PATRONAGE OF MARY DEVELOPMENT SCHOOL

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INSTRUCTIONAL PACKET IN ENGLISH 8

Lesson 3
TYPICAL PATTERNS OF STRESS
I. Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to;
1. define what is stress;
2. determine the typical patterns of stress;
3. identify the stress in longer words;
4. apply the important points which words need stress in listening; and
5. value the importance of stress in listening.

II. Preliminary Activities / Motivation

Read the following words. Study the words carefully and guess which syllable needs to be stressed.
Teacher Interest Generic Simplicity Consideration

Concern Consumer Compensate Unreasonable Experimental

Native Engineer Remember Accompany Apologize

Immune Wonderful Understand Economics Ignore

Dislike Obsolete Accuracy Academic Deserve

 If you are going to group these words, which word belongs to two-syllable nouns, two-syllable
adjectives and two-syllable verbs?
 Which of the following words belong to three-syllable nouns, three-syllable adjectives, three-
syllable verbs, and four or more syllables?
III. Content/ Inputs

Stress or accent is the application of force on a syllable to give it more importance than the
surrounding syllables. In words of more than one syllable, the syllable which receives the stress is
called the accented syllable while the syllable which is not stressed is called unaccented syllable.
Let us listen to typical examples of stress in English words. Main factors that influence stress
are the number of syllables in the word, and whether the word is a noun, an adjective, or a verb.
ONE-SYLLABLE WORDS
One-syllable nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are stressed on the vowel sound in the
word. Note that a diphthong is one complex vowel sound that forms only one syllable. A diphthong
is stressed on its first main component.

Examples:
Book Rain Boat Crow Chair Cat
Read Burn Touch Choose Laugh Hear
New Bright Large Short Clear Loud
Late Fast Cast Soon Good Now

TWO-SYLLABLE WORDS
A. Two-syllable nouns
Two-syllable nouns are usually stressed on the first syllable.

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Examples:

TEACHer STUDent CARpet LESson

REgion ILLness STATEment CITy
CONvict INcrease INStinct OBject
PERmit PREsent PROject SYMbol

Nouns may be stressed on the last syllable if there is a long vowel or a diphthong in it.
Words of foreign origin (especially words of French origin) may be stressed on the last syllable.
Examples:
trainEE caREER deLAY conCERN

poLICE hoTEL beRET chaLET

B. Two-syllable adjectives
Two-syllable adjectives are usually stressed on the first syllable.
Examples:
FUNny LOCal USEful

FOOLish NATive CAREless

Some adjectives are stressed on the last syllable if there is a long vowel or diphthong in it.
Examples:
abSURD comPLETE exTREME moROSE

If there is a prefix in an adjective, the stress often falls on the first syllable of the root after
the prefix.
Examples:
inSANE imMUNE enGAGED unKNOWN

C. Two-syllable verbs
Two-syllable verbs are usually stressed on the second syllable, especially if the first syllable
is a prefix.
Examples:

adMIT oBEY conFIRM purSUE exPLAIN unDO prePARE

comBINE proPOSE misPLACE surPRISE igNORE beLIEVE rePLY
disLIKE supPLY forGET beGIN perMIT deSERVE unLOCK
orBIT apPLY ocCUR deNY reCEIVE inVITE reWIND

But there are many verbs that are stressed on the first syllable.
Examples:
HAPpen CANcel PRACtice ANswer
OFfer MENtion FOLlow BORrow
Which Words to Stress?
In listening, you need to understand which words need to stress. In this way, you will be able to
identify the important points in the sentences or paragraphs that you will hear. Stress words are said to
be content words. Below are some of the examples.

1. Nouns – house, Amy, car

2. Majority of the main verbs – play, write, stop
3. Adjectives – smart, unusual, huge
4. Adverbs – always, carefully, patiently
5. Negative helping verbs and other words with “no” – nothing, notwithstanding
6. Words that express quantities – many, all, a lot
In listening, you can skip the non-stressed words or function words because the stress words or
the content words give the important points. Below are examples of non-stressed words.

1. Auxiliary verbs – am, was, can

2. Prepositions – inside, toward, under

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 3. Conjunctions – and, but, as
4. Pronouns – he, us, them
THREE-SYLLABLE WORDS
A. Three-syllable nouns
Three-syllable nouns are usually stressed on the first syllable.
Examples:
POLitics GOVernment GENeral
INterest GRADuate CONfidence

But many nouns, especially those derived from verbs with prefixes, have stress on the second
syllable.
Examples:
apPROval conFUsion conSUmer
corRECTness eLECtion diRECTor
Some nouns have primary stress on the last syllable if there is a long vowel or diphthong in it.
Examples:
՚engi՚NEER ՚refu՚GEE

B. Three-syllable adjectives
Three-syllable adjectives are usually stressed on the first syllable.
Examples:
GENeral DELicate EXcellent
WONderful FAVorite CURious

Some adjectives have one more stress on the last syllable if there is a long vowel or a
diphthong in it.
Examples:
՚OBso՚lete / ՚obso՚LETE ՚Vietna՚MESE ՚Portu՚GUESE

Some adjectives do not repeat the stress of the noun from which they were derived and are
stressed on the second syllable.
Examples:
geNEric symBOLic insTINCTive

C. Three-syllable verbs
Three-syllable verbs often have primary stress on the first syllable (even if it is a prefix) and
secondary stress on the last syllable (which is often a verb suffix).
Examples:
՚ORga՚nize ՚MODer՚nize ՚SIGni՚fy ՚SPECi՚fy
՚COMpen՚sate ՚DECo՚rate ՚COMpli՚ment ՚CONsti՚tute

FOUR OR MORE SYLLABLES

Long nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs usually have two stresses: primary stress and
secondary stress. But there are some long words with only one stress. There are four patterns of stress in
long words.
A. Only one stress: on the first syllable
Nouns:
ACcuracy DELicacy
Adjectives:
INteresting
B. Only one stress: on the second syllable
Nouns:
inTOLerance geOMetry aMERica
simPLICity moBILity teLEPathy
Adjectives:
sigNIficant mysTErious
inTOLerable unREAsonable
Verbs:
acCOMpany

C. Two stresses: on the first and third syllable

This is a very common pattern in long words in English.
Nouns:
՚eco՚NOMics ՚infor՚MAtion
՚consti՚TUtion ՚repe՚TItion
՚coloni՚ZAtion ՚multipli՚CAtion
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Adjectives:
՚aca՚DEMic ՚geo՚METrical
՚inter՚NAtional ՚cosmo՚POLitan
՚capita՚LIStic ՚conver՚SAtional

D. Two stresses: on the second and fourth syllable

Nouns:
Con՚side՚RAtion
in՚vesti՚GAtion
con՚tinu՚Ation
Adjectives:
ex՚peri՚MENtal
in՚compre՚HENsible
Verbs:
i՚DENti՚fy in՚TENsi՚fy
in՚TOXi՚cate ac՚CUmu՚late
com՚MERcia՚lize a՚POLo՚gize

IV. Review / Enhancement Activity

1. Stress or accent is the application of force on a syllable to give it more importance than the
surrounding syllables.
2. One-syllable nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are stressed on the vowel sound in the
word. A diphthong is stressed on its first main component.
3. Main factors that influence stress are the number of syllables in the word, and whether the
word is a noun, an adjective, or a verb.
4. In listening, you need to understand which words need to stress. In this way, you will be
able to identify the important points in the sentences or paragraphs that you will hear.
5. In listening, you can skip the non-stressed words or function words because the stress
words or the content words give the important points.
6. There are four patterns of stress in long words namely: a.) Only one stress: on the first
syllable; b.) Only one stress: on the second syllable; c.) Two stresses: on the first and third
syllable; and d.) Two stresses: on the second and fourth syllable.
7. Typical Patterns of Stress are One-Syllable words, Two-syllable nouns, two-syllable verbs,
two-syllable adjectives, three-syllable nouns, three-syllable adjectives, and three-syllable
verbs.

V. Learning Tasks
1. Stress. Encircle the stress words in the sentences below.
2. Two-Syllable Nouns. Nouns are stressed on the first syllable. Write the words below
with the stress on the first syllable on the blank provided.
3. Two-Syllable Verbs. Verbs are stressed on the second syllable. Write the words
below with the stress on the second syllable on the blank provided.
4. Stress in Longer Words. Read the group of words carefully. Using the table, classify
the words according to pattern of stress in long words.
Note: Learning tasks are in the separate sheet. Kindly check the attachment.
VI. References / Materials
Tagay, Lourna V. et al (2019). Journeying through Literature and Language with Afro-Asian Literary Texts.
Revised Edition. Makati City. Salesiana Books by Don Bosco Press, Inc.
Aguisanda, Hazel S., Rouel A. Longinos and Laiza Grace R. Cavales (2012). Accents and Voices. Cebu City:
Aguisanda, Longinos and Cavales
Speech Improvement by the OAR Schools Textbooks Committee (nd)

Prepared by: Checked by:

RUTH U. MALLORCA EDGARDO M. CABASE, JR., LPT

Subject Teacher Department Chair – JHS

Approved:

ROUEL A. LONGINOS, Ed. D., Ph.D.

School Director/ Principal
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