Speaking: Pronunciation A2 - Lesson 4
Word Stress in Two-Syllable Words
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use the common stress patterns for two-syllable nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
Word Stress Isn't Random—It Follows Rules!
At A2 level, we can learn some simple rules about word stress1. For two-syllable2 words, the stress often depends on if the word is a noun3/adjective4 or a verb5.
| Word Type | Common Stress Pattern | Examples (Stressed syllable is in CAPITALS) |
|---|---|---|
| Nouns & Adjectives | Stress on the FIRST syllable (DUM-da) | TEA-cher, PIC-ture, HAP-py, YEL-low |
| Verbs | Stress on the SECOND syllable (da-DUM) | be-GIN, de-CIDE, for-GET, in-VITE |
This is a general rule and has exceptions, but it is true about 80% of the time and is very helpful!
Vocabulary Glossary
- Word Stress (Noun) | ការសង្កត់សំឡេងលើពាក្យ | Making one part of a word stronger and louder. ↩
- Syllable (Noun) | ព្យាង្គ | A part of a word with one vowel sound. "Teacher" has two syllables: "tea" and "cher". ↩
- Noun (Noun) | នាម | A word for a person, place, or thing (e.g., student, Siem Reap, book). ↩
- Adjective (Noun) | គុណនាម | A word that describes a noun (e.g., happy, big, red). ↩
- Verb (Noun) | កិរិយាស័ព្ទ | A word for an action or a state (e.g., walk, study, is). ↩
- present (Noun) | កាដូ / អំណោយ | A gift. ↩
- present (Verb) | បង្ហាញ | To give or show something formally. ↩
Pronunciation Focus: "Magic" Stress-Changing Words
Some words are magic! They are spelled the same, but the stress changes depending on if it's a noun or a verb. This changes the pronunciation and the meaning.
| Word | As a Noun (DUM-da) | As a Verb (da-DUM) |
|---|---|---|
| present | a PRE-sent (a gift6) | to pre-SENT (to give7) |
| record | a RE-cord (music) | to re-CORD (a video) |
| object | an OB-ject (a thing) | to ob-JECT (to disagree) |
Listen to the example sentences in the audio to hear the difference clearly.
Reviewing the Stress Patterns
Let's review the two beats we know. You can clap your hands to feel the rhythm.
Pattern 1: DUM-da (CLAP-da)
Used for most 2-syllable nouns and adjectives. The first part is strong.
Examples: PRO-blem, CLEV-er, PA-per
Pattern 2: da-DUM (da-CLAP)
Used for most 2-syllable verbs. The second part is strong.
Examples: for-GET, com-PLETE, pro-VIDE
Practice the Stress Patterns
Activity 1: Guess the Stress
Read the word and its type. Is the stress pattern DUM-da or da-DUM?
- student (noun) -> (DUM-da)
- invite (verb) -> (da-DUM)
- happy (adjective) -> (DUM-da)
- forget (verb) -> (da-DUM)
- present (noun, a gift) -> (DUM-da)
- present (verb, to give) -> (da-DUM)
Activity 2: Read the "Magic" Sentences
Practice reading these sentences aloud. Focus on changing the stress correctly.
- I want to re-CORD this music RE-cord.
- Let me pre-SENT you with this PRE-sent.
Your Pronunciation Mission
This week in Siem Reap, your mission is to become a "stress pattern detective".
- Listen to English speakers. When you hear a two-syllable word, try to identify the stress pattern.
- Find two new nouns/adjectives and two new verbs. Write them down, mark the stress, and practice saying them. Check if they follow the rules from this lesson.