In this chapter you will learn the rules of stressing words within sentences. If you stress the right words your speech will have a natural rhythm and melody that is familiar to native speakers. The stress and reduction of words creates the music of English. If your sentences are difficult to understand, it could be that you are not stressing any words, or else that you are stressing the wrong words. If you are not emphasizing any words, your speech will sound flat and monotone, and the listener will not know where one word begins and another ends. If you are stressing the wrong words, your speech will sound very foreign. For example, saying “I’ll see you later.” and “Have a nice day.” sounds foreign to the American ear. Try changing the word stress and say: “I’ll see you later.” and “Have a nice day.” Native speakers will recognize a familiar speech pattern this time and will be more likely to understand what you said, even if you are speaking quickly. So, if you have a tendency to speak too fast, learning to speak with correct word stress will automatically force you to slow down.

It’s important to note that sometimes when the word stress changes, the meaning also changes.

For example:

“I went to the white house.”

or

“I went to the White House.”

The first example describes a house that is white, while the second one is the name of the place where the US President lives. Let’s now learn some rules of word stress.

Compound nouns are two individual words that carry one meaning. They are part of one unit and have become a set phrase. Usually a compound noun consists of two nouns such as credit + card. In compound nouns, the first word is stressed, and the two words are said together, with no pausing in between the words. Key and board is pronounced as keyboard.
(Note that compound nouns can be written either as a single word or as two separate words.)

The Stair Technique

Stress the first word and pronounce the two words as one.

1. parking lot

5. book shelf

9. credit card

13. football

2. parking ticket

6. book cover

10. postcard

14. baseball

3. parking meter

7. bookstore

11. report card

15. ballpark

4. parking space

8. bookmark

12. green card

16. ballroom

More Compound Noun Practice

Stress the first word in these compound nouns within compound nouns.

1. cell phone number
2. football game
3. bedroom furniture
4. high school girl

5. basketball coach

6. blood pressure medicine

7. website address

8. parking lot attendant