Syllables and Word Stress - English Pronunciation Lesson

Hi, I’m Mikey.

嗨，我是Mikey。

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

歡迎來到Oxford Online English！

In this lesson, you can learn about syllables and stress in English.

在本節課裡，您可以學習英文單字的音節和重音。

Do you know what stress means?

您知道什麼是重音嗎？

It’s one of the most important pronunciation points in English.

那是英文單字發音的要點裡最重要的一個。

When you speak English, do other people find it difficult to understand what you’re saying?

當您唸英文時，有人會覺得很難 明白您講的嗎？

If so, you might not be using stress correctly.

如果是這樣，您可能沒有正確地唸重音。

Pronouncing words with the correct stress can make a big difference to your English:

有正確重音的單字發音會讓 您的英文有明顯的不同：

your English will immediately sound clearer and more natural.

您的英文聽起來會立刻變得 很清晰並更自然。

You’ll learn all about stress in this lesson, but first, we need to talk about syllables.

您會在本節課裡學到所有的重音， 但首先，我們要談談音節。

Listen to four words:

聽四個單字；

fast person

fast person

beautiful information

beautiful information

Do you know how many syllables these words have?

您知道這些單字有多少個音節嗎？

Fast has one syllable: fast Person has two syllables: per-son.

Fast有一個音節： fast Person有兩個音節： per-son。

Beautiful has three syllables: beau-ti-ful Information has four syllables: in-for-ma-tion

Beautiful有三個音節：beau-ti-ful Information有四個音節in-for-ma-tion

A syllable has one vowel sound (and only one vowel sound) and one or more consonant sounds.

每個音節都有一個母音（且只有一個母音） 以及一個或好幾個子音。

Let’s do some more practice.

我們來做更多的練習。

Look at four more words:

再看四個單字：

breakfast banana

breakfast banana

tomorrow university

tomorrow university

How many syllables do they have?

他們有多少個音節？

Breakfast has two syllables: break-fast.

Breakfast 是雙音節： break-fast。

Banana has three syllables: ba-na-na.

Banana有三個音節： ba-na-na。

Tomorrow has three syllables: to-mor-row.

Tomorrow有三個音節：to-mor-row。

University has five syllables: u-ni-ver-si-ty.

University有五個音節： u-ni-ver-si-ty。

So, this lesson isn’t really about syllables; it’s about stress.

所以，本節課並非真正地與音節有關， 而是與重音有關。

What’s the connection between syllables and stress?

音節和重音之間有什麼關聯呢？

Think about the word banana.

想一想單字banana。

Banana has three syllables.

Banana有三個音節。

Do you pronounce all the syllables the same: bah-nah-nah?

三個音節您都唸一樣： bah-nah-nah？

No, you don't—one syllable is stronger: ba-NA-na.

不是，不是這樣的 — 一個音節是發音較重的： ba-NA-na.

This is stress.

這就是重音。

If a word has one syllable, you don't need to think about stress.

如果一個單字只有一個音節，您不用 考慮重音。

But, if a word has two syllables or more, one syllable is always stressed: it has a

但是，如果單字裡有兩個或兩個以上的音節， 一個音節總是要發音更重，它有一個

strong, clear pronunciation.

重的、清晰的發音。

Let’s practice pronouncing word stress correctly.

我們來練習正確的單字重音發音。

Let’s look at an example you just saw.

我們看下您剛看到的一個例子。

banana

banana

Do you remember where the stress is?

您記得重音在哪裡嗎？

It’s on the second syllable: ba-NA-na.

那是在第二個音節：ba-NA-na。

What makes the stressed syllable different?

重音音節的不同之處在哪裡？

There are three things you need to do to pronounce stress correctly.

要有正確的重音發音， 您有三件事要做。

One: the stressed syllable should be louder.

一：必須大聲唸重音音節。

Two: the stressed syllable should be a little higher.

二：重音音節的音調必須要唸高一點。

Three: the stressed syllable should be a little longer in time.

三：唸重音音節的時間必須長一點。

Let’s practice.

我們來練習一下。

First, listen to three words you saw before: person

首先，聽三個您之前看到過的單字： person

beautiful information

beautiful information

Here, I was exaggerating the stress so that you can hear it clearly.

這裡，我誇大了重音，所以 您清晰地聽到了它。

You don’t need to pronounce the stress this strongly.

重音發音不必這麼重。

However, when you practice, it’s a good idea to try to overpronounce the stress a

然而，在您練習時，試著重音發音 更重一點是

little.

一個好主意。

This will make sure that you are pronouncing it correctly.

這會確定您有正確地發音。

So, where is the stress in these three words?

那麼，這三個單字的重音在哪裡？

Listen again, and this time, repeat the words after me: person,

再聽一遍，這一次，跟著我重複唸單字： person,

beautiful, information.

beautiful, information。

Let’s try one more time: person, beautiful,

我們再多試一次： person, beautiful,

information.

information。

How was that?

怎樣？

Could you pronounce the stress clearly?

您的重音發音是清晰的嗎？

Next, let’s look at four more words you saw before:

接下來，我們再多看四個您之前 看到過的單字：

breakfast banana

breakfast banana

tomorrow university

tomorrow university

This time, I pronounced the stress in a more natural way.

這一次，我用更自然的方式來唸重音。

Could you hear it?

您可以聽到嗎？

Where is the stress in these four words?

這四個單字的重音在哪裡？

Let’s try one more time: breakfast, banana,

我們再多唸一次： breakfast, banana,

tomorrow, university.

tomorrow, university。

When you look up a word, you can find the stress by looking at the phonetic transcription.

當您看到一個單字時，您可以用音標 轉錄的方式找到重音。

The thing that looks like an apostrophe shows you where the stress is.

那個看起來像撇號的東西 告訴您重音在哪裡。

When you see this apostrophe, the next syllable is the stressed syllable.

當您看到這個撇號，下一個 音節就是重音音節。

When you write down new vocabulary, make sure you record the stress, too.

在您寫下新的字彙時， 也確定您記錄了重音。

You can put a mark over the stressed syllable, or underline it.

您可以在重音音節上做一個標記， 或在下面下劃線。

At this point, you might be thinking: are there any rules about word stress?

關於這一點，您也許在想： 有單字重音規則嗎？

How do I know where the word stress is if I don’t have a dictionary?

如果我沒有一本字典，我怎樣 知道單字重音在哪裡？

Let’s talk about that.

我們來談談這個。

We’ve got good news and bad news for you.

我們有好消息和壞消息給您。

The good news is that there are some rules about word stress in English.

好消息是英文裡有一些單字重音規則。

The bad news is that the rules don’t cover everything, and even the rules which you do

壞消息是這個規則不適用於所有的單字， 甚至您用的規則不是在

have don’t work all the time.

任何時候都有用。

Here’s one rule which is quite useful.

這有一個規則是十分有用的。

It’s about words with two syllables.

那是有關雙音節單字的。

Look at five words:

看五個單字：

picture minute

picture minute

money doctor

money doctor

water

water

All these words have two syllables.

所有的單字都有兩個音節。

Where’s the stress?

重音在哪裡？

In all the words, the stress is on the 1st syllable.

在所有的單字裡，重音 是在第一個音節。

There’s a reason for this: can you work it out?

這是有一個理由的： 您可以找到嗎？

What connects these five words?

這五個單字有什麼連接？

These words are all nouns.

他們都是名詞。

Nouns with two syllables usually have stress on the 1st syllable.

雙音節的名詞，重音 通常都在第一個音節。

Let’s practice saying the words together.

我們一起來練習唸這些單字。

Repeat after me: picture, minute, money, doctor, water.

跟著我唸： picture, minute, money, doctor, water。

This is also true for most adjectives with two syllables:

這也適用於大部分有 兩個音節的形容詞：

happy yellow

happy yellow

useful formal

useful formal

tiring

tiring

What about verbs?

動詞呢？

Look at some examples and try to work out the rule:

看一些例子並試著找出規則：

decide forget

decide forget

explain arrive

explain arrive

repeat

repeat

Can you hear the stress?

您能聽到重音嗎？

The stress is on the second syllable.

重音是在第二個音節。

Let’s practice saying the words together.

我們一起來練習唸這些單字。

Repeat after me: decide, forget, explain, arrive, repeat.

跟我唸：decide, forget, explain, arrive, repeat。

So, most nouns and adjectives with two syllables have the stress on the first syllable, and

那麼，大部分有兩個音節的名詞和形容詞， 重音是在第一個音節，

most verbs have the stress on the second syllable.

大部分動詞的重音是在第二個音節。

Be careful, because there are many common exceptions, like hotel, happen, exam, or finish.

請注意，有很多常見的例外， 像是hotel、happen、exam,或 finish。

What about longer words?

那比較長的單字呢？

Are there any rules you can use to find the stress?

有任何找重音的規則嗎？

In three-syllable words, the stress can be anywhere; it can be at the beginning:

在三個音節的單字裡，重音可以在任何 一個音節；可以在第一個音節：

anyone beautiful

anyone beautiful

possible

possible

It can be in the middle:

可以在中間：

computer tomorrow

computer tomorrow

expensive

expensive

It can also be at the end, although this is less common:

也可以在最後，儘管這很少見：

afternoon employee

afternoon employee

Japanese

Japanese

Let’s practice!

我們來練習。

Repeat after me: beautiful, tomorrow, employee.

跟我唸: beautiful, tomorrow, employee。

Let’s try three more: anyone, computer, Japanese.

我們看看更多的單字： anyone, computer, Japanese。

In words with four or more syllables, the stress is almost always in the middle of the

在有四個或更多音節的單字裡， 重音幾乎總是在中間的音節，

word, not on the first or last syllable.

不是在第一個或最後一個音節。

For example:

例如：

information communicate

information communicate

photographer

photographer

Try saying the words after me: information, communicate, photographer.

跟我唸： information, communicate, photographer。

There are some other rules which can help you to find the stress in longer words.

有一些其他的規則能幫您 在長的單字裡找重音。

Let’s look together.

我們再看看。

If a word ends -tion, -sion or -cian, then the stress is always on the second last syllable:

如果單字以tion、sion或cian結尾， 那麼重音總是在倒數第二個音節：

information discussion

information discussion

politician

politician

Can you think of three more words like this?

您能想出三個像這樣的單字嗎？

There are many, but here are three more suggestions: situation, revision, electrician.

有很多，但是這有三個： situation, revision, electrician。

The same rule is true for words ending -ic:

相同的規則適用於ic結尾的單字：

economic dramatic

economic dramatic

Atlantic scientific

Atlantic scientific

Again, all these words have the stress on the second last syllable.

一樣，所有這些單字的重音在倒數第二個音節。

If a word ends with the letter -y and has three or more syllables, then the stress is

如果一個單字以字母y結尾，並有 三個或更多的音節，那麼

two syllables before the last one.

重音在倒數第三個音節。

For example:

例如：

biology luckily

biology luckily

activity possibility

activity possibility

That means, if a word has three syllables and ends in -y, the stress is almost always

那就是說，如果一個單字有三個音節，並以 y結尾，重音幾乎總是

on the first syllable:

在第一個音節：

chemistry pregnancy

chemistry pregnancy

robbery

robbery

There’s one more rule which could help you here: if a longer word is made from a shorter

這還有一個規則可以幫您：如果一個 比較長的單字是由一個較短的

root word, then the stress is generally in the same place as the root word.

字根所組成，那麼重音通常是 在與字根相同的地方。

For example:

例如：

comfort comfortable

comfort comfortable

discomfort uncomfortable

discomfort uncomfortable

comfortably comforting

comfortably comforting

In all these words, the stress is in the same place as the root word, comfort.

在所有的這些單字裡，重音是在 與字根相同的地方，comfort。

However, the rules you saw before take priority.

然而，您之前看到的規則要優先。

This means that the stress can move when you make a longer word from a root word.

這意味著，在您用一個字根組成一個 比較長的單字時，重音可以移動。

For example:

例如：

photograph -> photography -> photographic economy -> economic

photograph -> photography -> photographic economy -> economic

educate -> education Okay, now you’ve learned about stress, how

educate -> education 好了，現在您學了重音、怎樣

to pronounce it, and how you can find the stress in different words.

發音，以及您怎樣在不同的 單字裡找出重音。

But, there’s still one more very important thing you should know about.

但是，仍然有一個您必須知道的很重要的事情。

Want to know a secret that will improve your English pronunciation really fast?

您想知道英文發音能真正快速 進步的秘密嗎？

Here’s the most important point about word stress: it’s about contrast.

這有一個與單字重音有關的要點： 那就是對比。

That means, when you pronounce word stress, it’s not just about the stressed syllable.

意思是，在您念單字重音時， 那不僅僅是重讀音節。

You also need to think about the unstressed syllables.

您也要考慮輕音節。

Remember that to pronounce stress, you make the stressed syllable louder, higher and longer.

記住，重音發音，您要唸更大聲、聲調更高 並唸更長。

Stress is about contrast, so the opposite is true for unstressed syllables: you need

重音是有對比的，所以對於輕音節， 相反的是：您需要

to make them quieter, lower and shorter.

更輕聲、更低聲調並唸更短。

Let’s look at three words you’ve already practiced:

我們看看三個您已經練習過的單字：

banana person

banana person

information

information

To pronounce the words well, you need to think about the unstressed syllables, too.

要有好的單字發音，您也需要考慮 輕音節。

Often, the vowel sounds in the unstressed syllables are reduced to schwa sounds--/ə/,

通常，輕音節的母音發音 要弱化成schwa音--/ə/，

or short /ɪ/ sounds.

或者短 /ɪ/音。

‘Reduced’ means the vowel sounds are shorter and weaker.

‘Reduced’ 意思是母音發音會更短並更弱。

For example, in the word banana, the stress is on the second syllable: ba-NA-na.

例如，單字 banana，重音是在 第二個音節： ba-NA-na。

The stressed ‘a’ has an /aː/ sound, but the other two ‘a’s’ have schwa sounds:

重讀的 ‘a’有一個 /aː/的音，但是 其他兩個 ‘a’s’有schwa音：

banana.

banana.

In the word person, the first syllable is stressed, and the second syllable has a schwa

單字person，第一個音節是重讀的， 第二個音節有schwa音：

sound: person.

person。

And in information, the syllables before and after the stressed syllable reduce to schwas:

單字information，在重讀音節之前及之後 的音節弱化成schwas音：

information.

information.

Unstressed syllables can’t always be reduced, but they often can be.

輕音節並不是總是發音弱化的， 但是通常他們可以弱化。

If a vowel sound is reduced, it most often shortens to a schwa sound.

如果一個母音弱化了，那通常 大部份發音多縮短成一個schwa音。

We’ll finish with a simple tip to help you pronounce word stress clearly and naturally.

我們會用一個簡單的竅門幫您清晰並 自然地唸單字來結束本節課。

Focus on the stressed syllable, and put more stress on it than you think you need.

專注在重音音節，而且要比 您覺得需要的更多。

Pronounce the unstressed syllables as fast as you can.

盡可能快地念輕音節。

If you do this, you’ll have contrast in your pronunciation, and this will make your

如果這樣做，發音上 會有對比，您的單字

word stress sound natural and clear.

重音發音自然且清晰。

Finally, we have a question for you: what do you think is the most important pronunciation

最後，我們有一個問題：您覺得 最重要的能清晰地念英文的

skill to speak clearly in English?

發音技能是什麼？

Leave your suggestions in the comments!

在留言板上寫下您的建議！

For more practice with this topic, check out the full lesson on our website: Oxford Online

想要在這個主題上有更多的練習， 到我們的網站上看完整的課程：

English dot com.

Oxford Online English dot com.

Thanks for watching!

感謝觀看！