Word Stress
This is the syllable that usually gets the stress in two-syllable nouns like sister and table.
first syllable
These words carry the most important information in a sentence.
content words
The most common vowel sound in English, often found in unstressed syllables.
schwa /ə/
These sounds occur when air is blocked or constricted, like /p/, /t/, /k/.
consonants
This sound often disappears in fast speech, such as the /d/ in friendship.
elision
In compound nouns like newspaper and postman, this part of the word gets the main stress.
first element
Words like and, the, and is that are usually unstressed.
function words
A combination of two vowel sounds in one syllable is called this.
diphthong
When the /t/ in that changes to a /p/ before book, it’s an example of this kind of connected speech feature.
assimilation
When that book sounds like thap book, it’s due to this process.
assimilation
Words like import and record change their stress based on whether they are this part of speech.
nouns or verbs
This is the main stressed syllable in an intonation unit, usually marking the focus of the message.
tonic syllable
The word our in British English contains this more complex vowel sound.
triphthong
This consonant sound is inserted between words like go out.
linking /w/
This linking sound appears between two vowels when one word ends in /r/, as in law and order.
linking /r/
This part of a word, such as un- in unhappy or -ly in quickly, is typically unstressed.
prefixes and suffixes
Changing this syllable in a sentence can shift the meaning or emphasis.
tonic syllable
This sound, while central and unstressed, varies greatly in pronunciation across dialects.
schwa /ə/
These kinds of combinations of multiple consonants often lead to elision in fast speech.
consonant clusters
The addition of a sound not written, as in I saw it becoming I sawr it, is known as this.
intrusion or intrusive /r/
This term describes a two-syllable word whose stress changes depending on its grammatical function.
stress-shift word or dual-role word
This pitch movement often accompanies the tonic syllable to signal sentence focus.
intonation
When two vowel sounds meet at word boundaries, speakers often use these sounds to link them.
linking /r/, /w/, or /j/
The sounds /p/, /t/, and /k/ are described as this kind of plosive because they are produced without vocal fold vibration.
voiceless plosives
This teaching technique builds a sentence by starting at the end and adding words backwards.
back-chaining