Chapter 5. Word Stress
Additional Activities
5-4 Pronunciation Automaticity via Morewords
Step 1
Go to www.morewords.com
Step 2
Type in the Search for word endings, e.g. “ically” or “ical”.
Step 3
Then, click on the link that says “words ending with …” that you had searched for.
Step 4
Additional Sort: You can then sort the words by length or by how common the words are.
- Use the list sorted by length to practice word stress in different number of syllables, e.g. “words that end with ical by length“
- Use the list sorted by how common words are to practice word stress in words that are more common, e.g. “words that end with ical by frequency used“
Step 5
Practice using these steps:
- saying the word individually,
- embedding it in a sentence they can imagine really saying to someone and
- pronouncing the word individually again.
5-5 Pronunciation Automaticity via YouGlish
Step 1
Search in YouGlish a word or phrase for which you want to learn standard English pronunciation (including thought grouping, word stress, focus syllable, intonation, individual sound/ cluster pronunciation, etc)
Step 2
Listen to the word/phrase within its complete thought group (i.e., from pause to pause).
Step 3
Repeat the thought group 5 times, carefully following the speaker’s pronunciation. If you make a mistake, listen to the speaker say the thought group again and then start over at 1 to count your 5 repetitions, e.g.,
What you hear: “When you see / a diagram like this,. . . .
Eric Berlow: “Simplifying Complexity” (TED)
- What you say: “When. . . .you see. . . .”
- What you think: ‘Oh, no! I paused. I need to start over. . .’
- What you say: “When you see. . . , When you see. . ., When you see. . ., When you see. . ., When you see. . . .”
- What you think: ‘Okay, I can go to the next YouGlish video. . . .’
Step 4 (Optional)
Before moving to the next video, think about what phrasing you would have used if you had been the speaker. How confident are you that your proposed phrasing is also standard English and appropriate for the speaker’s context? (If you’re not sure, compare your proposed phrasing to what the speaker actually said via YouGlish, COCA or Google Scholar.)
Step 5
Until you feel confident you can pronounce the word/phrase accurately on your own, complete steps 2–4 every day with 5 new YouGlish videos.
5-6 Word Stress Practice
Based on the rules of suffixes given earlier, practice each of the words below first individually and then used in a sentence. Tip: You can google the word by typing: How to pronounce e.g. statuesque. You can hear the way the word is pronounced and, for most words, you can see the option “Practice”. Once you start practicing, Google’s ASR will give you feedback on your pronunciation.
Words: Statuesque, Convoluted, Commissioner, Suffragette, Finagling, Obese, Introductory, Hypothermia, Boutique, Germanium, Acceleration, Terminal, Radiology, Paleontologist, Desiccant, Metamorphosis, Buoyancy, Incandescent, Amputee, Malicious, Mystique, Anticlimactic, Herbicide, Superlative, Ministerial, Veneer, Carbohydrates, Pedagogy, Baguette, Formulaic, Erroneous, Opaque, Forensics, Temperature, Stalactite, Vacuole
