SIX SIMPLE RULES
to help you place the tonic accent on multi-syllable words in Engish.
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These rules do not cover all the words in English; but they do cover the
large majority of plurisyllabic words in English.
For example, should you say: difficult or difficult or difficult?
Where do we put the accent on multi-syllable words in English? English
people don't often make mistakes, but they never learn any rules! Obviously
therefore there must be some fairly simple basic "rules" that apply to words
with 2, 3, or 4 syllables. Here are the most important of these rules.
1. A word is normally stressed on the first syllable, unless there is a
reason to put the stress somewhere else.
2. The "reasons" are either suffixes (like -ity) or prefixes (like
con-, dis-,
ex- orin-).
3. If the suffix (ending) starts with the letters i or u this will affect
the position of stress in a word.
Sample suffixes: -ion, -ual, -ial, -ient, -ious -ic, -ity, etc.
The stress comes on the syllable before the suffix.
Examples: Atlantic, comic, sufficient, explanation, residual.
There are only a very few exceptions to this rule.
4. Other suffixes do not affect the stress of a word.
Sample suffixes: -al, -ous, -ly, -er, -ed, -ist, -ing,
Examples: Permanent, permanently .
5. ► Prefixes are not normally stressed in two-syllable words, except
in some nouns or adjectives.
Examples: To ex'pand, to de'fend; but an 'expert, a report.
Nouns may need to be learned individually.
► Prefixes are usually stressed in three-syllable nouns and adjectives,
but not always stressed in verbs.
Examples: 'Continent, 'incident, 'exercise;
to con'sider, to en'visage but to 'indicate
(all three syllable verbs ending in -ate are stressed on the first
syllable).
6. Rule 3 takes priority over all others, notably when a "rule 3 ending"
is followed by a "rule 4 ending",
Examples:: perpetually, deliciously, conditional, conditioner, illusion
ist.
This list of rules is not complete, but it does expalin where to place the
main accent in the majority of words in English.
Can you designate the tonic syllable (main stress) in these words which all
obey the rules?
Britain, England, Edinburgh, region, regional, economic, to complain,
community, to refuse, considering.
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