Speaking: Pronunciation A1 - Lesson 2
Basic Word Stress
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to hear and correctly stress simple two-syllable words in English.
What is Word Stress?
In English, we don't say every part of a word with the same power. We push on one part more. This is called word stress1. It means making one syllable2 stronger, louder, and a little longer.
Think of it like a drum beat. Some beats are quiet (da) and some are LOUD (DUM). English words have a beat. Getting the beat right makes your English sound natural.
| Word | The Stress Pattern (The "Beat") |
|---|---|
| Water | WA-ter (Beat: DUM-da) |
| Hotel | ho-TEL (Beat: da-DUM) |
| Student | STU-dent (Beat: DUM-da) |
| About | a-BOUT (Beat: da-DUM) |
| Market | MAR-ket (Beat: DUM-da) |
Vocabulary Glossary
- Word Stress (Noun) | ការសង្កត់សំឡេងលើពាក្យ | Making one part of a word sound stronger and louder. ↩
- Syllable (Noun) | ព្យាង្គ | A part of a word with one vowel sound. 'Water' has two syllables: 'wa' and 'ter'. ↩
- Water (Noun) | ទឹក | The clear liquid that you drink every day. ↩
- Student (Noun) | សិស្ស | A person who studies at a school or university. ↩
- Money (Noun) | លុយ | Riel or dollars that you use to buy things. ↩
- Market (Noun) | ផ្សារ | A place to buy fresh food, like Phsar Nath in Battambang. ↩
- Teacher (Noun) | គ្រូ | A person who helps students learn. ↩
Pronunciation Focus: Hearing the Beat
Let's practice the two main beats for two-syllable words. Try to copy the sound and the beat exactly.
Pattern 1: Stress on the FIRST part (Beat: DUM-da)
The first syllable is strong and the second is weak. Listen for the strong first part: AP-ple, TI-cket, DOC-tor.
Pattern 2: Stress on the SECOND part (Beat: da-DUM)
The first syllable is weak and the second is strong. Listen for the strong second part: ho-TEL, a-BOUT, to-DAY.
A Simple Tip for Nouns
Here is a simple tip that is very helpful! Most two-syllable nouns in English have stress on the FIRST syllable (the DUM-da beat).
For example: TEA-cher, COUN-try, PIC-ture, PEO-ple.
Practice the Stress
Activity 1: Clap the Beat
Say these words out loud. Clap your hands LOUDLY on the strong, stressed syllable. Feel the beat!
- stu-dent
- a-bout
- mar-ket
- mon-ey 5
Activity 2: Listen and Choose the Beat
Listen as I say a word, then you choose the correct beat. Is it DUM-da or da-DUM?
- "country" -> (Beat is DUM-da)
- "enjoy" -> (Beat is da-DUM)
- "repeat" -> (Beat is da-DUM)
Activity 3: Sentence Stress (Challenge)
Now, let's try stress in a full sentence. The beat of a sentence is called 'rhythm'. Read these sentences and stress the CAPITAL parts.
- I en-JOY my TEA-cher.
- We had de-SSERT in the DE-sert. (This one is very tricky!)
- My STU-dent is from Bat-tam-BANG.
Your Stress Mission
This week, listen carefully to English words you hear in Battambang. Listen for the music and the beat.
- Try to hear the DUM-da or da-DUM beat in words.
- Find 5 new two-syllable words and practice saying them with the correct beat.
- Try saying the challenge sentences from Activity 3 to a friend.