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Lesson
Speaking: Word stress and sentence stress
Pronunciation is a quarter of your speaking score. Listen to how common IELTS words are stressed, find the stressed syllable, then record yourself reading in natural chunks.
Word stress
Every English word with two or more syllables has one strong syllable. Getting it wrong can make a correct word hard to understand.
- PHO-to-graph · pho-TO-gra-phy · pho-to-GRA-phic
- E-co-no-my · e-co-NO-mic
Word families often move the stress, so learn the stress with the word.
Sentence stress
In a sentence, we stress the words that carry meaning (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, negatives) and say small words (a, the, to, of, was) quickly and weakly.
I WENT to the MARket to BUY some FISH.
Chunking
Fluent speakers pause between groups of words that belong together, not after every word.
Last summer / I went to Sylhet / with my cousins, / and we spent / most of our time / in the tea gardens.
Listen to the recording, then try it yourself.
Practise freely
Listening
Listen and repeat
Listen to each word or sentence. Notice which syllable or word sounds strongest.
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Answer the questions while you listen. In the real test you hear the recording once.
Your browser can't read the recording aloud. Open the transcript below and read it instead.
Show the transcript (try the questions first)
photograph.
photography.
photographic.
environment.
economic.
develop.
comfortable.
opportunity.
technology.
Last summer, I went to Sylhet with my cousins, and we spent most of our time in the tea gardens.
Questions 1–9
Which syllable is stressed in each word?
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photograph (pho-to-graph)
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photography (pho-to-gra-phy)
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photographic (pho-to-gra-phic)
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environment (en-vi-ron-ment)
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economic (e-co-no-mic)
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develop (de-ve-lop)
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comfortable (com-for-ta-ble)
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opportunity (op-por-tu-ni-ty)
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technology (tech-no-lo-gy)
Questions 10–11
Choose the best answer.
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Examiner: "Do you prefer living in a city?" You: "No, I prefer the COUNTRYSIDE." Why is "countryside" stressed?
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Which is the most natural chunking?
Your turn: read aloud and record
Read this answer aloud. Pause briefly at each /, and stress the bold words. Record yourself and compare with the recording above.
Last summer / I went to Sylhet / with my cousins, / and we spent / most of our time / in the tea gardens. / It was incredibly peaceful, / and the air / felt much cleaner / than in the city.
Speaking
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