What is stress?
Stress in English refers to the relative emphasis applied to certain syllables in a word or words in a sentence. It is important to understand the difference between word and sentence stress because stress affects the meaning and clarity of your message. In this guide, we will discuss the rules of word stress, sentence stress, and how to use stress effectively in communication.
Word Stress
Not all syllables in a word are given equal emphasis (stressed). When a syllable or a word is said louder or longer than the rest, it is considered to be stressed. The rules of word stress vary depending on the number of syllables in a word.
Word stress rules
Rule 1: For two-syllable nouns and adjectives, stress the first syllable. For example, "cloudy," "carton," and "table."
Rule 2: For verbs with two syllables and prepositions, emphasize the second syllable. For example, "beGIN," "reFER," and "aBOUT."
Other Word Stress rules:
For words with three syllables:
If the word ends in -er or -ly, the emphasis is on the first syllable, for example, "ciGARet," or "poLITic."
If the word ends in a consonant and -y, the emphasis is on the first syllable, for example, "coMMENtary," "meLOdy."
If the word ends in -ee, -ese, -eer, -ique, -ette, the emphasis is on the last syllable, for example, "caFEteer," "techNIque," and "silhouETTE."
If the word has a suffix such as -ary, -cian, -cial, or -tal, the emphasis is on the second syllable, for example, "liBRARy," "muSIcian," "comMERcial," "reCItal."
Stress is also important in studying heteronyms (heteronymes are words that are spelt the same but have different pronunciations and meanings). For example, "abuse" can be a noun or a verb, and the stress falls on the first syllable for the noun and the second syllable for the verb. Other examples of noun-verb pairs include "record," "convert," "contest," "duplicate," "polish," "rebel," and "permit."
Sentence Stress
Sentence stress is the accent applied on certain words within a sentence. Most sentences have two basic word types: content words and structure words. Content words carry the sense or meaning of the message, while structured words simply make the sentence grammatically correct.
For example, the sentence "Buy milk feeling tired" is incomplete but still conveys the message. The content words are "buy," "milk," "feeling," and "tired." You can add structure words to the sentence to make it grammatically correct, such as "Will you buy me some milk since I am feeling tired?"
In the sentence:
Angela saw Mark with Anita
Each word can be stressed to change the meaning. For example,
Stressing "Angela" implies that it was Angela and not anyone else saw mark with Anita.
Stressing "saw" implies that Angela only "saw" and not another action.
Conclusion
In conclusion, stress is an important aspect of the English Language as it affects the meaning and clarity of the message. By understanding the rules of word stress and sentence stress, one can use stress effectively.