Using Parts of Speech to Predict Stress

Many words in English have no systematic rules for stressed and unstressed syllables. Other words have rules that are too complicated to be useful.

You can sometimes determine where stress falls in a word on the basis of its part of speech. In other words, recognizing that a word is a noun or a verb can sometimes help you with syllable stress.

The following guidelines will help you predict stress in words. Remember that these are guidelines and that no rule is foolproof!

Click the large speaker icon to hear the entire rule. Click the smaller speaker icon to hear the corresponding wordset.

Rule 5-1

Listen to the stress in compound nouns. Can you identify a pattern?

deadline -- establish a deadline
classroom -- a noisy classroom
software -- install the software

RULE: Stress the first word in the compound more than the second word.

Examples: AIRport, LAPtop

Rule 5-2

Listen to these two-noun compounds. Where is the stress?

air conditioner -- repair the air conditioner
traffic jam -- stuck in a traffic jam
air pollution -- causes of air pollution

RULE: Stress often falls on the first noun (or the main syllable of the first noun).

Examples: VAcuum cleaner, comPUter lab

Rule 5-3

Listen to these reflexive pronouns. Where is the stress?

myself -- went by myself
themselves -- finished it themselves

RULE: Stress -self or -selves.

Example: herSELF

Note: Some speakers use /ə/ and others use /ɪ/ in unstressed syllables. Not all unstressed vowels sound like /ə/ or /ɪ/, but many do. In fact, most vowels in unstressed syllables adjacent to stressed syllables sound like /ə/ or /ɪ/ to make a clear distinction between stressed and unstressed syllables.

Rule 5-4

Listen to ten and teen numbers like forty and fourteen. Do you hear a regular pattern of stress?

sixty candles -- sixteen candles
gate 40 -- gate 14
May thirtieth -- May thirteenth

RULE: Stress the -teen syllable.

Example: EIGHty versus eighTEEN

A Helpful Hint

Sometimes native speakers of American English do not give strong stress to the -teen syllable. As a result, you may have trouble distinguishing “He is eighteen years old” from “He is eighty years old.”

Here is another clue to help you hear the difference. The /t/ at the beginning of stressed syllables, like -teen, has a sharp, clear /t/ sound. The /t/ at the beginning of unstressed syllables in the middle of words, like -ty, sounds more like /d/ - EIGHdy, THIRdy, SIXdy.

Rule 5-5

Listen to each verb with a prefix and a base. Can you identify the stress pattern?

outrun -- outrun his teammate
overlook -- overlook the error
withdrew -- withdrew fifty dollars
predict -- predict the outcome

RULE: Stress the base, or the second element, of these verbs.

Examples: underSTAND, overEAT, interACT

Rule 5-6

Listen to the stress patterns in these two-word phrasal verbs. Which word has stronger stress?

print out -- print out the document
put off -- put off the meeting
brush up -- brush up on my Spanish

RULE: Stress the particle, or second element, more strongly.

Examples: get OUT, look UP

Practice the stress pattern in these two-word phrasal verbs. Review -ed endings and linking.

passed OUT -- counted DOWN
pointed OUT -- figured OUT
dropped OFF -- worked OUT

Note: Sometimes phrasal verbs have noun equivalents. Compare the noun and verb forms.

NOUN -- VERB
Here’s the PRINTout. -- I printed it OUT
She’s a DROPout. -- She dropped OUT.
Let’s get TAKEout. -- Let’s take it OUT.

Rule 5-7

Listen to these compound adverbs indicating location or direction. Where is the stress?

overseas -- go overseas
downtown -- drove downtown
northeast -- in the northeast

RULE: Stress the second part of the compound adverb.

Examples: outSIDE, upSTAIRS

Rule 5-8

Listen to these two-syllable words used as both nouns and verbs. Do you hear a pattern in the placement of stress?

NOUN -- VERB
conduct -- conduct
present -- present
record -- record
rebel -- rebel

RULE: Stress the first syllable in nouns and the second syllable in verbs.

Examples: CONvert (noun), conVERT (verb)

Listen to the noun-verb pairs once more. What happened to the vowel sound in the first syllable of each verb?

Well Said, L Grant, 2nd Ed.