No JAMB candidate can avoid answering questions on word stress, and those who master it will find it much easier. That’s exactly why you’re here. Feel free to use the comment box to ask questions or suggest topics you’d like us to cover next.
What You'll Learn in this Post
JAMB Free Tutorial On Word Stress
STRESS IN ENGLISH
Stress phonetically is an extra force used when pronouncing a particular word or syllable uttered with greater energy or emphasis and consequently louder and stronger.
Those that require greater energy are said to be stressed and those that do not require such force are said to be unstressed.
The unstressed syllables are usually found with weak vowels – /I/ , /U/ … While stressed syllables carry long vowels /a:/ , /3:/ , /I/ , and diphthongs – /ei/ , /au/ , /ai/ ..
The methods of indicating stress include underlining, placement of a stroke before the stressed syllable, and capitalization. Capitalization is the most used method, it is used for the W.A.S.S.C Examination
Example of Capitalization letters
aBUSE
FREquent
REAding
appliCATION
Example of Underlining Method
a buse
apply cation
Inor ganic
Example of stroke Method
abuse
‘frequent
application
WORD STRESS CLASSIFICATION
Words are generally classified according to the number of syllables they are made of.
We’ve 3 types of syllable:
- Monosyllabic
- Disyllabic and
- Polysyllabic words.
a. Monosyllabic words: They are words with only one syllable pronounced at a breath. They’re simple and short forms of words, it does take stress at the first syllable.
Examples: FAT, MAKE, LIP, or SPRAY.
b. DISYLLABIC WORDS:
These are words with two or double syllables. If a word two syllables, the first syllable is a prefix, the second syllable attracts the stress while the first syllable is unstressed.
Examples; stress on the first syllable:
MAdam, MOther, LAzy, CLEver, GOvern, CHARger.
Example Stress On Second Syllable (Prefix):
conDEMN , unKNOWN , preDATE , aDDICT , unLOCK , aSLEEP .
Prefix are morphemes added before a root word or base word to derive a new meaning – un, in, il, no, pre, pro, re, auto, post, neo.
c . POLYSYLLABIC WORDS:
These are words made up of three or more syllables.
Note: That generally, words of three or more syllables have their stress on the third syllable from the end of the word. Prefixes and suffixes are usually not stressed.
RULES ON STRESS OF POLYSYLLABIC WORDS
RULE 1:
Stress the first syllable (1st Syllable ) from the back or end of a word whenever any of the following inflection is seen:
TAIN
RADE
NOON
RUPT
SINE
XERT
ISE
PLETE
LENGE
MAIN
BIT
COME
NESE
POSE
ESE
IZE
HEND
LEAGUE
BUTE
DAY
REE
PLOYED
BEY
STAND
PLODE
STOOD
ZINE
TATE
RETE
Examples : enterTAIN , interRUPT ,decomPOSE, introDUCE , misunderSTAND chaLLENGE …
RULE 2
Stress the second syllable from the back or end of a word ends in the following: sion, tion, sure, ture, ing, Ed, ede, ege, ade, ere, ent, Ade, or, er, ICS, ic, tial, cial, ian, IOUs …
Examples : compenSAtion , matheMAtics , converSAtion , eduCAtion , adVENture , adMIssion , adMIXture , carPENting poliTIcian..
RULE 3
Stress the 3rd syllable from the end or back of a word which ends in the following : lly,cy,phy,ky,Dy,ty …. rural,tive,al, less,ous,ible,sm,Kent,itude,al,phone,ult,ible ,full,ness
Examples:
satisFACtory, inforMAlity, BEtterment, fanTAStical, conSERvative, SPEctacle, MAgnitude …. and the likes …
RULE 4
Compound words are made up of two or more words hyphenated or unhyphenated.
a. Generally, the stress is on the first word: GAScooker, TAPErecorder, HEADache, …
b . The stress however can be on the second part of the compound word in (1) Adjectives (2) Number (3)Food and Menu (4)Compass Points.
Examples
Adjectives: first-CLASS, forty- ONE.
FOOD AND MENU: toast-BREAD, peppered-SOUP …
compass Points: south-WEST, north-EAST, north-WEST, south-WEST …
C. Sometimes, a compound word may have a special meaning quite different from the literal meaning of the individual words. In this regard, the first word is stressed.
Example: BLACKleg, WHITEhouse, BLACKmail, BLACKberry, LAPtop.
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Thanks.
CommuniCATion
CommuniCAtion
comMUnism
roastBEEF
south SOUTH
comMERcial
eduCAtion
communiCation
comMUnism
roastBEEF
south SOUTH
comMERcial
eduCAtion
Correct
Amen.
OK we would work on that on out next tutorial . Thanks .
Nice work bro. God bless men you are really helping a lot of students.
I really appreciate, before I was thinking of finding a English teacher to be teaching me, most especially words stress, but now I am really okay with this,may God bless you and increase your knowledge of understanding, please in the next lesson I will like you discuss about words and opposite,word and it meaning etc thanks so much Edustuff.
Now I know it, right from secondary school I was lost in this topic thank you
Thank you ❣️
God bless you sir. Pls sir. We need help On oral. Synonyms and antonyms sir. We will really appreciate if those areas can be looked into sir. We will surely recommend to all our jambites friend
CommuniCAtion, commuNIsm,ROAST beef,comMERcial, SOUTH south and eduCAtion.
You get it receive my ovation
Nice
We need more on prefixes and suffixes
And also Noun phrase
For reals this app is f*******## dope it’s the best one could ever make use of out of all the Jamb apps I got this actually comprehens all
communiCAtion
ComMUnism
roast_BEEF
south_SOUTH
comMERcial
eduCAtion
Please I want to join the tutorial.
I want to join the tutorial I have exam tomorrow
I want to join tutorial,I have exam tomorrow
I have jamb on Monday
com-mu-ni-CA-tion
COM-mu-ni-sm
roast-BEEF
south-SOUTH
com-MER-cial
e-du-CA-tion
I have learnt the word stressed in a different way through this. Thanks a lot.
You’re welcome