Communication Beginnings: An Introductory Listening and Speaking Text for English Language Learners

Chapter 7 81 Speaking Tip: Syllable Stress A: Did you say your major is teaching English? B: No! I said teaching SPA nish. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you need to stress or emphasize a word in English so another person understands you, you can pronounce the syllables of the word differently. This is called “stress”. Syllable stress= Making a word or syllable louder or higher, so it is noticed by listeners. Rules: · Stress the first syllable of: Most two-syllable nouns (examples: PENcil, JACKet) Most two-syllable adjectives (examples: LOVEly , HAPpy) · Stress the last syllable of: Most two-syllable verbs (examples: reQUIRE, deCIDE) · Stress the middle syllable of: Most three syllable words ( toMAto, comPUter) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Practice Read the conversation below with a partner. Practice saying the stressed syllables louder and higher. A: Hey! what are you studying? B: I’m studying biology. A: Did you say ge O logy? B: No, I said bi O logy. A: Oh, sorry! Cool. Biology sounds interesting. What kind of job do you want? B: I want to be a climate scientist. A: A WHAT ? B: A CLI mate scientist. They study the weather and how it changes. A: Oh! Cool. Good luck! B: Thanks!