1
Place the strong part of a two-part noun or verb
First for the noun, second for the verb, a rule that is right for 207 of 231 nouns and 134 of 150 verbs.
Course · English
Word Stress
Every English word of two or more parts has one part that is said stronger than the rest. A learner who puts it in the wrong place is often not understood, even when every sound is right. This course states the rules for where it goes, runs them over the 2,800 words in your browser, and prints how often each is right and every word it misses. It ends with what the weak parts sound like.
noun of two parts: first 207 of 231
verb of two parts: second 134 of 150
-tion, -ic: just before 151, 28
-ly, -ment, -er: no move 83, 31, 48
the flat vowel 1387 of 2628
What this course is about
- Subject
- English
- Lessons
- 4
- Format
- Interactive
Overview
What you will be able to do
By the end you can place the strong part in a word you have not heard, and say how much to trust the rule you used.
2
Say record both ways
The 49 words that are a noun and a verb, and are strong on different parts in each.
3
Place the strong part in a word with an ending that pulls it
The part before -tion and -ic, the third from the end for -ical, -ity, -ate and -ize.
4
Add an ending that leaves the strong part alone
-ly, -ness, -ment, -er, -ful and -able, right for 185 of 192 pairs.
5
Sort a rule's misses into kinds
A noun made from a verb, a false pair found by spelling, a word with two strong beats, and a word that sits alone.
6
Say a weak part with the flat vowel
The vowel of 1387 of the 2628 weak parts in the list, whatever letter it is spelled with.
Lessons
4 lessons
The class of the word first, because it is the rule you need in every sentence. Then the endings that move the strong part, then the endings that do not, and last what the weak parts sound like.
Nouns at the Front, Verbs at the BackFor a word of two parts, the word class picks the strong part, and the rule is right nine times in ten.Not marked
Endings That Pull the StressSome endings decide where the strong part goes, and each of six is right for nearly every word in the list.Not marked
Endings That Leave It AloneSix common endings add a part and keep the strong part of the word where it was, in nearly every pair.Not marked
The Flat VowelA part that is not strong usually takes one short sound, whatever vowel letter it is spelled with.Not marked
Recommended background
The page reads the strong part of every word from a pronouncing dictionary, the way the course called Spelling to Sound does for letters. The course called Tense Tables met the strong part first, in the rule that doubles a letter. Nothing here goes past counting and working out a share.
Practice suggestions
Say each word out loud before you read what the rule says. A rule about sound is checked by your own mouth first and by the table second.
Read the lists of misses. Each one is short, and each kind of miss has a reason you can use, such as a noun made from a verb.
Use the setting that shows the words set aside. A score is only about the words it was tried on, and the page says which words those were and which were left out.
What it does not cover
Stress across a sentence. This course is about one word at a time. Which words of a sentence are strong depends on what the speaker means, and no count on a printed list can read that.
Words of three parts or more that have no ending in the lessons. The rules here cover the endings that were counted. A word such as important has no rule in this course, and the course does not pretend it has.
Accents. The sound facts are the dictionary's American readings. British speakers put the strong part in a different place in some words, and no lesson measures the difference.
Compound words and the two-word names that look like them. They have patterns of their own that the list cannot sort without a person to mark each one.