Problematic sounds
In groups or in pairs, pronounce the following words.
pat | bat |
Which words do you have a difficulty pronouncing? Read the following sentences and note the words you find difficult to pronounce.
- Pat went to the pitch carrying a bat.
- The dog was in the park barking.
- Did you lend your friend the red cardigan?
- I bet this is your pet.
- There is no harm putting your arm on the table.
Stress
The following words were said using a lot more force than the others. Read them after your teacher.
Table A | Table B |
good | evening |
The words in Table A have one vowel sound. Good is pronounced as /gud/ and clean pronounced as /klin/. The ones in Table B have more than one vowel sound. Deliver has three parts /de/ /li/ /ver/. The part of the word that contains a vowel sound is known as a syllable.
Listen to your teacher read the words in Table A and B. The part of the word that is said with greater force is said to be stressed. For example, when pronouncing the word ‘evening’ the syllable ‘eve’ is said with greater force, meaning it is stressed.
Stress in English is very important. It can change the meaning of a word. For example, when the first syllable of the word ‘conduct’ is stressed it could mean ‘behaviour’. When the second syllable is stressed it could mean, ‘to direct’.
Read once again the words below. The division in the words should help you to identify which syllable is stressed. Say the stressed syllable more loudly than the rest.
– fat | one syllable |
When a word has more than one syllable, the stress of the syllable varies as follows:
- The syllable said with the greatest force in a word is said to have the primary stress. For example in the word ‘deliver’ the syllable ‘li’ is said with the greatest force. Therefore ‘li’ has the primary stress.
- The syllable said with less force than the primary stress, is said to have a secondary stress. For example, in the word ‘deliver’ the syllable ‘de’ is said with less force than ‘li’ and thus has secondary stress.
- The syllable said with the least breath is said to be unstressed. For example, in the word deliver, the syllable ‘er’ is said with the least breath and may be said to be the unstressed syllable.
The dictionary shows the primary stress with an upward stroke(‘), while the secondary stress is shown with a downward (,) stroke. These stress marks help us to identify which syllable to stress in a word. Identify these strokes in the dictionary.
Stressed syllables also help us differentiate a verb from a noun.
Exercise 1
Practise reading the following words putting stress on the part that has an upward stroke (‘).
- ‘English
- ‘dictionary
- manu’facture
- ‘lazy
- ‘coming
- ‘slowly
- sa’lute
- ‘fasten
- in’humane
- re’cover
- suc’ceed
- en’list
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