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Word Stress (2) - English lesson
In the past lesson, test, we started studying Stress Patterns. That word stress
is fundamental to the good understanding of our spoken English and therefore to
real communication. In that introduction, we reviewed the first steps of this process.
In order to be able to go on, we should, of course, read the first part again, so as to
make sure the bases are well known.
(Once again, I advise you to repeat the different examples ALOUD to print the
word stress into your memory.
)
1) WORDS WHICH HAVE SUFFIXES: in English, SUFFIXES are never stressed:
a) With the suffixes : /ic/ [ical/ ically]/ sion/ tion/ the stress is always on the syllable
preceding the /ic/, /sion/, /tion/ [however long the word is...]
- 'static, a'thletic, enthu'siastic...
- tele'vision, pro'vision, con'clusion, re'vision, 'vision...
- 'nation, cre'ation, in'duction, a'ttention, expec'tation...
b) With the suffixes : -cy/ -phy/ -ty/ -gy/ the stress is always on the antepenultimate
syllable (the third last syllable).
- de'mocracy, 'decency, pho'tography, cinema'tography, phi'losophy, produc'tivity, ac'tivity,
bi'ology, ...
c) With the suffixe -ate [eit] the stress is always on the antepenultimate syllable (the third
last syllable) : e'liminate, 'regulate, 'accurate, a'cclimate, ac'commodate, ac'cumulate.
d) As for the suffixe -al : Easy! ( when preceded by ic=> -ical ) cf 2a (stress on the syllable
preceding the final -ic) - eco'nomical, mathe'matical, 'ethical, 'chemical
Less intuitive with other endings 
: 'actual, a'erial, afflu'ential, ambassa'dorial, 'cervical,
cere'monial, con'ditional, 'digital, e'pidural...
e) The suffixe -ise is never stressed either
'realise, 'analyse, 'organise, 'compromise, 'franchise
Be careful... many mistakes are made because of this suffix... 
2) COMPOUNDS (compound nouns):
are composed of two nouns, but are sometimes written in just one word: swimming pool /
handshake. They are stressed on the first noun:
- 'swimming-pool, 'handshake, 'toothbrush, 'greenhouse..
COMPOUND-NOUNS
3) COMPOUND ADJECTIVES:
They are composed of two adjectives: they are stressed on the second word.
- a good-'looking girl, an old-'fashioned clock, a hard-'working student, a well-'known actor
COMPOUND ADJECTIVES
4) LAST, BUT NOT LEAST... here are THE TRAITORS!
Here are students' 'favourite' mistakes... Dozens, hundreds, thousands of times, undoubtedly, like most
of other language teachers, I had to correct the same mistakes... the mistakes we are expecting ( or rather
dreading), those which resist, and resist again and again... These words are deceivers
- 'interest, 'interested, 'interesting.
- be'ginning
- de'velop, de'veloped, de'veloping, de'velopment
- 'cath(o)lic ( exception à la règle 1a )
- under'stand ( préfixe 'under' non accentué )
- 'realise, 'analyse, 'organise.
That's it! You 'only' have to learn the rules... (and exceptions !) and to train a little in order to get the good
reflexes... I hope they will come quickly. Believe me, word stresses really make a difference during exams
or when hearing the presentation of projects, for instance...
Don't give up! Train again and again, it's worth it! 
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