14 Help yourself

Pronunciation: word stress reference

Common patterns -grapher, -graphy

End pattern: o O o o
There are no simple rules relating to word stress: it is photograph photographer
important to learn the correct stress pattern for each telegraph telegraphy
new word you learn. Common patterns include:
-ic, -ical
o O End patterns: O o or O o o
prefer suggest benign contempt history historic
This pattern is especially common in two-syllable verbs. philosophy philosophical
O o
-ese
easy station worker open
End pattern: o O
This pattern is especially common in two-syllable adjectives China Chinese
and nouns. Japan Japanese
o o O
volunteer employee -ity
End pattern: O o o
o O o
equal equality
deposit apartment
active activity
O o o
Note, however, that some suffixes, such as -ness, have no
difficult operate
effect on the stress of the root word:
o o O o
O o O o o
avaricious information
happy happiness
o O o o
exceptional unbeatable
Stress shift in sentences
Words which change meaning For some words, where stress is placed depends on their
position in a sentence. When the words is spoken alone
Sometime words with the same spelling are pronounced or at the end of a statement, the stress occurs near the
with different word-stress patterns. Sometime the end. When the word occurs before another word in a
meaning is related. sentence, the stress occurs earlier.
Noun Verb
Over half the students were Japanese.
O o o O Many people prefer Japanese cars.
object object
transfer transfer In some cultures people sleep in the afternoon.
record record An afternoon meeting may be less productive than a
contrast contrast morning one.

Words stress and suffixes

Words which end in suffixes, such as -tion and -ese, often
have predictable patterns of words stress.
-tion
End pattern: O o
organize organization
nationalize nationalization

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