Understanding Syllable Stress
CEFR Level A2Lesson Goals
In this lesson, you will learn how to hear and identify syllable stress—the "music" of English words—to improve your listening and pronunciation.
What is Syllable Stress?
In English, words with two or more parts (syllables) have a special "beat" or music. One syllable is always a little louder, longer, and higher in sound. This is the stressed syllable.
Getting the stress right makes your English sound much more natural and easier for others to understand.
Pattern 1: Stress on the FIRST Syllable (DA-da)
Many common English words have stress on the first part. It sounds like DA-da. Listen to the audio for these examples:
Pattern 2: Stress on the SECOND Syllable (da-DA)
Other words have stress on the second part. It sounds like da-DA. Listen to these examples:
Key Tip: A Simple Rule for Stress
Here is a simple rule that is often true (but not always!):
- Most 2-syllable nouns (e.g., TEAcher, MARket) and adjectives (e.g., HAPpy, YELlow) have stress on the first syllable.
- Most 2-syllable verbs (e.g., deCIDE, rePLY) have stress on the second syllable.
Why Stress is Important: Noun vs. Verb
Sometimes, changing the stress changes the word's meaning. The word "present" is a perfect example. Listen carefully to the difference in the audio.
PRE-sent (Noun: a gift)
Sentence: "I received a present for my birthday."
pre-SENT (Verb: to give or show)
Sentence: "Tomorrow, I will present my project to the class."
Activity: Which Pattern Do You Hear?
Listen to each word in the audio. Is the stress pattern DA-da (1st syllable) or da-DA (2nd syllable)?
- Word 1: "about" → Pattern: _____
- Word 2: "student" → Pattern: _____
- Word 3: "decide" → Pattern: _____
- Word 4: "happy" → Pattern: _____
Show Answers
Answers: 1. da-DA, 2. DA-da, 3. da-DA, 4. DA-da
Vocabulary
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Syllable (noun) [ព្យាង្គ]
A single unit of speech or a "part" of a word. For example, the word "wa-ter" has two syllables.
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Syllable Stress (noun phrase) [ការសង្កត់សំឡេងលើព្យាង្គ]
Making one syllable in a word louder, longer, and higher in sound than the others.
Your Mission
Improve your stress-spotting skills with these two tasks.
- Become a Stress Detective: Listen to an English song. Find five words with two syllables. Say them out loud and decide if they are DA-da or da-DA.
- Use the Dictionary: Use an online dictionary (like Oxford Learner's Dictionaries). Look up the words "water" and "again". The dictionary uses a small mark (') to show you the stressed syllable (e.g., 'water, a'gain). This is a great way to check your answers!