Speech Work Word Stress
Speech Work Word Stress
CLASS: JSS 2
REFERENCES
WEEK THREE
TOPIC:
Writing – Argumentative
Speech Work
Stress is the quality or degree with which one pronounces a sound or a syllable. It is the force with
which a sound is pronounced.
A stress syllable is indicated by placing a stroke at the beginning of the syllable or written in capital
letters. A stressed vowel is one that is said with more energy, is louder and more prominent.
Examples
BEtter GARden
HOTly STRONGly
SEcond MAnner
WANted COMfort
PAtience
However, a louder or higher tone does not always guarantee a stronger stressed syllable. By
contrast, unstressed vowels are weak and not loud and sometimes not clearly heard.
1. Disyllabic words, that is, words with two syllables are mostly stressed on the first syllables
when they are nouns and stressed on the second syllable when they are verbs. Though, there
is an exception when a stressed syllable in a di – syllabic word is weak, the stress falls or
shifts to the next syllable.
Nouns Verbs
CONtract conTRACT
OBject obJECT
CONtest conTEST
REfuse reFUSE
PROject proJECT
SUBject subJECT
REcord reCORD
PREsent preSENT
Adjective Verb
ABsent abSENT
PREsent preSENT
Other nouns are: BIScuit, BIble, PoLICE, POlish, poLITE(adj), MOney, MONkey etc.
1. The suffix ‘ion’ added to some words takes a stress on the preceding syllables i.e the syllable
immediately before ‘ion’ as in: proMOtion, oCCAsion, persSUAsion, circuLAtion, calcuLAtion.
2. Syllables with central vowel /ә/ or schwa are stressed. E.g: aBOUT, TEAcher, FAther, BUtter,
PASture etc.
3. Syllables that end with syllabic /l,m,n/ are not stressed. E.g: LIttle, BUtton, COtton, ABle,
enJOY, CAstle, SUckle.
4. Polysyllabic words that end with these suffixes “-ic, -ian, -ial, -sive” are stressed on the
penultimate syllable i.e, second to the last syllable. E.g: draMAtic, speCIfic, imPREssive,
coLOnial.
5. If the words end with these suffixes “-ate, -ity, -iate, -ise, -fy”, stress the third syllable counting
from the last syllable. cerTIficate, capTIvity, FORtunate, EXercise.
. Most words ending with these suffixes “-sim, -ive, -ure, -ry, -ize” in four syllable words are
stressed on the 4th syllable from the end. Capitalism, comfortable, profitable, legislative,
agriculture, personalise, nationalize.
7. Words ending with these suffixes (-ogy, -phy, -cal, -ant, -ment) are stressed on 3rd syllable
from the end.
EVALUATION: Stress the following words: delicate, commission, distinction, fortunate, understand,
delirium, presently, dramatic, refugee, strategic, occasion.
READING ASSIGNMENT:
Grammar: Adverbial
An adverb is a word or a group of words that describes either the verb, or the whole sentence. They
tell us about how something is done, when or how often it is done, where it is done, etc. An
adverbial that is just one word is usually called an adverb. An adverbial made up of several words
is an adverbial phrase.
Adverbials have different kinds of meanings. An adverbial of manner describes the manner or way
an action is performed. Adverbs of manner often end in –ly for example:
EVALUATION: Choose adverbs from the box to complete the sentences which follow:
When all three types of adverbial occur in the same sentence, thy normally go in this order
Comprehension: Unit 8
In this scene, the mother of agirl is asked if she will agree to let Henry Ajai marry her daughter. The
asking has to be done in the tradition manner, and there has already been a long exchange
ofgreeting and polite enquiries, crops and cattle.
Content: Indiscipline among secondary schools students. Who should be responsible, parents or
teachers? An argumentative essay is very much like a debate where two opposing views of the
same issues are presented and defended as rigorously as possible. It is a controversial writing that
suggests the bringing forth of facts to support or refute an argument. It involves ordered reasoning
and is a process of organizing and stating objectively the fact and reasoning surrounding a
particular stance or point of view.
EVALUATION: Write in support or against this proposition, Indiscipline among secondary school
students: who should be responsible parents or teachers?
GENERAL EVALUATION/REVISION
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words in the bracket.
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
THEORY
Complete each of the following sentences with the proper form of the verbs in the brackets.
1. The boy ____________ the gates for the car to come in every morning (open)
2. My friends will ___________ this evening (travel)
3. My younger brother is ____________ an interview next week (attend)
4. Mrs. Ajayi ______________ up at 5:50am every Sunday (wake)
5. We are not __________ to make a noise in the class (allow)