Are you struggling with understanding word stress? Watch this ✨

If you didn't understand what I was saying here

it's because I misplaced the primary stress

in almost every word.

"The engineer complained to the manager on

the conclusions of the company survey."

The primary stress is one of the most important

elements when it comes to clear pronunciation.

Yet it is one of the things that causes

the most headache for non-native speakers

when communicating in English, because it is

inconsistent and elusive.

This is why in this video, I'm going to

help you understand everything related

to primary stress.

Because first, we're going to learn what

is primary stress and how to identify

the primary stress in new words in English.

Then I'm going to share with you some patterns

to help you predict how to use the primary stress

in certain words, that will ground you and help

you feel more confident when speaking English.

Then I'm going to share with you my 3-step

system to help you learn and practice

the primary stress.

And finally, I'm going to quiz you to see

how you are doing with your primary stress.

So, what is the primary stress?

The primary stress is the one syllable in the word

that sticks out the most.

It is longer, louder, and higher in pitch.

A syllable is the smallest unit of a word

that usually has one vowel in it, and one

or more consonants.

For example, if we take the word 'example',

here if we break it down to the smallest units

- ig-ZAM-p'l - we hear and feel that we have three

syllables - ig-ZAM-p'l.

In this example, the middle syllable, the

ZAM is the primary stress, because it

is longer, louder, and tire and pitch.

ig-ZAM-p'l.

Every word must have a primary stress.

Technically it's every content word, but right

now let's just generalize it and talk about the

fact that every word must have a primary stress.

So for example, if we take the word 'dog',

it has one syllable, and that syllable is

the primary stress.

But if we take the word 'apple', we here

have two syllables.

The first one, A, is the primary stress

- longer, louder, higher in pitch: A-p'l.

And the second syllable is a weak stress.

So, when we talk about the stress system of

English, we have the primary stress, we

have one and only one.

Then the rest of the syllables are either

getting the secondary stress, which is a

pure vowel - we'll just treat it as the default

pronunciation, it's not to stress not to reduce

- and then it could also be reduced to a schwa.

And that is the weak stress.

Now, if you know me for a little bit, you know

that I'm obsessed with the schwa, and I have

a lot to say about it.

But right now we're not talking about

the schwa and we don't have all day.

So I'm going to link to all of the necessary

content for you to understand the schwa in

the description below.

Check it out cause it's really interesting.

Now.

As we said, you have the primary stress, which

is the one syllable that sticks out the

most, and then you either have a secondary

stress or a weak stress.

Like in the example, 'A-p'l' - primary, weak.

In the word 'unite' the 'NAIT' is the

primary stress.

Notice what I'm doing with my voice:

u-NAIT, right?

And the 'u' is a secondary stress, it is

lower and it is shorter.

Unite.

Unite.

Let's stick the word 'condition'.

The middle syllable - DI - is the primary stress:

k'n-DI-sh'n, k'n-DI-sh'n.

The middle syllable is longer, louder,

and higher in pitch.

k'n-DI-sh'n.

Now, how can you identify what syllable use stress

when you say a word?

Here's the thing.

When you break down a word into smaller

units, when you reach the primary stress

- and primary stress is something that we all

use and we all have, you're doing it in your

native language as well.

And you're doing it in English.

You might be doing it slightly differently

than how I explained.

Maybe you're just saying it a little louder,

maybe you're just saying it higher in

pitch, but you are doing something to distinguish

one syllable from all the other syllables.

Almost all languages have words with

primary stress.

So, when you break down a word saying it really

slowly, you're breaking it down into syllables.

And then there will be one syllable that

is more dominant.

So for example, if you're saying the word

'condition' and you want to identify what part

you're stressing, you want to say it slowly.

And then there is like this one part that is a

little bit more dominant.

Let's say, if I ask you to punch your palm when

you say the word, when you say it slowly, you're

going to do it on a certain syllable, right?

And if we use the word 'condition',

where would you do it?

So, first of all, let's say it slowly: condition,

condition, right.

And if you had to punch once when you

say the word, would it be on the first

syllable - CONdition?

Would it be on the second syllable - conDItion?

Would it be on the last syllable

- condiTION, right?

What would feel more intuitive and natural,

and not out of place?

I'm assuming that most of you said 'conDItion'

because that is the primary stress, that

is where the power of the word is.

And this is how you should think about it.

So if you want to practice understanding

where the primary stress is, you can use

the punching method.

Condition, condition, condition.

- Son, what are you doing over there?

I'm a little concerned about you.

- Oh, don't worry, mom.

I'm just practicing my primary stress.

So make sure you're home alone when practicing

the primary stress.

Another way to understand where the primary

stress is to call the word out the window:

condition, come home!

Casual, come home!

That part, where you go higher in pitch,

is the primary stress.

You might want to be home alone when

practicing this too.

Okay.

So now you know how do I identify the primary

stress when you are saying the word, because

it's a huge part of the work that we're doing.

But what happens if you are misplacing

the primary stress, like I did at the

beginning of this video?

Here's the thing.

When we speak a second language, oftentimes

we apply things from our first language on

to the second language.

We do that with sounds.

So let's say, I can use 'rrr' instead of

'ur', and say 'rrrun' instead of run.

I can use international patterns, different

international patterns from my native language,

it happens intuitively.

And I can use different stress patterns.

In many languages the stress is easily

predicted, meaning, when you have a word, it's

either always going to be at the end or always

going to be on the one syllable before the end.

Or it might change according to the word in

the sentence, but it's very, very consistent.

So you might be applying that onto English.

And in English, the stress is really

inconsistent.

Sometimes it's at the beginning, sometimes

it's in the middle, sometimes it's at

the end, sometimes it can be both - at the

beginning or the end, depending on the word.

And sometimes the stress is just, you know,

going crazy and it's inconsistent altogether.

So this is why it's so confusing.

So, what you're likely to do is, you know, cause

you want some certainty in life, you might bring

the patterns that you know from your native

language, but then you might say something

like ENgineer instead of engiNEER, or CONtent when

you want to say conTENT.

And that causes lack of clarity.

Now, the reason why it's so confusing is

because when people hear a word, the first

thing that they detect is the primary stress,

because it's so dominant.

Even if you don't think that right now, it is.

And people search for the meaning or

they search in their vocabulary, best based

on where the stress is.

So if you're saying something like conTENT,

they will look for the word that has the stress

on the second syllable.

And even though you intended to say

CONtent, this might create a confusion, and

it'll take the person listening a little

longer to understand what it is that

you're trying to say.

And remember, it is always about getting

heard and delivering your message, right?

It's not about sounding just more American or

British or Australian.

Ultimately, you want people to understand

you, so you can communicate, so you get

what you want, right?

And this is why it is so incredibly important.

And I'm so passionate about understanding it

better and practicing it.

Because intelligibility is everything.

This is your tool to communicate

with confidence.

So as you can see, this could be very,

very confusing.

So don't feel bad, there's nothing

wrong with you.

It's just because this is how it is

when communicating in a second language.

So now, let's move on to the second part where I

give you actionable tools to know how to identify

the primary stress, or at least to practice it when

you don't have something concrete to work with.

So, when it comes to stress patterns,

here's something interesting to look at.

When you add a suffix to a word - a suffix

is that small addition that changes the

meaning of the word and the lexical function.

So for example you can say 'available',

but if you add '-ity' it turns into

'availability', right?

When we add a suffix, in most suffixes it

kind of like draws and pulls the stress

closer to the suffix, no matter where the stress

is at the beginning.

So for example, with the word 'available',

here the primary stress is on the VAI

- a-VAI-la-ble, right?

But once I add '-ity', it draws the stress,

and the stress moves from a-VAI-la-ble to

a-vai-la-BI-li-ty.

PO-ssi-ble - po-ssi-BI-li-ty.

So, when you add the suffix '-ity' the stress

moves to the one syllable before the suffix.

Same thing with '-cal'.

gra-MMA-ti-cal.

TECH-ni-cal.

po-LI-ti-cal.

Right?

PO-li-tics - po-LI-ti-cal.

Now, I have an entire lesson about stress in

words with suffixes, so I'm going to link to

that in the description below so you can

learn more about that.

Now, it happens not in all suffixes, but with

some of the most common suffixes in English,

which gives you a lot of words to work with and to

predict where the primary stress is, so make

sure you check it out.

The next pattern that I'm going to share with

you is when there is a word with two syllables.

If the word with two syllables is a verb,

usually the stress is going to be on the second

syllable: com-PLETE, a-PPROVE, cre-ATE.

If the word is a noun, the stress is likely to

be on the first syllable: A-pple, TA-ble, CAP-tion.

Right?

Now, here's another example that will

help you understand it even better.

Sometimes there are words that are

exactly the same, and the only thing that

changes is the stress.

If it's a verb, the stress is going to

be on the second syllable: pre-SENT.

If it's a noun, the stress is going

to be on the first syllable: PRE-sent.

Con-VICT - CON-vict.

re-CORD - RE-cord.

So, understanding suffixes and

understanding this pattern of verbs

and nouns can help you quite a lot when

trying to identify the primary stress.

But what happens if a word does not have that

particular suffix that moves the stress closer

to it, or it's not a word with two syllables?

Then you have to use my 3-step system for

identifying, learning, and practicing the

primary stress.

So, if you come across a word - let's take the

word 'congratulate' - and you're trying to identify

the primary stress.

First, I want you to guess what the

primary stress is, and then pronounce

it and record it.

When you record yourself and you listen

back to it, you hear things more clearly.

Because you're not doing it while all

these other things going on in your head.

And you're more focused on identifying what it

is that you're doing, you know, checking

your performance.

So, I recommend recording the word and

then trying to identify what was the primary

stress that you used.

You can also use the 'punching method' or

'calling it out the window', and then

you want to mark that primary stress.

Then you want to go to the dictionary.

My favorite is either a simple Google search

- 'how to pronounce...' and then put the word,

or 'define...' and then write the word, or

go to dictionary.com.

Then you'll see the word written out.

On Google it'll be in bold, and on

dictionary.com you're likely to see the

apostrophe to the left of the primary

stressed syllable.

So, when you see that apostrophe above

a certain letter, that means that

what comes after is the primary stress.

So that's how you know where the primary

stress is for sure.

And you want to compare it with

what you detected.

If it's okay, good for you, pat yourself

on the back, you're doing an amazing job.

If it's not, you're still doing an amazing job, but

maybe we need to put in a little more work into

practicing the word with the right pronunciation.

So, let's say you took the word 'congratulate',

and you said that the 'late' is the

primary stress, and in the dictionary you

saw that it's 'gra'.

So, you want to practice it with the

right pronunciation.

That means saying the word, but exaggerating

the syllable that is the primary stress.

ConGRAAAAAtulate.

You want to drag it and stretch it forever.

ConGRAAAAAtulate.

AAAAApple.

FRUUUUUstrated.

CAAAAAsual.

Right?

And you can use your arm, it really does help.

Or you want to go higher in pitch,

but significantly.

Apple.

conGRAtulate.

opporTUnity.

SoPHISticated.

Right?

So you either go a little longer or a little higher

in pitch, or both, but you're practicing the

right pronunciation again and again and again,

developing new speaking habits and building

pronunciation confidence.

This is how you shift from old habits that

might not be serving you anymore, because

it's not the accurate pronunciation, and step

into speaking with new speaking habits using

the right primary stress.

But you have to do it again and again, and

you have to exaggerate it because that's

the only way for you to know if you're

actually practicing it correctly or not.

Because a lot of times people will practice

the right pronunciation, but in fact use the

old pronunciation using the wrong primary

stress without even noticing, because it is

so incredibly elusive.

And sometimes we think that we're doing one

thing, but our mouth and our brain are

taking us to a totally different place.

So you always want to be in control.

And what I'm telling you here to do will

help you to be in control and really start

changing those habits.

Okay?

And then you want to do it again and again and

again, and of course use it in context, in a

small phrase, and then a sentence, and then try

to use it intentionally when speaking.

Now, here's what you're probably saying to

yourself, "Wait, Hadar, there are so many words.

Am I supposed to do it with every word

that I mess up?"

No, because the actual practice, the act

of identifying and practicing is what

creates awareness.

And awareness works in a miraculous way.

It doesn't only help you identify what it

is that you're working on right now, it gives

you a broader sense of how the language works.

Because your brain starts becoming more attentive

and starts paying more attention to that thing

called primary stress.

Because up until now, your brain was

like, "I don't need this information.

I know what to do here."

When in fact what you did was applying patterns

from your first language.

So now you become more aware.

Practicing it makes you be more in control of

how you use your sounds and speech and voice.

And that alone will help you use the right stress,

even in words that you haven't practiced before.

So, don't be discouraged if you feel that this is

just such a small part of the entire language.

Because that is the work that will help you

improve and understand and become more

aware of the primary stress in English.

Okay.

So now that you know what is the primary stress

and how do I identify it, and you know a little

bit more about how to predict the stress in

certain situations.

And you also know my 3-step system to

help you learn and practice by identifying,

searching for the right stress, and practicing

it in a certain way.

Now, let's put it into practice.

I'm going to say the words you need to

identify the primary stress - I also have

them written down in the description - and then go

to my website, and check if you got it right.

Let's begin.

Democracy.

Economics.

Responsibility.

Graduation.

Psychology.

Vegetables.

Employee.

Sitcom.

Abundance.

Profitable.

Comprehend.

Content.

Saturated.

Elusive.

Sexuality.

Residential.

Interpersonal.

Hidden.

Recreate.

Natural.

Okay, that's it.

First of all, if you like this video,

make sure to like and subscribe to my channel.

I would really, really appreciate it and

would love to have you here with us.

And then let me know in the comments, how

many words you got right in the quiz.

So, share your wins or struggles with us.

And if you have any other tips to share

with the community on how to practice the

primary stress, don't be shy, share them in

the comments below.

Thank you so much for watching.

And remember, even if you don't get it

right, do not worry because mistakes is

the only way to learn.

Have a beautiful day.

And I will see you next week in the next video.

Bye.