Word stress

Word stress, sentence stress and intonation

English words are made up of syllables which are the basic sound cluster unit in words.  English words may make up of one syllable called monosyllable like the words

           read |sing |chair | cook |ant |

two syllables / bi-syllables like the words

        happy | angry | |ready |distant |writer|

or multiple syllables (more than 2) / polysyllables like

 ‘intuitive |responsible |responsibility |commitment |reformation |’. 

Word stress

The word stress is based on the phonemic entry in the dictionary.  You will find that stress on a particular syllable happens in bi-syllabic / polysyllabic words that the speech sounds of stressed syllable of the word are more prominent than the other surrounding syllables.  That means you pronounce syllable with louder and longer sound as well as higher pitch than the surrounding speech sound units/ syllables.  

For example, , the stress is on ‘ma’ syllable in the words ‘reforMation’ and ‘ma’ syllable is articulated with higher, longer and louder speech sound than the other syllables that made up the word.  You usually see the primary stress mark at the top and the secondary stress at the bottom in the dictionary entry of the speech sounds of words.

                   reformation            /rIfɔ'meIʃən/

                    responsibility                   /rIˌspɒnsə'bIlətI/

          For sentence stress, you will stress on word classes like Nouns, main Verbs, Adjectives and Adverbs.  The other word classes like Pronouns, Conjunctions, Preposition and Determiners are not stressed unless they serve special purpose to achieve desired effects.   For examples:

In natural speech

All 'great 'men and 'women who have a'chieved 'success 'failed at 'one point or a'nother.

'Once the emplo'yees have 'seen for 'themselves 'how 'knowledge and 'skills can 'help them 'build up a 'good 'track 'record, their 'motivation will 'increase.

          The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables results in rhythm to be formed.  It is the beat of stressed and unstressed syllables of speech when you stress certain words and let go of the stress of other words, mostly structure words like pronouns | conjunctions | prepositions and determiners. 

The word that you stress with unusual force may alter the meaning of a word.  For example:

'She 'may be 'late a'gain.     (emphasise)

She may be 'late a'gain.     (natural speech)