VOA慢速英语2019--The Rules of Word Stress, Part 1
时间:2019-02-19 作者:英语课 分类:2019年VOA慢速英语(二)月
In English, syllable 1 stress is hugely important for communication. The word “stress” here means saying part of a word louder and holding the sound a little longer than other parts.
For example: movie. I said MO- a little louder and longer than -vie. If I had said, mo-VIE, people probably would have had no idea what I was saying.
In today’s Ask a Teacher, we will tell you some rules of English word stress, a request from our reader Larissa.
Answer:
Hello Larissa,
Thanks for asking! The good news is that English has a few word stress rules. The bad news is that English also breaks those rules from time to time. Still, the rules can act as useful guides.
Before we start, you need to be familiar with syllable counting. If you are not, visit our Ask a Teacher page and read “How to Count Syllables 2.”
For today, we will focus on two-syllable words.
Ok, let’s begin.
1. Most two-syllable nouns and adjectives stress the first syllable. Listen to some examples. The word meaning is not important:
quiet
coffee
playdate
table
Some exceptions include “asleep” “machine” and “hotel,” which stress the second syllable. But don’t try to memorize exceptions. You will get to know them from exposure and practice.
2. Two-syllable words that end in -er or -en almost always stress the first syllable, too. It does not matter whether the words are nouns, verbs or adjectives. Have a listen:?
smarter
father
writer
listen
open
spoken
3. Most two-syllable verbs and prepositions stress the second syllable. Take a listen:
within
enjoy
involve
around
escape
beneath
Again, there are some exceptions, like the verbs “follow” and “cancel.”
4. Here’s where it gets a little tricky 5: Some English words can be nouns or verbs, depending on stress. With stress on the first syllable, the following words act as nouns. And on the second, they act as verbs:
record - record
present - present
produce - produce
suspect - suspect
desert - desert
Again, there are exceptions. Some two-syllable words act as nouns or verbs with no change in stress, like “answer,” “promise,” “visit” and “reply.”
All in all, listening and speaking are the best ways to get comfortable with word stress in English. In time, your ear will tell you what sounds correct.
And that’s Ask a Teacher.
I’m Alice Bryant.
Words in This Story
syllable – n. any one of the parts into which a word is naturally divided when it is pronounced
familiar – adj. easy for you to recognize because you have seen, heard or experienced it many times in the past
practice – v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it
comfortable – adj. causing no worries, difficulty, or uncertainty
- You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
- The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。
- a word with two syllables 双音节单词
- 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓,它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
- Above a certain temperature,the enzyme molecule will become unfolded.超过一定温度,酶分子将会展开。
- An enzyme that dissolves the fibrin of blood clots.能溶解血凝块中的纤维的酶。
- He is fussy about the way his food's cooked.他过分计较食物的烹调。
- The little girl dislikes her fussy parents.小女孩讨厌她那过分操心的父母。