Question

In English, stress is usually:

• A. Fixed on the first syllable
• B. Determined by syllable weight
• C. Variable depending on the word
• D. Placed on the last syllable

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Variable depending on the word

Understanding Word Stress in English

• English is characterized as having variable or unpredictable word stress, meaning the stress can fall on different syllables in different words, and sometimes even shift within the same word depending on its grammatical function.
• This variability contrasts sharply with languages like French (where stress is typically on the last syllable) or Polish (where it's usually on the penultimate syllable), which have fixed stress patterns.

• Factors Influencing Stress Placement:

  • Part of Speech: Many two-syllable words change their stress pattern based on whether they are a noun/adjective or a verb. For example, 'present (noun/adjective) vs. pre'sent (verb). This is a common pattern for competitive exams.
  • Suffixes: Certain suffixes can influence stress. For instance, suffixes like -tion, -ic, -ity often cause the stress to fall on the syllable immediately preceding them (e.g., commu'nication, eco'nomic, ac'tivity).
  • Prefixes: Prefixes generally do not carry stress, but some can, especially if they are contrastive or carry specific meaning.
  • Compound Words: Stress in compound words (e.g., 'greenhouse, 'blackboard) typically falls on the first element, distinguishing them from adjective-noun phrases (e.g., green 'house, black 'board).
• Correct word stress is crucial for intelligibility and naturalness in English speech; misplacing stress can lead to misunderstanding or make speech sound unnatural.
• In phonetics, stress is marked by increased prominence, achieved through a combination of greater loudness, longer duration, and higher pitch on the stressed syllable.
• Dictionaries typically indicate primary stress with an apostrophe (e.g., 'beautiful) before the stressed syllable and secondary stress (if any) with a subscript mark (e.g., ,revo'lution).
• For competitive exams, practicing pronunciation and paying attention to stress patterns of commonly confused words (like noun/verb pairs) and words with common suffixes is highly beneficial.