from languages like French, Italian, and German, often maintain their original stress pattern.
• Examples:
  1. baROque (from Italian)
  2. café (from French)
  3. ballet (from French)
  4. résumé (from French)
  5. pizza (from Italian)
  6. déjà vu (from French)
  7. kindergarten (from German)
  8. algebra (from Arabic)
  9. sushi (from Japanese)
  10. robot (from Czech)

11. Words Ending in -cian (Stress falls on the penultimate syllable or second-to-last syllable)

1. muSIcian
2. physiCIAN
3. poLItiCIAN
4. maTHEmaTIcian
5. techNIcian
6. elecTRIcian
7. maGIcian
8. liBRARian
9. pharMAcist (Note: “pharmacist” is an alternative, but “pharmacist” itself may be used in some places depending on the context, but stress would still apply to the root syllable “phar”)
10. beauTIcian

12. Words Ending in -graph (Stress falls on the first syllable)

1. AUtograph
2. SEIsmograph
3. PICtograph
4. CARdiograph
5. TELEgraph
6. PHOtoGRAPH
7. CHROmatograph
8. eLEctrocardiograph
9. SEIsmograph
10. TACHYgraph

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13. Words Ending in -graphy (Stress typically falls on the penultimate syllable or second-to-last syllable)

1. phoTOgraphy
2. biOGraphy
3. geOGraphy
4. carTOgraphy
5. DEmography
6. calliGRAPHY
7. tyPOgraphy
8. raDIOgraphy
9. haGIOgraphy
10. choREography

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14. Words Ending in -logy (Stress typically falls on the penultimate syllable or second-to-last syllable)

1. biOlogy
2. psyCHOlogy
3. soCIology
4. geOlogy
5. anTHROpology
6. techNOlogy
7. zoOlogy
8. asTROlogy
9. theOlogy
10. eTYmology

Classwork Questions on Word Stress

1. Where is the stress in the word “economist”?

2. Where is the stress in the word “seismograph”?

3. Where is the stress in the word “holograph”?

4. Where is the stress in the word “photography”?

5. Where is the stress in the word “technology”?

6. Where is the stress in the word “geographic”?

7. Where is the stress in the word “democracy”?

8. Where is the stress in the word “unfortunate”?

9. Where is the stress in the word “photographer”?

10. Where is the stress in the word “dictionary”?

11. Where is the stress in the word “dictionary”?

12. Where is the stress in the word “handwriting”?

13. Where is the stress in the word “commentator”?

14. Where is the stress in the word “multinational”?

15. Where is the stress in the word “electricity”?

16. Where is the stress in the word “massage”?

17. Where is the stress in the word “committee”?

18. Where is the stress in the word “elaborate”?

19. Where is the stress in the word “volunteer”?

20. Where is the stress in the word “imagine”?