Pronunciation — Word Stress in English
Pronunciation — Word Stress in English
⏱ 5 minutes
Pronunciation
My French students at the ELT Hub in Landerneau (Brittany) all made the same error: they stressed every syllable equally, like French. In English, we stress ONE syllable per word — and the stress can change meaning completely. PHOtograph / phoTOgraphy / photoGRAPHic. Same letters. Different stress. Different word class.
🎯 Language Focus
| Rule | English words have ONE main stressed syllable — the others are weaker |
| Nouns vs verbs | REcord (noun) vs reCORD (verb) | PERmit vs perMIT |
| Word families | phoTOgraph → phoTOGraphy → photoGRAPHic |
| Schwa | Unstressed syllables often become /ə/: about = əBOUT, today = təDAY |
✏️ Quick Practice — Try It!
💡 Your 5-Minute Takeaway
Wrong stress = misunderstanding. Before learning a new word, learn its stress pattern — mark it with a dot above the stressed syllable in your notes: PHO•to•graph.
Independent educational resource. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification. Grammar reference: Swan, Practical English Usage. Frameworks: PPP, TBLT, ESA (standard ELT methodology).
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