WorksheetsUnderstanding Word Stress and Syllables
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
What is the definition of word stress?
The process of making all syllables in a word equally strong
The emphasis placed on one part of a word, making it more prominent
The act of pronouncing vowels longer in a word
The way consonants are stressed more than vowels
What is a syllable?
A unit of sound containing only consonant sounds
A small unit containing only one vowel sound and one or more consonant sounds
A stressed part of a word
A silent letter in a word
What is the stress mark (‘) used for?
To indicate a silent syllable
To show the primary stress in a word
To separate consonant and vowel sounds
To show the number of syllables in a word
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of stressed syllables?
Loudness
Length
Pronunciation speed
Pitch
Which factor has the strongest effect on word stress?
Loudness
Length
Pitch
Quality
In English, stressed syllables tend to be ________.
Shorter and softer
Louder, longer, and higher in pitch
Spoken faster
Always placed at the beginning of a word
Which of the following words is stressed on the first syllable?
proGRESS
PROgress
beGIN
reCORD (verb)
Which of the following words follows the stress rule for nouns ending in -y?
DIPlomat
diPLOmacy
DIPloMAtic
DIPloMATic
In the word ‘absolutely’ (/ˌæb.səˈluːt.li/), which syllable has the primary stress?
First syllable (ˈæb)
Second syllable (sə)
Third syllable (ˈluːt)
Fourth syllable (li)
Which of these words contains secondary stress?
Absolutely /ˌæb.səˈluːt.li/
Banana /bəˈnæn.ə/
Camera /ˈkæm.rə/
Father /ˈfɑː.ðər/
Which type of language is English based on its stress pattern?
Syllable-timed
Stress-timed
Tone-based
Monosyllabic
In compound nouns, where is the stress usually placed?
On the first word
On the second word
Evenly distributed between both words
On the unstressed syllable
Which of the following words follows the stress rule for words ending in -tion?
education
attraction
concentration
All of the above
Which word is an exception to the stress rule for words ending in -tion, -sion, or -cian?
education
musician
television
permission
Which of the following words follows the stress rule for adjectives ending in -ic?
academic
photograph
realism
alternative
Which of the following sentences shows a contrastive use of strong and weak forms?
The letter’s from him, not to him.
Chips are what I’m fond of.
She wants to go, not stay.
I can do it myself.
Which of the following words follows the stress rule for most two-syllable verbs?
begin
forgive
happy
A & B
Which of these function words is commonly pronounced in its weak form?
That
Can
For
All of the above
Which sentence correctly demonstrates the stress pattern difference between a compound noun and a noun phrase?
A. He saw a whiteboard in the office. / The white board needs cleaning.
B. They built a stone wall around the house. / The stone wall looks old.
C. She bought a chocolate cake for dessert. / The chocolate cake is delicious.
D. He ordered a chicken soup at the restaurant. / The chicken soup tastes great.
Which of the following statements about Vietnamese, Chinese, and Spanish is correct regarding their language rhythm type?
A. All three languages are syllable-timed
B. . Vietnamese and Chinese are stress-timed, while Spanish is syllable-timed.
C. Chinese and Spanish are syllable-timed, but Vietnamese is stress-timed.
D. Spanish is stress-timed, while Vietnamese and Chinese are syllable-timed.
