Welcome back! Have you checked out my Accent Reduction classes yet? Those of you who read my blog frequently know that using syllable stress correctly is one of the very best ways to improve your comprehensibility when you speak English. That said, here are a few syllable stress patterns for compound words that you may [...]
Posts under ‘Syllable stress’
Teaching Pronunciation: Free Downloadable Books
Are you a pronunciation teacher?
Cambridge English Language Teaching offers some FREE downloadable books for teaching English pronunciation and listening skills.
One of these free books is Judy Gilbert’s book: Teaching Pronunciation: Using the Prosody Pyramid. This is a great resource for teachers of American English pronunciation because it explains the importance of teaching students how to use [...]
American English Pronunciation: Phrasal Verbs
This week in class one of my students said that he needed to catch up on his work. Uh, oh….
When I showed him this picture he understood his mistake.
In order to improve your American English pronunciation you must know how to use syllable stress and word stress. One pattern that you must follow is this: [...]
Syllable Stress in Nouns & Verbs
A couple of days ago I explained that heteronyms are two words that are spelled identically. The way the words are stressed determines the meaning.
One good example is the word: OBJECT.
The way you use syllable stress say the word ‘object’ changes the meaning of the word.
When the stress is on the first syllable the word [...]
Why You Need to Use Syllable Stress Correctly
One reason that you need to use syllable stress correctly when you are speaking is because English has many heteronyms.
Heteronyms are two words that are spelled identically. The way the words are pronounced determines the meaning.
One good example is the word: ADDRESS.
When you say the word ‘address’ the way you use syllable stress changes the [...]
American English Syllable Stress Patterns
If you are a frequent reader of my blog you know that one of the best ways to improve your American English pronunciation is to use syllable stress correctly.
In spoken English words with multiple syllables, one syllable is always more prominent than the others. We call this the stressed syllable.
Stressed syllables are pronounced:
with a [...]
Why You Have an Accent When You Speak American English, Part 1
Do you speak American English with a foreign accent? Many highly educated people read and write English perfectly. However, when they speak they have an accent that causes communication problems.
There are a number of factors that contribute to accented speech and this week I am going to describe five factors that may be causing you [...]
American English Pronunciation: Syllable Stress Rules
This week I have been teaching many of my students how to improve their English pronunciation by using syllable stress. Here are two rules that you can use to apply syllable stress correctly.
1. Compound nouns are stressed on the first syllable (or part). Here are a few examples:
CLASSroom
LIVing room
POST office
PARKing lot
BIKE rack
2. Compound verbs are [...]
Syllable Stress in Acronyms or Initialisms
While teaching an accent reduction class last week I noticed that my students were not pronouncing acronyms (or initialisms) correctly. This caused some communication confusion!
In spoken English acronyms are stressed on the last syllable or letter. That means you must lengthen the last letter and pronounce it with a higher pitch. After the stress your [...]
American English Pronunciation Problems for French Speakers
One key feature of good spoken English is syllable stress. In spoken English one syllable is each word is stressed. The vowel in the stressed syllable is lengthened and pronounced with a higher pitch.
Spoken French does not employ syllable stress in this way. French syllables are evenly stressed until you reach the last syllable in [...]
