What is Stress?
Stress in a word is the emphasis you place on a particular syllable. It's like making that syllable louder and slightly longer. Stress is crucial for understanding the meaning of a word and making it sound natural.
Words with More Than Two Syllables
When a word has more than two syllables, there are generally two main patterns for stress:
1. Primary Stress: One syllable is usually given the strongest stress. This is the primary stress.
2. Secondary Stress: Sometimes, another syllable in the word might have a slightly weaker stress. This is the secondary stress.
Example:
* "Photograph" has four syllables: pho-to-graph. The primary stress is on the second syllable ("to").
* "University" has four syllables: uni-ver-si-ty. The primary stress is on the third syllable ("ver").
How to Figure Out Stress
Unfortunately, there's no easy rule for determining stress in every single word. However, here are some helpful tips:
* Dictionaries: The most reliable way to find out the stress in a word is to look it up in a dictionary.
* Practice: As you read and listen, pay attention to how native speakers pronounce words. This will help you internalize the stress patterns.
* Common Patterns: Some word types tend to have consistent stress patterns. For example, nouns often have stress on the first syllable, while verbs often have stress on the second.
It's Important to Note:
* Stress patterns can vary slightly depending on the context and the speaker's regional accent.
* Some words have multiple possible stress patterns, and the meaning can change depending on where the stress is placed.
Let me know if you have any more questions about stress or pronunciation!