Mastering Word Stress &
Intonation
Enhancing English Pronunciation and Comprehension
What is Word Stress?
Definition
Word stress is the emphasis placed on one syllable in a word.
Characteristics of Stressed Syllables
Louder than other syllables
Longer in duration
Higher in pitch
Examples
TAble
aBOUT
Word Stress Rules: Two-Syllable Words
Two-Syllable Nouns & Adjectives Two-Syllable Verbs & Prepositions
Stress typically falls on the first syllable. Stress typically falls on the second syllable.
Word Stress Pattern Word Stress Pattern
TAble Noun reLAX Verb
HAPpy Adjective aROUND Preposition
DOCtor Noun beGIN Verb
YELlow Adjective aBOVE Preposition
In Sentences In Sentences
The DOCtor gave me a HAPpy smile. Please reLAX and look aROUND you.
Word Stress Rules: Suffixes
Words ending in -ic, -sion, -tion Words ending in -cy, -ty, -phy, -gy, -al
Stress falls on the syllable before the ending. Stress falls on the third syllable from the end.
Word Stress Pattern Word Stress Pattern
graPHIC -ic ending deMOcracy -cy ending
compre.henSION -sion ending geOgraphy -phy ending
infor.maTION -tion ending aBIlity -ty ending
acaDEMic -ic ending naTIOnal -al ending
The graPHIC design showed infor.maTION about the project. She studies geOgraphy with great aBIlity.
What is Sentence Stress?
Definition Types of Words
Sentence stress is the pattern of stressed and unstressed
Content Words (Stressed) Structure Words (Unstressed)
words in a sentence.
Nouns (book, table) Articles (a, an, the)
Key Rule Main verbs (read, write) Prepositions (in, on, at)
In natural speech, not all words are equally stressed: Adjectives (big, happy) Pronouns (he, she, it)
Content words are stressed
Structure words are unstressed Adverbs (quickly, well) Auxiliary verbs (is, are, have)
Question words (what, why) Conjunctions (and, but, or)
She is READing a BOOK in the LIbrary.
Natural Rhythm
English is a stress-timed language where stressed syllables
occur at regular intervals.
Sentence Stress Examples
They WENT to the MARket to BUY some FRESH I NEED to FIND my KEYS BEfore I LEAVE.
VEGetables. Content Words (Stressed)
Content Words (Stressed) NEED (verb) FIND (verb) KEYS (noun) BEfore (adverb) LEAVE (verb)
WENT (verb) MARket (noun) BUY (verb) FRESH (adj)
Structure Words (Unstressed)
VEGetables (noun)
I, to, my, I
Structure Words (Unstressed)
They, to, the, to, some
She is READing a BOOK in the LIbrary.
Content Words (Stressed)
WHAT did you DO on SATurday EVEning? READing (verb) BOOK (noun) LIbrary (noun)
Content Words (Stressed) Structure Words (Unstressed)
WHAT (question) DO (verb) SATurday (noun) EVEning (noun)
She, is, a, in, the
Structure Words (Unstressed)
did, you, on
Why Stress Matters & Weak Forms
Importance of Word Stress in Listening Strong vs. Weak Forms
Helps listeners identify key words and ideas In natural speech, structure words are often reduced to their
Aids in understanding sentence structure and meaning weak forms:
Allows listeners to follow the rhythm and flow of speech
Strong Weak
Word Example
Form Form
Stress Can Change Meaning
can /kæn/ /kən/ "I can do it" vs. "I can HELP"
PREsent (noun) = a gift
at /æt/ /ət/ "AT home" vs. "He's at HOME"
preSENT (verb) = to give or show
the /ðiː/ /ðə/ "THE one" vs. "The APple"
The sentence meaning changes completely:
"I will PREsent the PREsent tomorrow." "bread AND butter" vs. "bread and
and /ænd/ /ən/, /n/
BUTter"
"I will preSENT the PREsent tomorrow."
Using weak forms makes speech sound more natural and
fluent.
Rhythm & Intonation
English as a Stress-Timed Language Intonation: The Music of Speech
In English, stressed syllables occur at regular intervals, Intonation is the rise and fall of pitch in speech. It helps
creating a rhythm. express:
Unstressed syllables are shortened to fit the rhythm Sentence type (question, statement)
Think of English like a drumbeat — stress the important Emotion and attitude
words Emphasis and contrast
Sentence
Rhythm Example Intonation Pattern Example
Type
CATS chase MICE.
Statement Falling at the end ↘ I'm going home. ↘
The CATS chase the MICE.
Yes/No
The CATS have been CHASing the MICE. Rising at the end ↗ Are you ready? ↗
Question
Notice how each sentence takes about the same time to say,
Wh- Question Falling at the end ↘ Where are you going? ↘
despite having different numbers of syllables.
Rising on items, falling at Apples↗, oranges↗, and
List
end ↗↗↘ bananas↘.
Contrastive Stress
What is Contrastive Stress?
Contrast Examples
Contrastive stress is used to emphasize a specific word for:
(Choosing between options)
Correction of information
Contrast between options I want the LARGE coffee, not the small one.
Emphasis of important details (Distinguishing between people)
JOHN is coming to the party, but Mary isn't.
This type of stress overrides the typical stress pattern of a
sentence.
Emphasis Examples
Correction Examples
(Emphasizing time)
(Someone thought you wanted a blue pen)
The meeting is TOmorrow, not next week.
I said I wanted the RED one, not the blue one.
(Emphasizing ownership)
(Someone didn't believe she called)
This is MY book, not yours.
She DID call you!
(Emphasizing quantity)
I need THREE copies, not just one.
Practice Tip
Try saying the same sentence with different words stressed to
change the meaning.
30 Examples of Word Stress
Two-Syllable Nouns & Adjectives Words Ending in -ic, -sion, -tion
(Stress on the first syllable) (Stress on the syllable before the ending)
TAble HAPpy graPHIC compre.henSION
DOCtor GARden infor.maTION e.lecTRIC
TEAcher YELlow pro.ducTION acaDEMic
PREsent (noun) ACtive con.diTION
Two-Syllable Verbs & Prepositions Words Ending in -cy, -ty, -phy, -gy, -al
(Stress on the second syllable) (Stress on the third syllable from the end)
reLAX aROUND deMOcracy geOgraphy
beGIN deCIDE biOlogy phoTOgraphy
exPLAIN preSENT (verb) aBIlity naTIOnal
aBOVE beLOW criTIcal
In Sentences
The DOCtor exPLAINED the infor.maTION aBOUT my
con.diTION.
Practice Activities
1. Stress Pattern Sort and Say 4. Intonation Pattern Practice
Sort words into categories based on their stress patterns, then Read sentences with appropriate intonation patterns for different
practice saying them with correct stress. sentence types.
Categories: "Stress on 1st Syllable," "Stress on 2nd Syllable," "Stress before Example: "Are you coming?" (rising) vs. "Where are you going?" (falling)
-ic/-sion/-tion"
5. Contrastive Stress Dialogues
2. Content vs. Structure Word Identification
Create and practice dialogues that require contrastive stress for
Highlight content words in sentences and practice reading with emphasis or correction.
appropriate stress. Example: "I want the RED one, not the blue one."
Example: "The CATS are SLEEPing on the SOFT CARpet."
6. Rhythm Clapping
3. Minimal Pairs Practice
Clap on stressed syllables while speaking to reinforce the rhythm of
Practice word pairs where stress changes meaning. English.
Example: "PREsent" (noun) vs. "preSENT" (verb) Example: *clap* CATS *clap* CHASE *clap* MICE
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this module, you should be able to:
Identify and apply word stress rules in Distinguish between stressed content words
English words and unstressed structure words
Understand the importance of word stress for Recognize and use strong and weak forms
listening comprehension of words
Comprehend the concept of English as a Apply different intonation patterns based on
stress-timed language sentence function
Utilize contrastive stress for emphasis and Practice and improve your English
correction pronunciation and fluency
Thank You!
