Chapter 2 Ortiz Lira

2 Stress in English simple words
2.1 Introduction
The first thing that needs to be clarified is to state what we understand by simple word. Strictly
speaking, a simple word is one which is made up of a single grammatical unit called stem, e.g. nation,
judge. Derivatives such as national, nationalistic and judgement, prejudgement are not, technically
speaking, simple words, but complex, because they contain affixes (either prefixes and/or suffixes).
For the sake of simplicity, however, we have decided to group derivatives together with simple words
and not to deal with them in a separate chapter. Stress in compounds and collocations will be
explored in chapter 3.
The aims of this chapter are in general terms twofold: provide a comprehensive account of the
main rules governing the distribution of primary and secondary stresses in simple words and
derivatives as well as a variety of examples, drills and marking and reading tasks. The former will
help learners fix correct citation patterns in their minds and the latter will help them make their way
into more complex constructions collocations and longer utterances. The fact that the rules that
govern English stress placement in words are complicated and for the most part do not correspond to
those in Spanish, makes it advisable for students to learn the stress pattern of each word as they learn
the word itself its pronunciation, its meaning, its grammar and its capacity to collocate. Also,
learning stress rules implies getting acquainted with regularities and exceptions, a detailed account of
both of which will be provided in this chapter. These are phonological rules, which establish
relationships between phonemic patterning and stress.
Chapter 2 is as follows: in section 2.2 stress is related to English vowels and syllable typology,
and morphological rules, which indicate the relationship between affixes and stress (sections 2.3 and
2.4). Section 2.5 focuses on stress in verbal derivatives and in 2.6 we examine stress in noun-centered
formations. Stress in word-class pairs is dealt with in 2.7. The issue of stress variation is addressed in
sections 2.8 and 2.9, including British vs American preference. 2.10 is an extensive compilation of
the most representative English stress patterns from two- to seven-syllable words. The chapter closes
with a collection of notes and observations aimed at the Spanish learner (section 2.11).
2.2 Word stress and syllable patterning

As explained in chapter 1, the English phonological vowel system consists of two separate
subsystems, strong and weak, each one correlating with syllable stress: whereas stressed syllables can
only have strong vowels, unstressed syllables can contain either strong or weak vowels. In the table
Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011
25
below, the columns stressed and unstressed indicate what vowel phonemes can and cannot get a
stress (either primary or secondary) in English syllables, respectively:
stressed
unstressed
Strong vowels (long):

i
A
aI
eI
I
aU
U
I
e
U
epipl
efAD
ed
ekul
edZni
etaIg
efeIms
ekInIdZ
efaUnd
efrUzn
eTIt
ekefl
etUrIN
divieeISn
AkieldZi
ptefUliU
hlusIeneISn
dZnelIstIk
saIkUeTerpi
reIdieeISn
pInt eblQNk
saUTewest
SUvIenIstIk
nIesaItId
verieeISn
dZUrIsedIkSn
etmbil
pAetISn
ekrId
eQbslut
es!bb
aIedentIfaI
esveI
eInvIs
edIskaUnt
temAtU
ereIndI
epremie
editU
Strong vowels (short):

I
e
Q
U
!
elItl
epep
elQd
ekp
ekUk
e!vn
rIkrImIeneISn
reveluSn
kQfIetIri
prpegQnd
lUkren
s!plIementri
(see below)
eQspekt
eklaImQks
ekQtlg
(see below)
eImp!ls
Weak vowels (non-prominent):

i
I
U
u
eberi
ekQbIdZ
eQkjUrt
eInfluns
eb!v
With reference to the above table, the following points are worth making:
(i) Any vowel apart from /, i, u/ the so-called weak, unstressable vowels may occur with
either a primary or secondary stress; /i/ is not to be confused with /i/, e.g. easy /eizi/. The occurrence
26
H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent
of /u/, on the other hand, is much less frequent than /i/ in word-final position and can be found in
clitic position in words such as you and to, e.g. ethank you, I ewant to. Besides, both /i/ and /u/ also
occur prevocalically in word medial position, as in pronunciation /prn!nsieeISn/ and situation
/sItSueeISn/.1
(ii) There is a small discrepancy among authors between the choice of symbols /i, u/ which
represent two consecutive weak syllables and diphthongs /I, U/ in unstressed positions, e.g. idiom
/eIdim, eIdIm/, mutual /emjutSul, emjutSUl/.2
(iii) /U/ is often weakened to // in unstressed positions, both before and after the syllable
carrying the primary stress, e.g. domain /demeIn, dUemeIn/, prohibit /prehIbIt, prUehIbIt/;
extrovert /eekstrvt, eekstrUvt/. The weakened form is characteristic of a colloquial, less
deliberate style; the full form is kept in certain prefixes such as bio-, endo-, for instance, when the
speaker perceives the prefix and the root as more individual, separate elements, e.g. bioengineering
/qbaIU(q)endZIenIrIN/, endocentric /qendUesentrIk/; cf. biochemist /qbaIekemIst/, /qbaekemIst/,
endoscope /eendskUp/. In AmE, however, the regular pattern is with /-oU/.
(iv) /I, U/ belong to both subsystems. For instance, in the word minimum /emInImm/, /I/ plays
the part of a strong vowel in syllable one and a weak vowel in the next syllable, i.e. syllables
containing /I, U/ are strong only if they are stressed and do not have inherent prominence due to their
centralized quality.
(v) English phonology allows strong vowels both long and short to be either stressed or
unstressed. As noted in chapter 1, a random selection of syllable types reveals that something like one
every five strong vowels is unstressed and this can occur both before and after the primary stress. All
strong vowels can occur in unstressed syllables.
(vi) Decisions on stress placement do not depend on spelling, but on vowel quality (strong or
weak). For instance, in the verbs supply /seplaI/, prefer /prIef/, rampage /rQmepeIdZ/ the stress
coincides with a strong vowel, whereas in vary /everi/, differ /edIf/, average /eQvrIdZ/, the final
weak vowels disallow stress.
2.3 Word stress and prefixation

Learners will benefit from the information provided by affixation. In the present analysis we
shall consider mainly prefixes which are added to free stems, i.e. stems which exist as words in their
own right when the prefix is removed: items such as admit /demIt/ and induce /Inedjus/, where -mit
and -duce are not independent words but bound stems, have been left out. Exceptions are cases which
in our experience represent problematic patterns learners often trip over because of mother tongue
interference, e.g. polygamy /pelIgmi/. We have also excluded items which are not readily
recognizable as deriving from prefixation, such as beside, discard, the same as two-syllable
derivatives in which the primary stress goes on the monosyllabic stem, e.g. etactless, eactor, none of
which constitute pronunciation problems for the learner.
27
The central role of prefixation is to change the meaning of the stem, e.g. crime ~ ecybercrime,
qecoenomics ~ qmacroecoenomics. Three patterns may result from the addition of a prefix to a stem: the
most common is double stress, with a secondary stress on the prefix and a primary stress on the stem,
a tendency which becomes an absolute rule when the rhythm of the word allows it, i.e. either when
the first syllable of the stem is unstressed, as in asymmetrical /qeIsIemetrIkl/, or when the prefix is
disyllabic, as in anticlockwise /qQntieklkwaIz/ and oversensitive /qUvesensItIv/. Another pattern
consists of an unstressed prefix followed by a stressed stem, as in incredible /INekredbl/. Also, a
very common pattern which applies mainly (but not exclusively) to nouns is that in which the prefix
attracts the primary stress, leaving the stem unstressed, e.g. supermarket /esupmAkIt/.
We shall organize examples into two groups: in 2.3.1 the prefix leaves the primary stress on the
stem unaltered, with either a stressed or unstressed prefix, e.g. aegree > qdisaegree, edefinite >
inedefinite. These stress-neutral prefixes originate nouns, verbs and adjectives. Section 2.3.2
consists mainly of single-stressed nouns in which the prefix attracts the primary stress, e.g.
monoculture /emnk!ltS/, monogamy /mengmi/. See also section 2.5, which includes
derivatives whose grammatical category depends on the location of the primary stress early for
nouns and adjectives, e.g. transplant /etrQnsplAnt/, and late for verbs /trQnseplAnt/.
Learners will notice that the same prefix may be stress-neutral in one case, e.g. foreshadow
/feSQdU/, and it may attract stress in another, e.g. forefinger /effINg/. They will also observe
that most early-stressed derivatives are nouns and that sometimes speakers usage is divided between
shifted and non-shifted versions, as in unbearable pain /!mqberbl epeIn, q!mberbl epeIn/,
bilingual secretary /baIqlINgwl esekrtri, qbaIlINgwl esekrtri/. LPD shows this with a bracketed
stress mark: /(w)!mqberbl/, /(w)baIqlINgwl/. Apart from contributing towards a balanced distribution
of accented syllables in connected speech through the process known as stress-shift, secondary
stresses as those in qdisaegree, qdievergent also play an important role in signalling contrastive
contexts such as We aqgree to edisagree; qdivergent and qconvergent eviews. (See also chapter 4). A
few prefixes which are unable to convey contrastive meanings are unstressed, such as em-, en-, im-,
in-, as in the verbs emepower, enelarge, imeprison, inecriminate, etc., and when prefixed stems do not
participate in contrastive contexts of the type emoral ~ qimemoral, e.g. deeodorized, imepeccable,
inecessant, etc., where the stems are bound.
The following examples, all of which represent citation forms, show some of the most
productive prefixes stressed in (a) and generally unstressed in (b). Notice that adjectives such as
qunderewater, as in an qunderwater ecamera, can also function as adverbs, as in He qswam underewater:
2.3.1 Stress-neutral prefixes: qantibieotic, diseable

(a)
Nouns:
anticlimax
antidepressant
autobiography
autosuggestion
28
(b)
biochemistry
contraindication
disrepute
hypothermia
intermarriage
malnutrition
nanotechnology
nonbeliever
polytechnic
subcontinent
biodiversity
co-worker
epiglottis
inequality
intersection
metaphysics
neuroscience
nonsmoker
retrospective
superintendent
biotechnology
deformation
geophysics
inexperience
malformation
misapprehension
neurosurgeon
polyclinic
semicolon
supervision
coauthor
discontent
hypertension
interlocutor
malfunction
miscalculation
nonaggression
polyethylene
sociolinguist
Adjectives:
acephalous
antiperspirant
asexual
counterproductive
ex-directory
geothermal
immature
monosyllabic
nonexistent
outstanding
premarital
stereotypical
superseded
transnational
ultraviolet
unilateral
unsustainable
amoral
anti-terrorist
asymmetric
decaffeinated
extracurricular
hypercorrect
incorrect
monolingual
non-profit
polysyllabic
retroactive
subhuman
supranational
transoceanic
unassuming
uninvited
antinuclear
antiviral
atypical
disloyal
extramural
hypercritical
macrobiotic
neoclassic
outdated
preconceived
semidetached
supernatural
transatlantic
ultra-modern
unattractive
unpredictable
antioxidant
apolitical
coeducational
dissatisfied
extraterrestrial
hypocritical
maladjusted
noncommittal
outspoken
preheated
socioeconomic
supersonic
transgenic
ultrasonic
undecided
unspoilt
Verbs:
coexist
demotivate
disappear
interconnect
outperform
reappear
remarry
unravel
decompose
destabilize
disapprove
intermarry
predetermine
recycle
reunite
decontaminate
disagree
disinfect
misunderstand
prefabricate
re-elect
superimpose
deforest
disambiguate
disobey
misinform
readjust
relocate
unbutton
Nouns:
29
denominator
disorder
indifference
repayment
disclosure
enclosure
misfortune
uncertainty
discomfort
impertinence
precaution
discourtesy
implosion
refinement
Adjectives:
degradable
immaculate
pronominal
unfortunate
disgraceful
impatient
remarkable
unspeakable
disorderly
impertinent
removable
dispassionate
inanimate
unchallenged
Verbs:
disable
dishearten
encompass
impoverish
disclaim
disintegrate
endanger
irradiate
discourage
embody
immobilize
discover
encircle
impersonate
As expected, all double-stressed adjectives and participial forms in the list can originate stressshifted contexts, e.g. qunderfed eanimals ~ she qlooks underefed; qunderemployed epeople ~ qhelp the
underemeployed; qpreheated emeal ~ the qoven must be preeheated, etc.
2.3.2 Prefixes attracting stress, stems unstressed: esemivowel

Nouns:
amphitheatre
biodata
counterattack
decaf
forefather
hyperlink
interlanguage
kilowatt
mishap
output
pre-amp
rehab
subdivision
superstar
antihero
biofuel
counterpart
demigod
forefront
hypertext
Internet
metalanguage
monosyllable
outset
predecessor
rematch
subsection
superstore
anteroom
centigrade
cyberculture
ecosystem
foreground
infrastructure
interplay
millisecond
monotone
outskirts
prefab
resit
subsystem
ultrasound
atheist
centimeter
cyberspace
ecotourism
foresight
intercom
intranet
miniskirt
nonsense
outsourcing
prehead
semicircle
superman
automobile
copilot
cyberterrorism
epicenter
gigabyte
intercourse
kilogram
misfit
outpatient
polyglot
preview
stereotype
superpower
30
2.4 Word stress and suffixation

The role of suffixation in most cases involves the formation of new word classes, e.g. -acy
changes adjectives to nouns, as in eaccurate > eaccuracy; -some is attached to verbs and nouns to
form adjectives, e.g. equarrel > equarrelsome. Phonologically speaking, the addition of suffixes will
determine stress placement according to whether the suffix leaves the stem pattern unaltered (stressneutral suffixes, the most common type), or whether it attracts stress towards itself, or shifts it to one
of the preceding syllables (stress-imposing). In some cases, stress patterns depend on the number of
syllables the word contains. Sometimes there are two alternative patterns for a derived form, the first
shown always being more common than the second. There is, in this respect, a high degree of
agreement between LPD and EPD in the order of preferences given. The following are among the
most productive examples:
2.4.1 Stress-neutral suffixes

-age
In most cases, /-IdZ/: ecover, ecoverage; elever, eleverage; emarry, emarriage;

eorphan, eorphanage; epatron, epatronage; perecent, perecentage; epilgrim,
epilgrimage; evicar, evicarage.
Also in derivatives coming from monosyllabic stems: block, eblockage; bond,
ebondage; break, ebreakage; coin, ecoinage; foot, efootage; leak, eleakage; post,
epostage; rough, eroughage; short, eshortage; shrink, eshrinkage; use, eusage. Also
mortgage /emgIdZ/, enevisage, eheritage, evintage.
In relatively recent French loanwords, /-AZ/: ebarrage; ecamouflage; emassage,
esabotage. Two stress patterns alternate in colelage, ecollage; eentourage,
qentouerage; eespionage, qespioenage. Note garage > /egQrAZ, egQrIdZ/.
-ate
Verbs in -ate take a strong, though unstressed syllable /-eIt/: earbiter, earbitrate;
asesassin, asesassinate; auethentic, auethenticate; ecalibre, ecalibrate; ecaptive,
ecaptivate; ecircle, ecirculate; ecomment, ecommentate; doemestic, doemesticate;
eformula, eformulate; efury, inefuriate; elucid, eelucidate; etimid, inetimidate;
neecessity, neecessitate; eorchestra, eorchestrate; evalid, (qin)evalidate; evalue,
eevaluate; evapour, eevaporate; evigour, inevigorate.
Most nouns and adjectives take a weak syllable /-t/: eaccuracy, (qin)eaccurate;
eadequacy, (qin)eadequate; af efection, af efectionate; conesider, (qin)conesiderate;
deetermine, (qin)deeterminate; eelect, eelectorate; efeminine, ef efeminate; efortune,
(un)efortunate; epassion, (dis)epassionate; eproper, (qin)apepropriate; proeportion,
(qdis)proeportionate.
Exceptions: edifferent, qdiffeerentiate; efacile, faecilitate; grave, eaggravate; note,
31
eannotate; eorigin, oeriginate.

Note the following pairs: affiliate /efIlit/ (n., adj.), /efIlieIt/ (v.).
Similarly: alternate, animate, appropriate, approximate, articulate, associate,
consummate, coordinate, degenerate, delegate, deliberate, designate, desolate,
duplicate, elaborate, estimate, expatriate, graduate, incorporate, intimate,
legitimate, moderate, pontificate, predicate, separate, subordinate. Note incarnate
/INekAnt/ (adj.), /eINkAneIt/ (v.).
Two-syllable verbs take the primary stress on the suffix: dicetate, dielate, doenate,
fruestrate, loecate, miegrate, narerate, roetate, transelate, viebrate, etc. See section
2.8.1 for differences with American English.
-ative
acecuse, acecusative; deerive, deerivative; iemagine, (qun)iemaginative; ineform,

ineformative; preeserve, preeservative; equality, equalitative; equantity,equantitative.
Exception: eargument, qarguementative. Note ademinister > /demInIstrtIv,
demInIstreItIv/; auethority > /eTrIttIv, eTrIteItIv/. Note imeply >
/ImeplIktIv, eImplIkeItIv/; reestore > /rIestrtIv, erestreItIv/.
-atory
coneserve, coneservatory; deeclaim, deeclamatory; execlaim, execlamatory; exeplain,

exeplanatory; exeplore, exeploratory; ineflame, ineflammatory; oeblige, oebligatory;
obeserve, obeservatory; preepare, preeparatory.
Note acecuse > /ekjuzt()ri, qQkjUezeIt()ri/.
Similarly: conedemn > conedemnatory, qcondemenatory; conefirm > conefirmatory,
qconfirematory. Note reespire > /rIespIrt()ri, erespIrt()ri/.
-er, -or
acecelerate, acecelerator; eagitate, eagitator; ealternate, ealternator; eamplify,

eamplifier; earbitrate, earbitrator; econcentrate, econcentrator; edecorate,
edecorator; diescriminate, diescriminator; faecilitate, faecilitator; egovern,
egovernor; ehijack, ehijacker; einnovate, einnovator; inetensify, inetensifier;
einterview, einterviewer; eisland, eislander; ekidnap, ekidnapper; elegislate,
elegislator; emodify, emodifier; emotivate, emotivator; eprogramme, eprogrammer;
eprosecute, eprosecutor; reesearch, reesearcher; subescribe, subescriber; esupervise,
esupervisor; suceceed, sucecessor; etrespass, etrespasser; evillage, evillager.
Exception: eexecute, eexecutor. Note grantor /grAnet/, guarantor /qgQrnet/
contrast with granetee, qguaranetee; proetest > /pretest, eprUtest/; qunderetake >
/q!ndeteIk/, person who promises to do something; /e!ndteIk/, funeral director.
For compounds of the ehairdresser, eword processor type, see chapter 3.
-ful
deeceive, deeceitful; deelight, deelightful; qdisreespect, qdisreespectful; foreget,
32
foregetful; emercy, emerciful; epity, epitiful; epurpose, epurposeful; reesource,

reesourceful; reeproach, reeproachful; reesent, reesentful; esorrow, esorrowful.
-ify, -efy
ebeauty, ebeautify; edignity, edignify; eexample, eexemplify; eglory, eglorify; inetense,

inetensify; eliquid, eliquefy; emummy, emummify; equality, equalify; equantity,
equantify; esimple, esimplify; eterror, eterrify.
Also when attached to monosyllabic stems: clear, eclarify; false, efalsify; just,
ejustify; null, enullify; rare, erarefy; type, etypify, etc. Exceptions: ehumid, huemidify;
eperson, peresonify; esolid, soelidify.
-ism
qabsenetee, qabseneteeism; qacaedemic, qacaedemicism; ealcohol, ealcoholism;

bielingual, bielingualism; ecannibal, ecannibalism; ecapital, ecapitalism; ecritic,
ecriticism; ecynic, ecynicism; deetermine, deeterminism; eescape, eescapism;
exepansion, exepansionism; exetreme, exetremism; faenatic, faenaticism; efavourite,
efavouritism; ehooligan, ehooliganism; ilelusion, ilelusionism; imepression,
imepressionism; inedustrial, inedustrialism; enational, enationalism; epatriot,
epatriotism; epositive, epositivism, proefessional, proefessionalism; roemantic,
roemanticism; snob, esnobbism; evandal, evandalism; evulgar, evulgarism.
Note eopportune, qopporetune > /qpetjunIzm, eptjunIzm/.
-ist
caretoon, caretoonist; ecolony, ecolonist; ecolumn, ecolumnist; exetreme, exetremist;

guietar, guietarist; ehumour, ehumorist; maechine, maechinist; emethod, emethodist;
phoenology, phoenologist; ephysics, ephysicist; seemantics, seemanticist; esocial,
esocialist; qvioelin, qvioelinist.
Note eopportune, qopporetune > opporetunist; pieano > /epinIst, pieQnIst/.
-ize (-ise)
aepology, aepologize; echaracter, echaracterize; eclimate, aceclimatize; comeputer,

comeputerize; eeconomy, eeconomize; eequal, eequalize; faemiliar, faemiliarize;
eharmony, eharmonize; ehospital, ehospitalize; eidol, eidolize; ietalics, ietalicize;
ejeopardy, ejeopardize; emodern, emodernize; eregular, eregularize; estandard,
estandardize; esymbol, esymbolize; esympathy, esympathize.
Exception: imemune, eimmunize. Note bapetize, capesize.
-less
ecolour, ecolourless; deefence, deefenceless; eeffort, eeffortless, exepression,

exepressionless; ehumour, ehumourless; emeaning, emeaningless; emercy,
emerciless; epity, epitiless; reegard, reegardless; reelent, reelentless.
-ly
eamicable, eamicably; eauditory, eauditorily; conetrastive, conetrastively; ecoward,

ecowardly; eorder, eorderly; epassionate, epassionately; eseparate, eseparately.
-ment
33
/-mnt/ in nouns: aebandon, aebandonment; acecompany, acecompaniment;

acecomplish, acecomplishment; aechieve, aechievement; aemaze, aemazement;
qdisilelusion, qdisilelusionment; emebarrass, emebarrassment; enecourage,
enecouragement; qenteretain, qenteretainment; eestablish, eestablishment; egovern,
egovernment; inefringe, inefringement; emanage, emanagement; postepone,
posteponement; eprison, imeprisonment; reesent, reesentment.
Exception: eadvertise, adevertisement. Cf. /-ment/ in verbs: document
/edkjUmnt/ (n.), /edkjUment/ (v.).
Similarly: experiment, fragment, implement, increment, ornament, regiment,
supplement.
-ness
earbitrary, earbitrariness; aeware, aewareness; comepetitive, comepetitiveness;

deecisive, ( q un)deecisiveness; edefinite, (in)edefiniteness; exepect, qunexepectedness;
einfinite, einfiniteness; enervous, enervousness; preepared, preeparedness.
2.4.2 Suffixes attracting stress

In order to conform to the natural rhythm of English the alternation of strong and weak
syllables, the stem pattern may be readjusted: deport /dIept/ > deportee /qdipeti/. In some cases
two alternative patterns coexist: address /edres/ > addressee /qQdresei, qdresei/. The patterns
given here are the most usual:
-ade
block, bloeckade; elemon, qlemoenade; mask, qmasqueerade; eorange, qoranegeade.

Also briegade, caescade, qescaepade, greenade, paerade, qsereenade.
Exceptions: edecade, emarmalade.
-ee
eabsent, qabsenetee; eamputate, qampuetee; apepoint, apqpoinetee, atetend, atqtenedee;

deetain, qdetaienee; deevote, qdevoetee; dievorce, diqvorecee; eescape, eqscaepee;
eevacuate, eqvacueee; eexamine, eqxamienee; inetern, qinterenee; einterview,
qintervieweee; elicense, qlicenesee; emortgage, qmortgaegee; enominate, qnomienee;
reefer, refeeree; erefuge, qrefuegee; reeturn, reqturenee; esupervise, qsuperviesee.
Exceptions: non-derivatives with early stress comemittee /-i/, eapogee, ejubilee,
epedigree, etrochee /-i/. Note emeploy > /ImeplIi, qemplIei/. Also qjamboeree and
when attached to monosyllabic stems, e.g. pay, payeee; trust, truestee, etc.
34
-eer
eauction, qauctioeneer; edominate, qdomieneer; eengine, qengieneer; emarket,

qmarkeeteer; emountain, qmountaieneer; eprofit, qprofieteer; epuppet, qpuppeeteer;
eracket, qrackeeteer.
Also caereer, qbuccaeneer, qpioeneer, qvoluneteer.
-ese
eChina, qChienese; Jaepan, qJapaenese; ejournal, qjournaelese; elegal, qlegaelese;

emother, qmotheerese; of eficial, of qficiaelese; Peekin, qPekienese; ePortugal,
qPortueguese; qTaiewan, qTaiwaenese; qVietenam, qVietnaemese.
Also qSiaemese.
-esque
eArab, qaraebesque; epicture, qpictueresque; estatue, qstatueesque.

Also burelesque, groetesque.
-et(te)
ciegar, qcigaerette; eflannel, qflanneelette; ekitchen, qkitcheenette; elaundry,

qlaundeerette; eleather, qleatheerette; electure, qlectuerette; eusher, qusheerette.
Also bruenette, gaezette, qmarioenette, rouelette, qservieette, qsilhoueette, qsuffraegette;
qcastaenet, qclarienet, quaretet, quinetet. Exceptions: eomelette, epalette; ebanquet,
etoilet. (See also section 2.8).
2.4.3 Stress-imposing suffixes

The following suffixes reject stress to either the immediately preceding syllable or to the syllable
before that:
-ic
eallergy, alelergic; eanarchy, aenarchic; eartist, aretistic; echaos, chaeotic; eclimate,

cliematic; deemocracy, qdemoecratic; edogma, dogematic; edrama, draematic;
eeconomy, qecoenomic; eenergy, qeneregetic; geeography, qgeoegraphic; eharmony,
haremonic; ehero, heeroic; ehistory, hiestoric; ehygiene, hyegienic; eicon, ieconic;
eidiot, qidieotic; qindievidual, qindiqviduaelistic; emagnet, magenetic; emajesty,
maejestic; emelancholy, qmelanecholic; estrategy; straetegic; esymbol, symebolic;
esyntax, synetactic; esynthesis, synethetic.
Also aerithmetic (n.), qarithemetic (adj.); ecatholic, elunatic, epolitic, erhetoric.
Exception: eArab, eArabic.
-ical
eeconomy, qecoenomical; egrammar, gramematical; eheresy, heeretical; enonsense,

nonesensical; eparadox, qparaedoxical; eperiod, qperieodical; etyrant, tyerannical.
Exceptions: eBible, ebiblical.
35
2.4.4 Stress-neutral and stress-imposing suffixes

-able, -ible
(a) stress-neutral:
ademit, (qin)ademissible; ealien, (in)ealienable; eanswer, (qun)eanswerable; eargue,
earguable; aevoid, (qun)aevoidable; ecalculate, (qin)ecalculable; echarity,
echaritable; comemend, comemendable; conetempt, conetemptible; deebate,
deebatable; deeny, (qun)deeniable; deetest, deetestable; diestinguish,
qindiestinguishable; eenvy, (qun)eenviable; exeception, (qun)execeptionable; execuse,
(qin)execusable; eexecute, eexecutable; exetinguish, qinexetinguishable; efashion,
efashionable; efavour, (qun)efavourable; foreget, (qun)foregettable; foregive,
(qun)foregivable; ehonour, ehonourable; iemagine, (qun)iemaginable; eimitate,
ienimitable; inehabit, inehabitable; eirritate, eirritable; eknowledge, eknowledgeable;
emanage, (qun)emanageable; ememory, ememorable; emention, qunementionable;
enavigate, enavigable; neegotiate, neegotiable; enotice, enoticeable; epalate,
epalatable; epardon, qunepardonable; epenetrate, (qim)epenetrable; pereceive,
(qim)pereceptible; eperish, eperishable; ephotocopy, ephotocopiable; epractice,
(qim)epracticable; eprofit, eprofitable; erealize, erealizable; reecover,
(qir)reecoverable; ereplicate, ereplicable; suremount, qinsuremountable; eterminate,
qineterminable; etolerate, (qin)etolerable; transelate, transelatable.
(b) stress-imposing:
ademire, eadmirable; corerect, inecorrigible; eelect, eeligible; neeglect, enegligible;
preefer, epreferable; (qdis)reepute, (dis)ereputable.
Note the following derivatives in -able have two alternative patterns, one with
early stress and one with late stress: ecertify > /estIfabl, qstIefabl/. The main
pattern is shown first: eanalyze > eanalyzable, qanaelyzable; apeply >
(qin)apeplicable, (qin)eapplicable; comepare, (in)ecomparable, (qin)comeparable;
edemonstrate > deemonstrable, edemonstrable; diespute > (qin)diesputable,
(in)edisputable; eexplicate > (qin)exeplicable, (qin)eexplicable; efalsify > efalsifiable,
qfalsiefiable; iedentify > iedentifiable, iqdentiefiable; ejustify > ( qun)qjustiefiable,
(qun)ejustifiable; laement > laementable, elamentable; eprogrammme >
proegrammable, eprogrammable; ereconcile > (ir)ereconcilable, ( qir)qreconecilable;
erecognize > ( qun)erecognizable, ( qun)qrecogenizable; reefute, (qir)reefutable,
(ir)erefutable; reepair > reepairable, irereparable; transefer > transeferable,
etransferable; everify > everifiable, qveriefiable.
-(i)al
(a) stress-neutral:
In adjective formation: efunction, efunctional; enation, enational; enature,
( qun)enatural; eperson, (qim)epersonal;e physics, ephysical; epractice,
(qim)epractical; eregion, eregional; traedition, traeditional.
In noun formation: apepraise, apepraisal; (qdis)apeprove, (qdis)apeproval; aerouse,
36
aerousal; arerive, arerival; ebury, eburial; deeny, deenial; reefer, reeferral; reefuse,
reefusal; reemove, reemoval; reetrieve, reetrieval; surevive, surevival.
Exception: etutor, tuetorial.
(b) stress-imposing (penultimate syllable):
In adjective formation: eadjective, qadjecetival; eancestry, anecestral; eanecdote,
qanecedotal; ecommerce, comemercial; econsonant, qconsoenantal; econtinent,
qcontienental; deepartment, qdepartemental; enevironment, enqvironemental; eessence,
esesential; exeperiment, exqperiemental; efinance, fienancial; eindustry, inedustrial;
einfluence, qinflueential; emanager, qmanaegerial; eorchestra, orechestral; eprovince,
proevincial; eremedy, reemedial; esecretary, qsecreetarial; esubstance, subestantial;
euniverse, qunieversal.
Note ecommune > /ekmjUnl, kemjunl/; epharynx > /qfQrInedZil, ferIndZl/;
inetestine > /InetestInl, qInteestaInl/; elarynx > /lerIndZl, qlQrInedZil/; ehabit,
haebitual.
(c) stress-imposing (antepenultimate syllable):
In adjective formation: eabdomen, abedominal; earchitect, qarchietectural;
aerithmetic, qarithemetical; eattitude, qattietudinal; eorigin, oeriginal; epolitics,
poelitical; erhetoric, rheetorical.
-ance, -ant
(a) stress-neutral:
aebound, aebundance, aebundant; alelow, alelowance; anenoy, anenoyance;
acequaint, acequaintance; conetrive, conetrivance; coneverse, coneversant; deefy,
deefiance, deefiant; diesturb, diesturbance; edominate, edominance, edominant;
ehesitate, ehesitance, ehesitant; inehabit, inehabitant; inesure, inesurance; puresue,
puresuant; reepent, reepentance, reepentant; reesemble, reesemblance; reesist,
reesistance, reesistant; esignify, sigenificance, sigenificant; etolerate, etolerance,
etolerant; eutter, eutterance.
apeply, eapplicant; eexecute, eexecutant; igenore, eignorance, eignorant; mainetain,
emaintenance; proetest, eProtestant; esignify, sigenificance, sigenificant; suestain,
esustenance; triumph, trieumphant.
Note aespire > /eQsprnt, esparnt/; diespute > /dIespjutnt, edIspjUtnt/. Also:
eadamant; deeodorant; proetuberance, proetuberant.
-ary
(a) stress-neutral:
eadverse, eadversary; earbiter, earbitrary; ecaution, ecautionary; ecomment,
ecommentary; ecustom, ecustomary; diescretion, diescretionary; qeloecution,
qeloecutionary; qevoelution, qevoelutionary; eexample, eexemplary; ehonour,
ehonorary; iemagine, iemaginary; elegend, elegendary; emission, emissionary;
37
emoment, emomentary; emoney, emonetary; reeaction, reeactionary; qrevoelution,

qrevoelutionary; esecond, esecondary; etribute, etributary; evision, evisionary.
ebenefit, qbeneeficiary; ecompliment, qcompliementary; edocument, qdocuementary;
eelement, qeleementary; eparliament, qparliaementary; erudiment, qrudiementary;
esediment, qsediementary; esupplement, qsuppleementary.
Note ediscipline > /edIsplInri, qdIseplInri/; efragment > /efrQgmntri,
frQgementri/.
With bound stems the stress falls either one, two or three syllables back from the
suffix: anecillary, cenetenary, oebituary;
conetemporary, eculinary, edictionary, heereditary, ietinerary, eordinary,
preeliminary, esedentary, voecabulary, evoluntary;
eveterinary.
-ence, -ent
(a) stress-neutral:
adehere, adeherence, adeherent; conedole, conedolence; qcorreespond,
qcorreespondence, qcorreespondent; ediffer, (in)edifference, (in)edifferent; deepend,
(qin)deependence, (qin)deependent; qinterefere, qintereference; ocecur, ocecurrence;
qremienisce, qremieniscence, qremieniscent; reepel, reepellent; suf efice, (qin)suf eficient.
qcoinecide, coeincidence, coeincident; conefide, econfidence, econfident; execel,
eexcellence, eexcellent; inefer, einference; emagnify, magenificence, magenificent;
preefer, epreference; preevail, eprevalence, eprevalent; reefer, ereference, ereferent;
reeside, eresidence, eresident.
Also edecadence, edecadent; eeloquence, eeloquent; eequivalence, eequivalent;
magenificence, magenificent; omenipotence, omenipotent; esomnolence, esomnolent.
-ion
(a) stress-neutral mainly in three-syllable words:

abesorb, abesorption; colelide, colelision; coneceive, (qmis)coneception; deeceive,
deeception; deetain, deetention; dif e fuse, dif efusion; ineject, inejection; inetend,
inetention; inevade, inevasion; preedict, preediction; proemote, proemotion; reeceive,
reeception; subemit, subemission; suespect, suespicion; transegress, transegression;
viebrate, viebration.
(b) stress-imposing mainly in longer words:
ealternate, qalterenation; aneticipate, anqticiepation; apepreciate, apqprecieation;
ecivilize, qciviliezation; eeducate, qeduecation; eevolve, qevoelution; eexemplify,
eqxemplifiecation; exeperiment, exqperimenetation; imeply, qimpliecation; eimprovise,
qimproviesation; inespire, qinspieration; ejustify, qjustifiecation; elegalize,
38
qlegaliezation; qmisproenounce, qmispronuncieation; emultiply, qmultipliecation;

oeblige, qobliegation; eprivatize, qprivatiezation; epurify, qpurifiecation; eratify,
qratifiecation.
-ity
(a) stress-neutral:
aetrocious, aetrocity; exetreme, exetremity; hielarious, hielarity; imemune,
imemunity; (qim)maeture, (qim)maeturity; qmedieocre, qmedieocrity; oebese, oebesity;
obescene, obescenity; seevere, seeverity; sinecere, sinecerity.
Also when attached to monosyllabic stems: dense, edensity; nude, enudity; null,
enullity; pure, (qim)epurity; scarce, escarcity, etc.
eamiable, qamiaebility; eamicable, qamicaebility; aenonymous, qanoenymity;
comepatible, comqpatiebility; ecomplex, comeplexity; conenective, qconnecetivity;
ecurious, qcurieosity; deeniable, deqniaebility; ececentric, qeccenetricity; eelastic,
qelaesticity; faemiliar, faqmiliearity; ehuman, huemanity; ineferior, inqferieority;
emasculine, qmascuelinity; emodern, moedernity; enoble, noebility; esolemn,
soelemnity; sueperior, suqperieority; suestainable, suqstainaebility; etranquil,
tranequility; euniform, qunieformity.
Note electric > /IqleketrIsti, qelIketrIsti/; nice, nicety /enaIsti/.
-ive
(a) stress-neutral:
adehere, adehesive; atetract, (qun)atetractive; aedopt, aedoptive; deecide,
(qin)deecisive; deeride, deerisive; ef efect, (qin)ef efective; eevade, eevasive; exehaust,
exehaustive; exetend, exetensive; of efend, (qin)of efensive; peremit, peremisive;
proehibit, proehibitive; proetect, proetective; proevoke, proevocative; reeflect,
reeflexive; reepeat, reepetitive; reepulse, reepulsive; reestrict, reestrictive; esecret,
esecretive.
Most derivatives in -ive, which originate from verbs in -ate, vary between two
patterns, /-tIv, -eItIv/: acecumulate > /()ekjumjltIv, ()ekjumjleItIv/.
Similarly: ademinister, adeministrative; apepreciate, apepreciative; colelaborate,
colelaborative; comememorate, comememorative; comemunicate,
(qun)comemunicative; eimitate, eimitative; inevestigate, inevestigative; elegislate,
elegislative; maenipulate, maenipulative; eoperate, (qin)eoperative; especulate,
especulative; estimulate, estimulative.
The reversed preference is seen in innovative /eInveItIv, eInvtIv/). Exception:
edecorate, edecorative; ienitiate, ienitiative; enominate, enominative.
ealternate, aleternative; econtemplate, conetemplative; ecorrelate, corerelative;
39
edemonstrate, ( qun)deemonstrative; eexecute, eexecutive; eexplicate, exeplicative;

eindicate, inedicative; einstinct, inestinctive; ineterrogate, qintererogative; narerate,
enarrative; epermit, peremissive; epredicate, preedicative; reelate, erelative; seedate,
esedative.
Note ecombat > /ekmbtIv, kmebQtIv/; eillustrate > /eIlstrtIv, eIlstreItIv,
Iel!strtIv/. Also in adjectives with stress one syllable back from the suffix:
agegressive, epassive, subejunctive, vinedictive; with stress two syllables back from
the suffix: ecognitive, dieminutive, efricative, imeperative, eputative, sueperlative,
(qin)etransitive, inetuitive.
-ory
Adjectives in -ory which originate from verbs in -ate have mainly two options: an
early- and a late-stressed pattern, where -ory is stress-neutral and stress-imposing,
respectively: areticulate > /AetIkjUlt()ri, AqtIkjUeleItri/.
Similarly: abebreviate > abebreviatory, abqbrevieatory; asesimilate > asesimilatory,
asqsimielatory; coneciliate > coneciliatory, conqcilieatory; edeprecate > edeprecatory,
qdepreecatory; edepredate > edepredatory, qdepreedatory; diescriminate >
diescriminatory, diqscrimienatory; inecriminate > inecriminatory, inqcrimienatory;
inevestigate > inevestigatory, inqvestiegatory; reetaliate > reetaliatory, reqtalieatory.
They can also have a late-stressed pattern as first alternative and an early-stressed
pattern as second option, where -ory is stress-imposing and stress-neutral,
respectively: aneticipate > /QnqtIsIepeItri, QnetIsIptri/.
Similarly: ecelebrate > qceleebratory, ecelebratory; ecirculate > qcircuelatory,
ecirculatory; conegratulate > conqgratuelatory, conegratulatory; inetimidate >
inqtimiedatory, inetimidatory; manedate > emandatory, manedatory; miegrate >
emigratory, miegratory; pareticipate > parqticiepatory, pareticipatory; eregulate >
qreguelatory, eregulatory.
Exceptions: -ory is stress-imposing only in ecompensate > qcompenesatory,
comepensatory; dielate > edilatory.
In other polysyllabic adjectives with free and bound stems, the suffix can be
either neutral or imposing and the stress falls either one or two syllables back from
it: acecessory, adevisory, comepulsory, qcontraedictory, dierectory, efactory, ehistory,
qintroeductory, ememory, perefunctory, reefectory, qsatisefactory, esensory,
traejectory, evictory;
eallegory, ecategory, edormitory, einventory, elavatory, supepository, eterritory,
etransitory.
Note the RP weak syllable /-()ri/ becomes /-ri/ in American English.
-(e), (i)ous
(a) stress-neutral:
40
amebition, amebitious; aenomaly, aenomalous; ecourtesy, ecourteous; edanger,

edangerous; diesaster, diesastrous; eenvy, eenvious; feerocity, feerocious; efury,
efurious; eglamour, eglamorous; ehazard, ehazardous; einfamy, einfamous; emarvel,
emarvellous; emischief, emischievous; emountain, emountainous; qostenetation,
qostenetatious; epoison, epoisonous; eprosper, eprosperous; preestige, preestigious;
reeligion, reeligious; erigour, erigorous; escandal, escandalous; escruple,
escrupulous; suespicion, suespicious; etreachery, etreacherous; eulcer, eulcerous;
evirtue, evirtuous.
(b) stress-imposing (penultimate syllable):
adevantage, (qdis)qadvanetageous; anexiety, eanxious; eceremony, qcereemonious;
econscience, qconscieentious; ecourage, couerageous; qcurieosity, ecurious; eerror,
ereroneous; eindustry, inedustrious; qingeenuity, inegenious; elabour, laeborious;
eluxury, luexurious; emelody, meelodious; miescellany, qmiscelelaneous; emystery,
myesterious; eprodigy, proedigious; erebel, reebellious; qsimultaeneity,
qsimuletaneous; qspontaeneity, sponetaneous; evictory, vicetorious.
(c) stress-imposing (antepenultimate syllable):
qanoenymity, aenonymous; ecarnivore, carenivorous; qgeneerosity, egenerous;
qincreedulity, inecredulous; emiracle, mieraculous; proesperity, eprosperous;
eridicule, riediculous; qunaenimity, uenanimous; evolume, voeluminous.
Also in adjectives with stress one syllable back from the suffix: qambiedextrous,
qheteroegeneous, qhomoegeneous, preecarious; with stress two syllables back from
the suffix: eludicrous.
2.5 Word stress and verbal derivatives

There exist numerous derivatives mostly nouns and some adjectives and adverbs originating
mainly from phrasal verbs in which the attached adverb particles clearly behave like prefixes or
suffixes and it is in this capacity that we have decided to include these as simple words. The most
common type of this sort of formation concerns the nominalization of phrasal verbs, as when the twoword verb qtake eoff (The qplane is qready to take eoff ) gives rise to the noun etakeoff : The qplane is
qready for etakeoff . This and other similar types of constructions with a verb as the central element
will be examined below:
2.5.1
Verb(inf), verb(-er), verb(-ing), verb (pp) + particle: ebackup, eseethrough, qlooker-eon, qwashing eup, qrun-edown
This section is concerned with five types of derivatives: (a) double-stressed phrasal verbs in their
citation form (qback eup) take single stress when functioning as nouns: I qneed proqfessional ebackup;
41
sometimes these formations can operate both as nouns and adjectives: The qbreakaway of the
qmembers was eimminent; Im qgoing with the ebreakaway faction. Notice that they can be spelt either
as one word or hyphenated and that dictionaries do not always coincide in this respect; (b) doublestressed derivatives which function only or mainly as adjectives: a qsee-through eblouse; (c), (d)
double-stressed nouns; (e) double-stressed adjectives (and a few adverbs): qrun-down ehouses; She
was qlooking run-edown.
(a)
eblackout
ebreakup
echeckup
ecover-up
efallback
egetup
ehideaway
elead-in
elookout
ephone-in
eprintout
erip-off
esend-off
eshow-off
eslip-up
estopover
eturnout
eworkout
ebreakdown
ebrush-off
ecleanup
ecutback
efall-off
egiveaway
eholdup
eletdown
emake-up
epick-up
epullover
eroundabout
esetback
eshutdown
eslowdown
etailback
eturnover
ewrite-off
ebreak-in
ecast-off(s)
eclear-out
ecut-off
efeedback
ego-ahead
ekick-off
eletup
emeltdown
epin-up
epull-up
eround-up
eset-up
esit-in
espin-off
etakeaway
ewalk-over
ewrite-up
ebreakout
echeck-in
ecomeback
edrive-in
eflashback
ehandout
eknockout
elineup
emix-up
eplayback
epush-up
erun-through
eshakeup
esit-up
estandby
etakeover
ewarm-up
ebreakthrough
echeckout
ecountdown
edropout
efollow-up
ehangover
elay-by
elinkup
epayoff
epress-up
eread-out
esellout
eshoot-out
esleepover
estart-up
etie-up
ewashout
(b)
efoldaway
esitdown
eknockdown
eslip-on
eknock-on
estand-up
elive-in
ethrowaway
erunaway
ewalk-in
Exception: qlie-edown. Note ego-between, eslip-ons.

(c)
qhanger-eon
qpasser-eby
qrunner-eup
(d)
qfalling-eout
qgoings-eon
qsumming-eup
qswearing-ein
qgrown-eup
qmixed-eup
qworked-eup
qhead-eon
qpissed eoff
qworn-eout
Exception: etalking-to. Note qheads-eup.

(e)
qbuilt-ein
qleft-eover
qscrewed-eup
qbuilt-eup
qmessed-eup
qwashed-eout
Note egrown-up (n.); eleftovers (n.); esought-after (adj.).
qlived-ein
qrun-edown
42
2.5.2
Particle + verb(inf), verb(pp), verb(-ing): eintake, qoutespoken, qoff eset,

eupbringing, qoutestanding
Particle + verb infinitive, past participle, present participle give rise to five subcategories: (a)
single-stressed nouns, most of which are semantically related to the phrasal verbs which originate
them: eintake < qtake ein; (b) double-stressed adjectives, most of which come from phrasal verbs: X
qspeaks eout > X is qoutespoken; others do not come directly from phrasal verbs: qineborn (qinborn
einstinct) is a quality present since birth; (c) double-stressed verbs; (d) single-stressed nouns; (e)
double-stressed adjectives. Notice that some entries have different stress patterns single and double
stress depending on their grammatical class and therefore appear in more than one section: eupset
(n.), qupeset (adj., v.):
(a)
ebackfire
edownpour
einput
eoutbreak
eoutfit
eoutput
eoverthrow
eupdate
eupset
ebypass
eincome
eoffprint
eoutburst
eoutflow
eoutset
ethroughput
eupgrade
eupsurge
(b)
qoutedated
qoverecrowded
qoverepriced
qunderedone
qundereprivileged
qupeset
qoutespread
qoveredone
qoverequalified
qunderedressed
qundererated
edownfall
einflow
eoffshoot
eoutcast
eoutlet
eoverflow
eunderscore
eupkeep
euptake
qoutestretched
qoveredressed
qovererated
qunderefed
qunderesigned
edowngrade
einlay
eoffspring
eoutcome
eoutline
eoverlap
eunderstudy
euplift
qovereblown
qoveregrown
qoverestaffed
qunderenourished
qunderestaffed
edownload
einlet
eonset
eoutcry
eoutlook
eoverload
eunderwear
eupload
qoverecast
qoverejoyed
qunderdeeveloped
qunderepaid
qundereused
Note the single-stressed adjectives ebygone, einbuilt, which are only used attributively, and the
adjectives/adverbs eupright, euptight.
(c)
qbackefire
qoff eload
qoverebook
qovereestimate
qovereload
qovererule
qoveretake
qundereestimate
qunderescore
qupeload
qbackedate
qoutegrow
qoverecharge
qovereflow
qoverelook
qovereshadow
qoveretax
qunderego
qunderestate
qupeset
qdownegrade
qoutelive
qoverecome
qoverehear
qoverepay
qoveresimplify
qoverethrow
qundereline
qunderetake
qupehold
qdowneload
qoutenumber
qoverecook
qovereheat
qoverereact
qoveresleep
qovereturn
qunderemine
qupedate
qupesize
qdowneplay
qoverebalance
qovereeat
qoverelap
qovereride
qoverestay
qunderecharge
qunderepay
qupegrade
43
Note the following early-stressed verbs: ebypass, eoutline.

(d)
ebackbiting
eoutpouring
eoutsourcing
euprising
eupskilling
(e)
qinecoming
qoutegrowing
qupelifting
qinegrowing
qoutelying
qupestanding
qoff-eputting
qoverebearing
qonegoing
qoverepowering
qinegrowing
qupecoming
Notice that due to stress-shift there is preference for early stress patterns in prenominal
position: qincoming eflight, qoff-putting reemark, etc. Some dictionaries give only the early-stressed
pattern with the note only before noun.
2.6 Word stress in particle + noun formations: eoff-licence, qoff-ekey

Particles + nouns result in either (a) single-stressed nouns or (b) double-stressed adjectives and/or
adverbs. Notice the stress-shifted contexts: an qoff-key reemark; She qsang off-ekey:
(a)
eafter-effect
eby-election
einmate
eonlooker
eoverdose
eoverview
eaftershave
ebyproduct
einsight
eoutlaw
eoverdraft
eunderground
eaftershock
ebystander
einstep
eoutpatient
eovertime
eunderpants
eaftertaste
edownside
eoff-chance
eoutskirts
eoversight
eafterthought
ein-laws
eoff-season
eovercoat
eovertone
Note also the following double-stressed nouns: qafterenoon, qoff-ewhite, qouteside; upeheaval.
(b)
qdownestream
qineland
qoff ehand
qoff estage
qon-esite
qovereland
qundereage
qupefront
qin-edepth
qoff-ebalance
qoff eline
qon-eboard
qonestage
qovereleaf
qunderecover
qupehill
qinedoor(s)
qoff-ecolour
qoff-epeak
qoneline
qoutedoor(s)
qoverenight
qundereground
qupestairs
qin-eflight
qoff-eduty
qoff-eseason
qon-escreen
qouteside
qovereseas
qunderesea
qupestream
qin-ehouse
qoff-eguard
qoff eshore
qoneshore
qoverehead
qovereweight
qundereway
2.7 Word stress and grammatical category

Stress placement may distinguish between certain nouns and adjectives, on the one hand, and
verbs, on the other, most of which are two-syllable words with identical spellings and identical or
similar phonemic patterns. This is one of the easiest rules for the prediction of stress placement which
44
learners can put into practice. They have to remember that there is a tendency for nouns and
adjectives to take stress on the first syllable and verbs, on the second. Notice that a similar rule
operates in Sp. etrmino, eltimo and the corresponding verbs teremino, termien; uletimo, ultiem. In
this section we shall examine some 70 of the most common pairs. In the majority of cases, the
unstressed syllable of the verb contains a weak vowel, e.g. suspect /sespekt/, but this tendency is not
so strong with nouns and adjectives, i.e. the unstressed syllables of these words are in most cases
strong, e.g. /es!spekt/. This pattern also applies to derivatives such as misconduct /qmIseknd!kt/
(n.), /qmIskned!kt/ (v.):
abstract
commune
contest
decoy
export
perfume
project
reflex
surmise
accent
compound
contract
decrease
extract
permit
prospect
refund
survey
addict
conduct
contrast
defect
ferment
pervert
protest
reject
suspect
affix
conflict
converse
desert
frequent
present
rebel
retard
transfer
annex
conserve
convert
escort
object
produce
rebound
segment
attribute
construct
convict
exploit
perfect
progress
record
subject
Note:
commune /ekmjun/ (n.), group of people; /kemjun/ (v.), communicate.
console /eknsUl/ (n.), switchboard; /knesUl/ (v.), give satisfaction.
content /ekntent/ (n.), things contained; /knetent/ (n., adj., v.), satisfaction, satisfied, satisfy.
refuse /erefjus/ (n.), rubbish; /rIefjuz/ (v.), turn down.
The noun corresponding to the verb conefine is econfines.
Derivatives introduced by suffix re- meaning again may have two different patterns: in (a)
nouns and adjectives take primary stress on the prefix, e.g. refill /erifIl/, and verbs have secondary
stress on the prefix and primary stress on the stem /riefIl/3. In (b) two different stress and/or
phonemic patterns indicate two different meanings:
(a)
recount
replay
rethink
refit
reprint
revamp
refund
rerun
relaunch
reset
relay
resit
(b)
recover /qriek!v/, cover again; /rIek!v/, regain, come back to health.

recreation /qrikrieeISn/, creating again; /qrekrieeISn/, leasure activity.
reform /qriefm/, form again; /rIefm/, improve.
re-present /qriprIezent/, submit again; /qreprIezent/, symbolize.
remake
retake
In some cases it is only the stress pattern that distinguishes between noun and verb, e.g. increase
45
/eINkris/, /INekris/. (Cases involving phrasal verbs and their nominalized forms, as in play back
/qpleI ebQk/ (v.), /epleIbQk/ (n.) are listed in chapter 3, section 3.5.8). Similarly:
backfire
downgrade
incline
intrigue
misprint
rampage
transfer
dictate
finance
indent
invite
overflow
remake
transplant
digest
impact
insert
mandate
overhaul
replay
transport
discount
implant
insult
miscount
overlap
reprint
discharge
import
interchange
misfire
overload
rethink
discourse
imprint
intern
mismatch
overthrow
torment
Finally, there are nouns/adjectives and verbs which have the same phonemic and stress patterns
early stress in (a), late stress in (b), and mid stress in (c):
(a)
access
boycott
combat
discipline
favour
forfeit
interest
merchandise
output
practice (-ise)
relapse
sabotage
surcharge
whistle
answer
bypass
comment
discount
feature
format
invoice
narrow
panic
preview
remedy
sacrifice
surface
balance
capture
concrete
empty
figure
honour
limit
offer
paper
process
reprimand
sentence
telephone
barbecue
catalogue
corner
exercise
filter
index
market
orbit
photocopy
promise
rescue
silence
value
benefit
challenge
cover
exile
finish
influence
massacre
order
photograph
question
retail (=sell)
study
visit
bottle
colour
deluge
exit
forecast
input
mention
outline
pilot
recap
ridicule
substitute
whisper
(b)
account
appeal
collapse
decree
desire
dismay
escape
mature
recruit
release
repulse
retreat
acclaim
approach
consent
default
direct
dispatch
exchange
mistake
reform
repair
request
return
address
arrest
content
defeat
disdain
display
exhaust
mistrust
refrain
repeat
reserve
revenge
advance
attack
control
delay
disguise
disregard
express
preserve
regard
reply
resort
reverse
alert
attempt
debate
delight
disgrace
dissent
guarantee
recall
regret
report
respect
review
amount
cement
decline
demand
disgust
divorce
lament
reclaim
relapse
reproach
result
revolt
46
(c)
reward
supply
support
surprise
commission
exhibit
deposit
experience
discredit
manoeuvre
dishonour
position
encounter
endeavour
The late-stressed adjective express /Ikespres/ may optionally change to early stress (as if
stress-shifted) in a context such as qexpress /qekspres/ deelivery. The adjective compact /kmepQkt/
becomes /ekmpQkt/ in attributive contexts such as qcompact edisc, qcompact ecamera. Other singlestressed words, e.g. ascent /esent/, descent /dIesent/; import /Imept/, export /Ikespt/, etc. may
take early stress to underline contrastive meanings, e.g. the qascent and qdescent of the emountain; we
qimport qmangoes and qexport epeaches. Note orient /erint/ (n., adj.), /erient/ (v.).
Also note variability between /s/~/z/: abuse /ebjus/ (n.), /ebjuz/ (v.); excuse /Ikeskjus/ (n.),
/Ikeskjuz/ (v.); disuse /qdIsejus/ (n.), disused /qdIsejuzd/ (adj.); misuse /qmIsejus/ (n.), /qmIsejuz/
(v.).
2.7 Word stress alternations

Learners can also pay attention to the rules governing the so-called stress alternations resulting
from the addition of affixes to stems so as to form related words. The application of phonological
rules may cause changes in both the pattern of phonemes and stress placement. An examination of
the correspondence between phoneme and spelling reveals that vowels vary with stress. These rules
may provide further clues to predict stress patterns. In the following examples, the tadpole
notations do not indicate prominent, unstressed vowels, as in diplomat /edIplmQt/:
15
2151
affirm, affirmation
compose, composition
expect, expectation
invite, invitation
15
1 5 1 ( 1) 1
combine, combination
condense, condensation
incline, inclination
oppose, opposition
compile, compilation
deprive, deprivation
install, installation
relax, relaxation
2151
accuse, accusatory, accusation

confirm, confirmatory, confirmation
consult, consultative, consultation
derive, derivative, derivation
explore, exploratory, exclamation
inform, informative, information
repeat, repetitive, repetition
compete, competitive, competition

conserve, conservatory, conservation
declare, declarative, declaration
exclaim, exclamatory, exclamation
inflame, inflammatory, inflammation
prepare, preparatory, preparation
restore, restorative, restoration
51
47
21151
civil, civilization
idol, idolization
stable, stabilization
151
central, centralization
modern, modernization
standard, standardization
drama, dramatization
neutral, neutralization
symbol, symbolization
consider, consideration
imagine, imagination
continue, continuation
interpret, interpretation
contribute, contribution
prohibit, prohibition
distribute, distribution
12151
amalgam, amalgamation
determine, determination
151
2151
attribute, attribution
demolish, demolition
1511
12151
accelerate, acceleration
depreciate, depreciation
intoxicate, intoxication
retaliate, retaliation
511
1511
appreciate, appreciation
impersonate, impersonation
negotiate, negotiation
conciliate, conciliation
initiate, initiation
recuperate, recuperation
2151
benefit, beneficence, beneficial

democrat, democracy, democratic
execute, executive, execution
intellect, intelligence, intellectual
politics, political, politician
competence, competitor, competition

diplomat, diplomacy, diplomatic
hypocrite, hypocrisy, hypocritical
photograph, photography, photographic
2.8 Word stress in RP and American English

There is noticeable variation in stress placement between RP and AmE particularly in words of
French origin. In general, the tendency here is for Americans to place the primary stress on the last
syllable, whereas the British prefer an early stress. The following is a list containing the most
common examples of two-, three-, and four-syllable words. Syllables containing strong, prominent
vowels are not accounted for:
2.8.1 Two-syllable words
RP
51
AmE
15
adverse, ballet, beret, brochure, caf, caffeine, chauffeur, clich,

collage, complex (adj.), concierge, crochet, debris, debut, decor,
detail, diagnose, duvet, filet, flamb, fondue, frontier, gateau,
48
glac, harass, manqu, massage, pat, plateau, prcis, premire,

risqu, sachet, salon, soiree, saut, souffl, trousseau, vaccine.
15
51
Two-syllable verbs in -ate: castrate, dictate, dilate, donate,

frustrate, hydrate, locate, migrate, narrate, rotate, stagnate,
translate, truncate, vacate, vibrate; address (n.), baptize, capsize,
elsewhere, moustache, resource.
2.8.2 Three-syllable words
151
215
attach, dmod, expos, fianc(e), financier, renaissance.
151
511
contractor, dictator, inquiry, narrator, spectator, vibrator.
511
151
sonorous, transference.
511
215
cabaret, caviar, Chardonnay, derrire, emigr, entourage,

matine, negligee, obsolete.
215
511
cigarette, magazine, margarine, mayonnaise, millionaire,

souvenir, stewardess.
2.8.3 Four-syllable words
1511
2151
advertisement
1511
51111
laboratory, metallurgy.
As noted in chapter 1, a further difference between RP and AmE involves presence or absence of
vowel reduction in the suffix of polysyllabic words ending in -ary, -ery, -ory, -ony, -ative, -berry with
primary stress either on the antepenultimate or earlier syllable. Whereas the British version favours
elision of schwa, the American version prefers a strong vowel:
RP
AmE
secretary, library
/esekrtri, elaIbri/
/esekrteri, elaIbreri/
monastery, cemetery
/emnstri, esemtri/
/emAnsteri, esemteri/
territory, category
/etertri, ekQtgri/
/etertri, ekQtgri/
testimony, matrimony
/etestImni, emQtrImni/
/etestImoUni, emQtrImoUni/
49
administrative, evaluative
/demInIstrtIv, IevQljutIv/
/demInIstreItIv, IevQljueItIv/
strawberry, blackberry
/estrbri, eblQkbri/
/estrberi, eblQkberi/
A similar type of rhythmic difference concerns words ending in -ile: agile, /eQdZaIl/, /eQdZl/,
fertile /eftaIl/, /efrtl/, volatile /evltaIl/, /evAltl/, etc. Notice also placenames such as
Edinburgh /eedInbr/, /eedInbrg/; Birmingham /ebmINm/, /ebrmINhQm/.
2.9 Alternative stress patterns

There are numerous words with a main stress patterns and a variant pattern. In most cases,
preference is due to generation differences among RP speakers. The list below contains some of the
most representative examples, with the recommended option first. Other optional patterns,
particularly those formed by derivation, are included in section 2.9. OALD-8, CALD-3 and LED being
EFL dictionaries, offer more concise information, i.e. the alternative patterns they include are limited
to a minimum and in general only one recommended pronunciation is given. We have excluded from
the present analysis all those alternative forms involving a choice between two different strong
vowels in a given stressed syllable, e.g. defamation /qdefemeISn, qdifemeISn/, privacy /eprIvsi,
epraIvsi/, since the choice does not affect the rhythm of the word. The following notations do not
account for prominent syllables:
2.9.1 Two-syllable words
51
15
adult, brochure, bureau, contact (v.), decade, defect (n.), detail,

diagnose, harass, impious, meanwhile, mishap, soiree.
15
51
bouquet, dispute (n.), diverse, grimace, ordeal, regime, relapse

(n.) research, romance, terrain.
25
51
elsewhere, princess.
2.9.2 Three-syllable words
151
511
clandestine, disputant, exquisite.
511
151
mischievous, paprika, sonorous, uprising.
511
215
absolute, caravan, caviar, discotheque, etiquette, gasoline,

jubilee, kerosene, nicotine, premature.
50
215
511
artisan, dungarees, registrar, souvenir, submarine.
2.9.3 Four-syllable words
5111
1511
aristocrat, controversy, exigency, formidable, kilometre.
1511
5111
contribute, despicable, (in)hospitable, metallurgy, nomenclature,

primarily.
5111
2151
absolutely, predecessor, television.
2.9.4 Five-syllable words
21511
5 1 1 1 ( 1)
necessarily, voluntarily.
5 1 1 1 ( 1)
21511
arbitrarily, customarily, disciplinary, momentarily, ordinarily,

temporarily.
2.9.5 Six-syllable words
121511
211511
applicability, demonstrability, despicability, transferability.
Note: the pattern eabsolute is used attributively only, as in qabsolute erubbish; the pattern
qabsoelutely is used as an emphatic equivalent of yes.
2.10 Word stress patterns
The main stress patterns in their citation forms are illustrated in the next section. The following
principles deserve mention:
(i) Every word has one, and only one, primary stress.
(ii) Secondary stresses (normally one, less frequently two) always precede, and never follow,
primary stresses in words. (See sections 1.4, 1.6 and 3.3 for other views). There is a strong tendency
in English for secondary and primary stresses to be separated by unstressed syllables. Therefore,
consecutive stresses secondary and primary are relatively unusual and derive mostly from
prefixation, e.g. redo /qriedu/, unlike /q!nelaIk/, etc. Notice that all double-stressed words, and
particularly adjectives, can undergo stress-shift.
51
(iii) A three-syllable word with a primary stress on the last syllable has a secondary stress on the
antepenultimate syllable, e.g. magazine /qmQgezin/; in a few cases where the primary stress is on
the penultimate syllable, the secondary may occur on the previous syllable, e.g. remarry /qriemQri/.
A four-syllable word with a primary stress on the penultimate syllable has a secondary stress on the
first syllable, e.g. conversation /qknveseISn/; if it has the primary stress on the last syllable, then the
secondary stress will normally be on the first syllable, e.g. misunderstand /qmIs!ndestQnd/.
(iv) Five- and six-syllable words with the primary stress on the fourth syllable from the left take
the secondary either on the first syllable, e.g. organisation /qgnaIezeISn/, irritability /qIrItebIlti/
or on the second, e.g. consideration /knqsIdereISn/, responsibility /rIqspnsebIlti/.
(v) English derivatives do not always follow the stress pattern of the roots they originate from,
e.g. person /epsn/, personification /pqsnIfIekeISn/; adapt /edQpt/, adaptation /qQdQpeteISn/,
compare /kmepe/, comparable /ekmprbl/; parent /epernt/, parental /perentl/.
(vi) Primary stresses usually separate pure vowels occurring in sequence and hiatus is produced,
rather than the corresponding semivowel + diphthong sequence (as Spanish phonology would prefer),
e.g. variation /qverieeISn/, graduation /qgrQdZueeISn/. Cf. *[veerjeISn, grQedZweISn].
(vii) Triple-stressed polysyllabic derivatives beginning with two consecutive stresses are regularly
simplified (stress-shifted) in a faster, less studied style, e.g. unsystematic /q!nqsIstemQtIk,
q!nsIstemQtIk/, demystification /qdiqmIstIfIekeISn, qdimIstIfIekeISn, diqmIstIfIekeISn/.
(viii) Inflections, i.e. suffixes which do not change word classes but indicate categories such as
number and tense, are stress-neutral, e.g. acecentuate, acecentuated, acecentuating. But note,
however, that some of these word endings may also form different word classes, e.g. inegratiate (v.),
inegratiating (adj.).
(ix) Two-syllable verbs ending in -ate take late stress: migrate /maIegreIt/; three-syllable verbs
take early stress: segregate /esegrgeIt/. The exceptions are all derivatives: overstate /qUvesteIt/,
recreate (create again) /qrikrieeIt/, reinstate /qriInesteIt/, underrate /q!ndereIt/.
(x) As pointed out in section 2.2, syllabification is not always straightforward, e.g. in words
containing the sequences /i, u/: ingenious /InedZinis/, immediacy /Iemidisi/, conspicuous
/knespIkjus/. Here two versions are possible, compressed and non-compressed, depending on
stylistic factors. Here we shall choose the latter, but learners must keep in mind the type of reduction
these words may be subjected to. These decisions have a bearing on the rhythm of the word.
We shall use the so-called tadpole notation to account for stressed and prominent syllables:
2.10.1
Two-syllable words
2.10.1.1
Primary stress + unstressed syllable (5 1)
52
aspirin, auburn, bargain, borough, chocolate, circuit, circus, civil, climate, colour,
conjure, consul, courier, desperate, doctorate, effort, fastener, faultless, favourite,
flourish, focus, furnace, furtive, garbage, grandeur, hazard, hostage, island, leopard,
malice, margin, medicine, menace, mountain, nourish, palace, palate, panel, preface,
private, purchase, sausage, scholar, secret, seizure, senate, southern, spinach,
stomach, substance, surface, surplus, symptom, terrace, valley, vengeance, villain.
Note interest /eIntrst, eIntrest/.
2.10.1.2
Primary stress + prominent syllable (5 3)

access, adverb, almost, ampere, apex, archive, argue, aspect, athlete, bingo, bistro,
bureau, capsule, chaos, climax, colleague, compere, congress, contrast, crayon,
depot, diagram, dialect, dialogue, diphthong, docile, empire, euro, expert, female,
finite, foretaste, forethought, futile, gourmet, grotto, gymnast, index, kiosk, latte,
memoir, migrane, moron, morpheme, narrow, phoneme, pristine, programme, protein,
proverb, refuge, satire, shallow, tabloid, triphthong, turbine, turmoil, umpire, venue.
2.10.1.3
Unstressed syllable + primary stress (1 5)

abhor, abode, abyss, alert, ascent, assault, astray, banal, canoe, canal, career, caress,
collate, commute, complete, condemn, contempt, convene, deceive, descent, discuss,
domain, lite, enhance, enthral, equate, excel, exert, extinct, facade, fatigue, foment,
galore, grimace, impinge, imply, infer, intact, intrude, invest, lagoon, obscene,
obscure, observe, offence, patrol, perplex, persist, persuade, pervade, perverse,
relent, renown, revenge, remark, salute, submit, succinct, supreme, suspense.
2.10.1.4
Prominent syllable + primary stress (3 5)

arcade, augment, austere, blockade, boutique, campaign, canteen, cartoon, cascade,
cashier, champagne, curtail, digress, dilate, foretell, maintain, naive, ornate, partake,
pontoon, portray, rapport, regime, shampoo, technique, transcend, transcribe,
transgress, translate, transpire, trombone, unchanged.
2.10.1.5
Secondary stress + primary stress (2 5)

amen, antique, champagne, Chinese, concave, convex, debrief, debunk, deflate,
defrost, diarrhoea, eighteen, farewell, hotel, innate, malformed, mischance, misuse,
misjudge, misplace, misquote, payee, pioneer, precook, prejudge, prewar, princess,
rebuild, refloat, regroup, rehouse, relive, routine, sardine, sublet, trustee, unarmed,
unclean, unclear, unfair, unkempt, unkind, unknown, unlit, unmarked, unmatched,
unpack, unpaid, unquote, unreal, unspoiled, unsure, untrained, unwise, violin.
2.10.2
53
Three-syllable words
2.10.2.1
(5 1 1) (5 1 3) (5 3 1) (5 3 3)
adamant, adequate, affable, amateur, asterisk, catholic, boisterous, cabinet, circular,
comfortable, cumbersome, delicates, derelict, digital, eczema, edible, exigence,
fabulous, fortunate, glamorous, guardianship, impudent, interval, intricate, jealousy,
jeopardy, lavatory, literature, masculine, miniature, necessary, obstinate, orator,
orchestra, pedestal, predator, prejudice, ravenous, sacrilege, scaffolding,
treacherous, tremulous, tricycle, turbulance, tyranny, ultimate, vegetable, vertebrate.
Note interesting /eIntrstIN, eIntrestIN/.
altitude, amplitude, appetite, apricot, artichoke, avenue, baritone, caramel, catalogue,
corridor, democrat, deviate, digitize, dinosaur, diplomat, execute, exercise, expedite,
formulate, habitat, handicap, imbecile, improvise, infantile, institute, intellect,
introvert (n.), jeopardize, juvenile, latitude, lubricate, maniac, marmalade,
menopause, monologue, obsolete, paradise, paradox, paragraph, pedagogue,
permeate, piccolo, protocol, reconcile, reservoir, sacrifice, suicide, universe;
autopsy, biopsy, corpuscle, cubism, cucumber, hierarchy, mutism, orgasm, racism,
realism, rectangle, retailer, sarcasm, subtitle, tourism, triangle, violator;
demarcate, diphthongize, elongate, exorcize, inundate.
2.10.2.2
(1 5 1) (3 5 1) (1 5 3) (3 5 3)
abandon, advantage, amalgam, apparel, commotion, contagion, contestant,
conundrum, demeanour, determine, deterrent, develop, diminish, disciple, excursion,
exotic, extremist, exuberant, facetious, fallacious, ferocious, fictitious, gymnasium,
horizon, idyllic, illiterate, immediate, incentive, incessant, interpret, intestine,
narration, narrator, obedient, opponent, pedestrian, performance, protester,
recipient, redundant, supportive, suppression, surveillance, tenacious, thesaurus;
ambition, anxiety, archaic, arthritis, asthmatic, audition, auspicious, authentic,
autistic, bombardment, bronchitis, carnation, cartoonist, diabetic, diabolic, diacritic,
didactic, digestive, fantastic, flirtatious, formation, gigantic, harmonic, lumbago,
martini, mascara, mosaic, narcotic, optician, organic, ostensive, partition,
psychiatrist, rendition, salvation, sensation, spectator, transmission, transaction,
transexual, transparent, traumatic, tribunal, triumphant, umbrella, volcanic;
alumni, annihilate, attach, casino, continued, contribute, distribute, fiance, gazebo,
impromptu, infertile, mosquito, placebo, tobacco, tomato;
albino, espresso, idealize, Latino, torpedo, transvestite, triathlete, volcano.
54
2.10.2.3
(2 5 1)
abnormal, antacid, bilingual, bimonthly, deflation, diabetic, diachronic, diagnosis,
haphazard, malpractice, miscarriage, non-fiction, non-racial, outsider, prehistory,
prejudgement, pro-British, scientific, subconscious, substandard, theoretic,
transgenic, trilingual, unanswered, unbalance, ungrateful, unhappy, unhealthy,
unhurried, unknowing, unloving, unlucky, unmanly, unnoticed, unproven,
unpublished, unpunctual, unscripted, unstable.
2.10.2.4
( 2 1 5) ( 2 3 5)
acquiesce, apprehend, ascertain, barricade, castanet, chandelier, cheerio, cigarette,
clarinet, condescend, convalesce, disembark, disrespect, entertain, guarantee,
indistinct, intersperse, intertwine, intervene, magazine, mandolin, orangeade,
picturesque, predefine, predispose, promenade, recommend, reminisce, serenade,
serviette, seventeen, tangerine, unabridged, unconfirmed, unexplored, unobserved,
unperturbed;
predigest, rapporteur, unforeseen.
2.10.3
Four-syllable words
2.10.3.1
(5 1 1 1) (5 1 3 1) (5 1 1 3)
accuracy, adequacy, alimony, amateurish, amicable, caterpillar, ceremony, delicacy,
efficacy, exigency, imagery, interestingly, intimacy, intricacy, matrimony, melancholy,
miserable, nominative, participle, regularly, similarly, veritable, vulnerable;
alienated, alternator, architecture, benefactor, calculator, centimetre, commentator,
complicated, demonstrator, euphemism, excavator, fascinating, feminism, gladiator,
illustrated, indicator, isolated, magnetism, moisturizer, operator, orchestrated,
organism, organizer, orthodoxy, patronizing, pedagogy, percolator, pessimism,
plagiarism, pluralism, pragmatism, predecessor, radiator, scepticism, terrifying,
terrorism, traumatism;
automobile, capitalize, caricature, personalize, popularize, systematize.
Note: legislature /eledZIsltS, eledZIsleItS/; ordinary /edn()ri, edneri/.
2.10.3.2
(1 5 1 1) (1 5 1 3) (3 5 1 1) (3 5 1 3)
apology, accessory, catastrophe, certificate, compatible, complexity, concomitant,
conglomerate, conspirator, curriculum, deodorant, explanatory, extravagance,
fraternity, geometry, invertebrate, laboratory, meticulous, miscellany, monopoly,
55
particular, penultimate, proportionate, protagonist, ridiculous, sabbatical, sagacity,

solicitor, stability, statistical, stupidity, tyrannical, unanimous, vernacular;
accelerate, accumulate, apologize, appreciate, commercialize, conciliate,
contaminate, contextualize, eliminate, enthusiast, exterminate, externalize,
extrapolate, facilitate, familiarize, habitu, hallucinate, incorporate, infuriate,
ingratiate, initialize, insecticide, insomniac, intimidate, intoxicate, irresolute, italicize,
legitimize, predominate, preoccupied, reciprocate, recuperate, retaliate, similitude;
activity, alternative, ambassador, ambiguous, antiquity, artillery, austerity, authority,
autonomous, auxiliary, biologist, captivity, coincidence, diameter, digestible, fertility,
festivity, finality, foreseeable, formality, fortuitous, grandiloquent, hostility,
hypothesis, identical, idolatry, magnificent, mammography, mortality, orthography,
participant, pornography, practitioner, psychologist, spectacular, technology,
typology, unbreakable, unmerciful, unpleasantness;
identify, participate, transliterate, triangulate, unauthorized.
2.10.3.3
(2 1 5 1) (2 3 5 1)
adolescence, allergenic, anaesthetic, baccalaureate, bifurcation, Caribbean,
claustrophobia, circulation, coalition, convalescent, desperation, detrimental,
deviation, exploration, fluctuation, formulation, idiotic, inconsiderate, innovation,
interference, interjection, interruption, laryngitis, mediaeval, mediocre, oceanic,
orthographic, penicillin, situation, statistician, substitution, superficial, superstitious,
supposition, transatlantic, trepidation, trisyllabic, variation;
acceptation, condemnation, conurbation, demarcation, deportation, egocentric,
elongation, embarkation, encrustation, expectation, exploitation, exportation,
idealistic, importation, inartistic, incarnation, innervation, prolongation, realization,
relaxation, retardation, transplantation, unhygienic, unscientific.
2.10.3.4
( 2 1 1 5)
aquamarine, entrepreneur, interrelate.
2.10.3.5
(2 5 1 1)
bicarbonate, biochemistry, biological, coauthoring, mismanagement, postgraduate,
prerequisite, proconsulate, refurbishment, subtropical, uncountable, unlimited,
unnecessary, unprincipled, unprintable, unsuitable.
2.10.3.6
(2 5 1 3)
56
miscalculate, unjustified, unoccupied, unorthodox, unparalleled, unqualified,

unrecognized.
2.10.4
Five-syllable words
2.10.4.1
(5 1 1 1 1) (5 1 1 3 1)
figuratively, qualitatively, quantitatively, speculatively;
amateurism, negativism, primitivism, puritanism, radicalism, spiritualism.
2.10.4.2
(1 5 1 1 1) (1 5 1 3 1) (3 5 1 3 1)
accompaniment, affectionately, colloquialism, comparatively, dispassionately,
extraordinarily, illiteracy, innumerable, particularly;
abbreviated, accelerator, administrator, apologizing, catholicism, collaborator,
communicator, consumerism, disoriented, domesticated, elasticated, enthusiasm,
excruciating, expansionism, expressionism, extenuating, facilitator, humiliating,
ingratiating, initiator, insinuating, intimidating, intoxicating, invigorating,
manipulator, metabolism, negotiator, opinionated, originator, refrigerator,
sophisticated.
unhesitating, unmitigated, unprecedented.
2.10.4.3
(2 1 5 1 1) (2 3 5 1 1) (2 1 5 1 3)
archaeology, bibliography, camaraderie, capability, cosmopolitan, curiosity,
disproportionate, femininity, futurologist, hypocritical, immaturity, incorruptible,
indiscriminate, inspirational, instability, insufficiency, metropolitan, pedagogical,
periodical, physiology, psychological, sexuality, similarity, speciality, spontaneity,
technicality, triviality, unanimity, ungetatable, uninhibited, university;
bicentenary, biodiversity, confrontational, elasticity, illegality, immortality,
inarticulate, inactivity, informality, productivity, subjectivity, unforeseeable;
archipelago, differentiate, hyperventilate, hypochondriac, incapacitate, paracetamol,
paradisiac, rehabilitate, renegotiate, revolutionize.
2.10.4.4
(2 1 1 5 1) (2 1 3 5 1)
amplification, antiabortion, characteristic, civilization, classification, codification,
disciplinarian, edification, extraposition, extraterrestrial, humanitarian, intervocalic,
Mediterranean, memorabilia, misinformation, modification, notification,
57
oceanographic, paradisiacal, paradigmatic, probabilistic, qualification, ramification,

specification, verification, versification;
authorization, centralization, dramatization, fertilization, globalization, glottalization,
humanization, improvisation, labialization, legalization, maximization,
mechanization, memorization, modernization, polarization, pressurization,
privatization, standardization, sterilization, suprasegmental, traumatization,
trivialization, urbanization, utilization, velarization, verbalization, visualization.
2.10.4.5
(1 2 1 5 1) (3 2 1 5 1)
abbreviation, acceleration, accentuation, accommodation, accumulation,
administration, affiliation, amalgamation, apologetic, appendicitis, appreciation,
approximation, assimilation, assassination, congratulation, consideration,
conspiratorial, continuation, depreciation, discrimination, encyclopedia, enthusiastic,
evacuation, exaggeration, examination, hallucination, humiliation, incorporation,
infatuation, investigation, manipulation, obliteration, pronunciation, sophistication.
antagonistic, anticipation, articulation, authentication, authoritarian, participation.
Note: (2 1 1 5 1), (2 3 1 5 1) and (1 2 1 5 1) are also the stress-shifted versions of the
pattern (2 2 1 5 1) in prefixed derivatives such as decomposition, deforestation,
devaluation, disadvantageous, dissatisfaction, misapprehension, miscalculation,
nonalcoholic, non-governmental, predisposition, predestination, prefabrication,
premeditation, reactivation, redistribution, reeducation, reduplication, reforestation,
revaluation, transcontinental, transfiguration, transliteration, transoceanic,
uninterrupted, unjustifiable, unsatisfactory, unsympathetic, unsystematic, etc.
2.10.5
Six-syllable words
2.10.5.1
(2 1 5 1 1 1) (2 1 5 1 3 1)
illegitimacy, indefatigable, reinvigorating, revolutionary, unintelligible;
exhibitionism, incapacitating, individualism, interventionism, sentimentalism,
unadulterated, undiscriminating, undomesticated, unpremeditated, unsophisticated.
2.10.5.2
(2 1 1 5 1 1)
characteristically, eligibility, etymological, irritability, manageability,
meteorological, spirituality, transferability, vulnerability.
2.10.5.3
(2 1 1 3 5 1)
58
capitalization, categorization, characterization, decimalization, generalization,

hospitalization, palatalization, personalization, popularization, regularization,
systematization.
2.10.5.4
(1 2 1 5 1 1) (3 2 1 5 1 1)
acceptability, applicability, availability, congeniality, despicability, eventuality,
illegibility, illogicality, impetuosity, impossibility, infallibility, insensitivity,
inseparability, municipality, originality, responsibility;
bacteriological, bacteriologist, posteriority.
Note: this is also the stress-shifted version of the pattern (2 2 1 5 1 1), as in
impartiality, incapability, incomprehensible, unpopularity, unpunctuality.
2.10.5.5
(1 2 1 1 5 1) (1 2 1 3 5 1) (3 2 1 1 5 1)
desertification, disqualification, electrification, exemplification, intensification,
personification, solidification, syllabification;
commercialization, conceptualization, disorganization, experimentation,
immobilization, industrialization, initialization, materialization, volatilization;
diversification, identification, uncharacteristic.
Note: this is also the stress-shifted version of the patterns (2 2 1 1 5 1), (2 2 1 3 5 1),
as in decentralization, dehumanization, demystification, depressurization,
destabilization, disorganization, detoxification, disqualification, preamplification,
premodification, reorganization, etc.
2.10.5.6
(2 1 2 1 5 1) (2 3 2 1 5 1)
autobiographic, bioengineering, decontamination, differentiation, discontinuation,
hyperventilation, inconsideration, indiscrimination, individualistic, insubordination,
intercontinental, intergovernmental, maladministration, misappropriation,
misinterpretation, mispronunciation, nonproliferation, recapitulation, reconciliation,
reconsideration, rehabilitation, unenthusiastic;
coarticulation, disambiguation, disarticulation, macroeconomic.
Note: this pattern may be simplified and stress-shifted into the pattern (2 1 1 1 5 1).
2.10.6
Seven-syllable words
2.10.6.1
(1 2 1 1 5 1 1)
59
communicability, impenetrability, impracticability, incomparability, incorrigibility,

inevitability, inseparability, intelligibility, invulnerability.
2.10.6.2
(2 1 2 1 5 1 1)
artificiality, epidemiology, homosexuality, inapplicability, incompatibility,
individuality, indivisibility, inexplicability, intergenerational, irresponsibility,
superficiality, unacceptability, unconventionality, unfamiliarity, ungrammaticality,
unpredictability, unrealiability.
2.10.6.3
(2 1 1 2 1 5 1)
intercommunication
2.11 Notes for the Spanish speaker

One of the primary tasks foreign learners must take upon themselves from the very early stages
of learning English is to determine stress placement in simple words. Failure to do so will more often
than not lead to serious problems of intelligibility. In this respect, numerous reports on research
carried out to assess the importance of word-stress as a clue to identify words indicate that native
listeners rely more heavily on the information provided by stress patterns than on the information
they retrieve from the pattern of phonemes. It is reported, for instance, that a wrongly stressed word
such as atemosphere was perceived as emust fear (Cutler, 1984); similarly, dif efer instead of the
correct form ediffer will most likely be heard as deefer, etc., not to mention many other wrongly
stressed words which hearers will simply fail to match with a familar item in their mental lexicon.
Confronted with endless lists of words arranged into stress patterns, such as those contained in
this chapter, learners may fall into the trap of believing that they should submit them to memory.
However, they should be able to assign correct stress patterns to the majority of the new derivatives
they come across by means of a process of analogy to other words they have previously incorporated
into their mental lexicon, in a way similar to what native speakers do when they have to say a word
for the first time.
Learners must also bear in mind that word-stress patterns, in the very first place, but also the
patterns of strong and weak vowel qualities, have a direct bearing on word rhythm, and consequently
on the rhythm of the whole utterance. One of the first rules they have to put into practice is that the
inventory of weak vowels cannot coexist with stressed syllables. The data presented in this chapter
demonstrates that there is a high degree of correlation between stressed/unstressed syllables and
vowel quality. Experience shows that many foreign speakers even very fluent ones fail to adopt
vowel weakening, but they must also be aware of the fact that (i) not all strong, full vowels take a
stress, and that (ii) these strong, unstressed vowels may occur both before and after the primary stress.
60
Changes of stress pattern usually entail changes of vowel quality.

Two very valuable sources of information on stress placement in words are the pronouncing
dictionaries we have profusely recommended, and audio materials both EFL and authentic (e.g.
films, television and the internet) to which learners can now have easy access. The only word of
warning with respect to connected speech is that it will contain the stress adjustments and
simplifications examined in the previous sections. This is where familiarity with prosodic rules
proves essential. Learning stress patterns from songs can also be problematic, since speech is
governed by rules different from those applied in singing.
Experience has shown that the task is made easier if a contrastive element between English and
Spanish is brought into the discussion. For instance, a comparison of long Spanish cognate words
with the corresponding English forms might help you fix stress patterns in your mind, e.g. English
verb forms ending in -ate(d), -ify (-ified), -ize(d), etc. and the corresponding Spanish forms in -ar, ado, etc. bring out marked differences, as in:
ecomplicate, ecomplicated
edecorate, edecorated
emodify, emodified
esatisfy, esatisfied
eorganize, eorganized
erealize, erealized
compliecar, compliecado
decoerar, decoerado
modifiecar, modifiecado
satisfaecer, satisefecho
organiezar, organiezado
realiezar, realiezado
A knotty problem involves word formation in English, an area where learners are confronted
with a variety of word combinations many more options than they are used to handling in their
mother tongue. Some particles, such as over- and under- are particularly liable to attach to the main
classes: to nouns in order to form other nouns (qoveraechiever, qunderaechiever), adjectives
(qovereage, qundereage) or adverbs (qovereground, qundereground); to adjectives to form other
adjectives (qovereactive, qundereprivileged); to verbs in order to form other verbs (qovereeat,
qundereeat), nouns (qoverecrowding, qunderetaking) or adjectives (qoveredone, qunderedone).
Teachers of English as a foreign language who have adopted RP would do well in recognizing
some of the main differences with stress patterning in American English, e.g. the fact that the latter
favour prominent syllables in cases where RP prefers weak ones, e.g. -ory, -ary, -mony, -agogy.
Another rule concerns the number of syllables a word has. The following figures show the
relationship between stress placement and number of syllables in English and Spanish (adapted from
Delattre, 1965). The figures, given in percentages, show the predominance of words with a stress on
the penultimate syllable in Spanish, irrespective of the number of syllables. English words, on the
other hand, tend to be stressed on either the first or second syllables:
2-syllable words
61
3-syllable words
4-syllable words
1st
2nd
1st
2nd
3rd
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
English
74
26
55
39
33
36
29
Spanish
78
22
74
20
11
80
Practice material
For the marking of longer utterances (items 8 and 9) you will need information about the
distribution of intonation-groups (chapter 4, section 4.2).
1.
Organize the following two-syllable words according to their stress patterns and read them aloud:
acorn
ambience
ambush
appal
attire
awry
cajole
cannal
commence
control
demise
denial
diaphragm
discreet
distinct
folklore
guitar
contrive
impulse
lament
mankind
manure
meringue
obese
orchard
reggae
robot
suburb
suspense
turbine
prologue
radio
ratio
delete
prelude
proverb
eclipse
entice
ent
epoch
proceeds
espouse
nuance
tripod
membrane
ravine
placard
platform
transverse
ignore
reflex
bizarre
pursue
prolong
mele
prepaid
unpaved
unplanned
turquoise
incest
stature
syringe
goulash
denim
2. Organize the following three-syllable words according

aloud:
advertise
affable
ascertain
cauliflower
chimpanzee
contagious
disciple
engineer
entertain
interval
maintenance
molecule
pyramid
recognize
sarcasm
taciturn
tribunal
utensil
recipe
criterion
transgression
utensil
dossier
occupier
enterprise
paradigm
envelope
to their stress patterns and read them

astronaut
decisive
expertise (n.)
pedestal
sectarian
insipid
vibration
camomile
extrovert
atmosphere
delinquent
hierarchy
predator
silhouette
plebiscite
minuet
satellite
holocaust
62
magistrate
transition
repertoire
cosmetic
pragmatics
magnitude
solitude
populace
ratio
apperture
myopia
replica
fortitude
maritime
3. Organize the following four-syllable words according

aloud:
acclimatize
amicable
apparatus
catastrophe
caterpillar
centenary
deodorant
escalator
hereditary
medicinal
mediocre
melancholy
penicillin
intermittent
propaganda
discovery
priority
effeminate
ephemeral
transparency
fertilizer
monopolize
communiqu
communicate
appetizer
preeminent
perpetrator
interpreter
miscellany
nocturnal
consequence
reconcile
strategic
plantation
ratify
demagogue
chaotic
to their stress patterns and read them

appetizing
claustrophobia
impediment
optimism
situated
effervescent
contaminant
communism
stimulator
Argentinian
corrugated
irreparable
pedagogy
irascible
periphery
phenomenon
tantalizing
contraception
4.
Organize the following five-syllable words according to their stress patterns and read them aloud:
abominable
affiliated
ambiguity
anticipation
apologetic
archaeologist
camaraderie
collaboration
commemorative communication
configuration
contamination
imaginable
improvisation
indivisible
intelligible
interrogation
intoxicated
negotiation
opinionated
organization
positivism
protestantism
recommendation recrimination
recuperated
hypocrisy
impeccable
disconformity
environmental
experimental
neutralization
invigilation
exasperated
insignificant
reciprocity
interpretation
5.
The following pairs have similar phonemic patterns but different stress patterns:
artist - artiste
carton - cartoon
comedian - comedienne
critic - critique
defer - differ
discus - discuss
dragon - dragoon
equator - Ecuador
extravagance - extravaganza
final - finale
gentil - genteel
human - humane
invalid (=not valid) - invalid (=sick person)
liqueur - liquor
marine - mariner
minute (n.) - minute (v.)
mystic - mystique
moral - morale
motive - motif
noble - Nobel
numeral - numerical
physics - physique
precis - precise
premier - premiere
rational - rationale
resume - rsum
secret - secrete
sever - severe
solitary - solitaire
technic - technique
urban - urbane
virtuous - virtuoso
63
6.
Explain the differences between the British and American versions of the following words:
administrative
Birmingham
Canterbury
collaborative
Edinburgh
fertile
harass
January
legislative
manipulative
missile
renaissance
testimony
7.
Provide the stress patterns of each individual word and then that of the phrase:
redress the balance
underage drinking
preschool playgroup
stay overnight
overrated novel
inevitable overlap
overnight success
meanings overlap
undercover policeman
overhead projector
outspoken politician
look content
table of contents
reinforced concrete
ingrowing toenail
retail business
overused resources
underrated novelist
slightly overweight
dangerous malpractice
work undercover
undersea exploration
reinstated employees
insightful observations
8.
Accentuate the following collocations and phrases:

advantages and disadvantages
authors and coauthors
automatic and semiautomatic
bilingual and multilingual
clockwise and counterclockwise
decoration and redecoration
for the record and off-the-record
graduates and postgraduates
likes and dislikes
merits and demerits
physics and biophysics
products and by-products
quote and unquote
standard and non-standard
9. List the following alternations according to whether the suffix is stress-neutral or stressimposing:
allergy - allergic
suburb - suburban
academy - academic
remedy - remedial
narrate - narrative
refer - reference
apply - applicable
exclaim - exclamatory
apology - apologetic
suicide - suicidal
synonym - synonymous
govern - governmental
column - columnist
vary - variable - variation
imitate - imitative - imitation
refer - referent - referential
demonstrate - demonstrative - demonstration
observe - observatory - observation
advise - advisable - advisability
govern - government - governmental
profession - professional - professionalism
10. Indicate whether the prefix is stress-neutral or stress-imposing:
archangel
archbishop
archenemy
archiphoneme
autodidactic
autograph
autoimmune
automotive
ex-chairman
ex-convict
ex-directory
ex-husband
arch-rivals
autopilot
ex-serviceman
64
megabyte
microbiology
midday
minibus
multicoloured
nonalcoholic
outcome
subway
megadeath
microclimate
mid-life
minicab
multicultural
nonfiction
outcry
subclass
megastar
microfilm
midnight
miniseries
multilingual
nonintervention
outhouse
subculture
megastore
microorganism
midpoint
miniskirt
multimedia
non-refundable
outlook
subhuman
11. Indicate the behaviour of the suffix in the following words:

citizenship
managership
membership
musicianship
advantageous
adventurous
conscientious
hazardous
luxurious
malicious
miraculous
mysterious
duty-free
fat-free
lead-free
sugar-free
circumstantial
financial
industrial
provincial
brotherhood
likelihood
livelihood
neighbourhood
delivery
imagery
jewellery
machinery
downward
eastward
heavenward
homeward
lioness
manageress
waitress
chauffeur
connoisseur
entrepreneur
provocateur
megawatt
microwave
midterm
minivan
multiracial
nonviolence
outmost
substation
professorship
laborious
prestigious
trouble-free
remedial
widowhood
refinery
westward
raconteur
12. Form adjectives by adding the suffixes given to each of the stems and indicate whether they are
stress-neutral or stress-imposing:
-able: adapt, charity, credit, dispose, pleasure, realize, recognize, service, translate.
-acy: adequate, advocate, delicate, diplomat, immediate, inadequate, intimate, legitimate,
literate, obstinate, private, supreme.
-ary: adverse, custom, discipline, document, evolution, honour, imagine, legend, moment.
-or:
calculate, decorate, demonstrate, innovate, legislate, mediate, moderate, regulate.
13. Form collocations with stress-shifted adjectives + nouns, as in the example:
An issue which is not important. An qunimportant eissue.
1. A record which is not impressive.
2. A lesson which has not been prepared.
3. A uniform which is not official.
4. Luggage which is not necessary.
5. A meeting which is not productive.
6. Access which is not restricted.
7. A dispute which is not settled.
8. A paper which is not signed.
9. A syllable which is not stressed.
10. A phenomenon which is not observed.
65
14. Form collocations with stress-shifted adjectives + nouns:

1. Events which are not connected.
2. An idea which is not well conceived.
3. An appointment which has been arranged again.
4. A report which has not been confirmed.
5. Children who are too active.
6. A room which is used for many purposes.
7. A drink which does not contain alcohol.
8. A meal which has been cooked in advance.
9. A hospital which is not used as much as it could.
10. An area which has been divided into smaller parts.
15. Mark and read the following sentences:
1. Liz loves organizing and decorating.
2. The patient was temporarily incapacitated.
3. Ill be content with an excerpt of the speech.
4. Maurice is an incomparable guitarrist and entertainer.
5. His style illustrates originality and creativity.
6. The report indicated insults to the Catholic community.
7. All of us evaluated the quality of the lecture on spoken discourse.
8. His innovative ideas have demonstrated his artistic talents.
9. I object to being transferred to the office in the suburbs.
10. He attributes his success to his admirable self-control.
11. My results contrast with the latest research reports.
12. My contract is subject to the way I conduct the survey.
13. Farm produce such as fruits and grain are the countrys main exports.
14. He speaks English with an accent but hes working hard to perfect it.
15. Their decision to contest the cost of maintenance was declared an invalid argument.
16. The reduction in administrative costs caused irreparable environmental damage.
17. Efforts will be made to encourage collaborative research between colleagues.
18. Methodologists advocate the development of communicative competence rather than
formal accuracy.
19. The laboratory endevours to implement the committees recommendations.
20. He was accused of involuntary manslaughter and there were no extenuating
circumstances.
16. Mark the following passage and transcribe the words in italics:
A group of students who frequented the Empire Caf met there to stage a protest meeting. Police
suspected some of the young rebels who frequently went there to protest about the subject of grants. A
recent increase had been rejected, and so far little progress had been made. When the police raided
the caf, the meeting was being conducted in perfect order, but soon insults were heard and some
66
arrests were made. The young suspects were escorted to the police station and subjected to
questionning. The subject of increasing the grants had to be put off.
Notes to chapter 2
1
Strictly speaking, /i/ and /u/ are not phonemes, but the result of a process of neutralization between /i/ and
/I/ and, on the other hand, /u/ and /U/: in various non-prominent contexts these oppositions no longer operate.
This happens, for instance, in stem-final position, e.g. bury, buries, buried / eberi, eberiz, eberid/ and in wordmedial position, when the weak vowel is followed by another vowel, e.g. variation / verieeISn/, graduation
/ grQdZu eeISn/, where most speakers now use vowel qualities nearer to /i/ and /u/ than to /I/ and /U/. LPD has
gone a step further in the use of /i/ and /u/ and now shows them in initial weak syllables: emotion /iemUSn/,
remind / riemaInd/, superb / suepb/, etc. See also Garca Lecumberri & Maidment (2000).
2
/I, U/, traditionally used in weak syllables in words such as nuclear /enjuklI/ and gradual /egrQdZUl/,
are now replaced by the sequences /-i, -u/, which represent two separate syllables but in casual speech can be
compressed into one. Cruttenden (2008) prefers the former.
3
There is some degree of variability in some cases. Whereas some speakers do not differentiate between
noun and verb (reecess, reesearch), others do (erecess n. ~ reecess v., etc.).

Chapter 2 Ortiz Lira

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Chapter 2 Ortiz Lira

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2 Stress in English simple words

2.2 Word stress and syllable patterning

Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011

Strong vowels (long):

Strong vowels (short):

Weak vowels (non-prominent):

H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent

2.3 Word stress and prefixation

Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011

2.3.1 Stress-neutral prefixes: qantibieotic, diseable

H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent

Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011

2.3.2 Prefixes attracting stress, stems unstressed: esemivowel

H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent

2.4 Word stress and suffixation

2.4.1 Stress-neutral suffixes

In most cases, /-IdZ/: ecover, ecoverage; elever, eleverage; emarry, emarriage;

Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011

eannotate; eorigin, oeriginate.

acecuse, acecusative; deerive, deerivative; iemagine, (qun)iemaginative; ineform,

coneserve, coneservatory; deeclaim, deeclamatory; execlaim, execlamatory; exeplain,

acecelerate, acecelerator; eagitate, eagitator; ealternate, ealternator; eamplify,

deeceive, deeceitful; deelight, deelightful; qdisreespect, qdisreespectful; foreget,

H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent

foregetful; emercy, emerciful; epity, epitiful; epurpose, epurposeful; reesource,

ebeauty, ebeautify; edignity, edignify; eexample, eexemplify; eglory, eglorify; inetense,

qabsenetee, qabseneteeism; qacaedemic, qacaedemicism; ealcohol, ealcoholism;

caretoon, caretoonist; ecolony, ecolonist; ecolumn, ecolumnist; exetreme, exetremist;

aepology, aepologize; echaracter, echaracterize; eclimate, aceclimatize; comeputer,

ecolour, ecolourless; deefence, deefenceless; eeffort, eeffortless, exepression,

eamicable, eamicably; eauditory, eauditorily; conetrastive, conetrastively; ecoward,

Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011

/-mnt/ in nouns: aebandon, aebandonment; acecompany, acecompaniment;

earbitrary, earbitrariness; aeware, aewareness; comepetitive, comepetitiveness;

2.4.2 Suffixes attracting stress

block, bloeckade; elemon, qlemoenade; mask, qmasqueerade; eorange, qoranegeade.

eabsent, qabsenetee; eamputate, qampuetee; apepoint, apqpoinetee, atetend, atqtenedee;

H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent

eauction, qauctioeneer; edominate, qdomieneer; eengine, qengieneer; emarket,

eChina, qChienese; Jaepan, qJapaenese; ejournal, qjournaelese; elegal, qlegaelese;

eArab, qaraebesque; epicture, qpictueresque; estatue, qstatueesque.

ciegar, qcigaerette; eflannel, qflanneelette; ekitchen, qkitcheenette; elaundry,

2.4.3 Stress-imposing suffixes

eallergy, alelergic; eanarchy, aenarchic; eartist, aretistic; echaos, chaeotic; eclimate,

eeconomy, qecoenomical; egrammar, gramematical; eheresy, heeretical; enonsense,

Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011

2.4.4 Stress-neutral and stress-imposing suffixes

H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent

Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011

emoment, emomentary; emoney, emonetary; reeaction, reeactionary; qrevoelution,

(a) stress-neutral mainly in three-syllable words:

H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent

qlegaliezation; qmisproenounce, qmispronuncieation; emultiply, qmultipliecation;

Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011

edemonstrate, ( qun)deemonstrative; eexecute, eexecutive; eexplicate, exeplicative;

H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent

amebition, amebitious; aenomaly, aenomalous; ecourtesy, ecourteous; edanger,

2.5 Word stress and verbal derivatives

Word stress and sentence accent - H. Ortiz 2011

Exception: qlie-edown. Note ego-between, eslip-ons.

Exception: etalking-to. Note qheads-eup.

Note egrown-up (n.); eleftovers (n.); esought-after (adj.).

H. Ortiz 2011 - Word stress and sentence accent

Particle + verb(inf), verb(pp), verb(-ing): eintake, qoutespoken, qoff eset,