在英语中，一个音节比其他音节听起来更响亮，持续时间更长。即使你说话很快，你的听众也可以从那个音节中解读出你说的话。

单词重音是清晰和正确美式英语的关键，因为它为语音增添了色彩和感觉。但是，当你强调错误的音节时，听众可能会听到不同的东西或不存在的单词。

你甚至可能没有意识到自己的错误，因为你的听众正在努力理解你的演讲。这在母语不是英语的人中很常见。但是，它不应该让你灰心丧气，因为你可以利用杠杆作用 在线练习英语的生产力工具 无需花很多钱。

成为一名自信的演讲者需要相信自己并每天练习，直到达到理想的完美水平。起初你可能会感到尴尬，但是犯错误是学习中自然而重要的方面。

在听语音教练的讲话时，确定重读的音节很重要。这将帮助你理解其中的意思。在本文中，我们将重点介绍单词重音的重要性以及它如何帮助您以清晰正确的美式英语进行交流。

为什么正确的单词重音在沟通中如此重要？

All English words are divided into syllables. Words like ‘cat’, ‘bus’, and ‘dog’ have one syllable, while others like ‘fin-ger’ and ‘com-mun-i-ca-tion’ have two and five syllables respectively. 

Each syllable has a portion that is more emphasized than the others. Usually, the stressed word is a vowel, not a consonant. Also, the pitch is higher or louder and longer. It appears in words with more than one syllable. Here are some examples:

• PHOtograph
• phoTOgrapher
• disCARD
• eMOtion
• reFUND

Although not all languages use word stress, it is an essential part of the English language. But why is it important in professional communication? 

Word stress is the bedrock of English pronunciation. Native English speakers identify words based on stress patterns. Because non-native speakers are not aware of these patterns, they stress the wrong syllable, leading to miscommunication.

For instance, CONtest means a competition, while conTEST means to dispute or challenge an action. SUSpect is a person who may have committed a crime, while susPECT is having a feeling that something is true but without tangible proof.

Furthermore, word stress determines the way consonants are pronounced. For instance, when consonants such as /k/, /t/, and /p/ appear in stressed syllables, they are pronounced with aspiration. However, when the syllable is not stressed, they sound like /g/, /d/, and /b/.

Stressing words the wrong way gives a different meaning to your speech. This is misleading, especially in the workplace where you need to give directives to subordinates or report to superiors. 

It also delays the learning process for English-Language learners as they will not be able to identify the words they listened to. But with a pronunciation checker and other resources, you can become more confident speaking American English.

How To Check If You Stress The Right Syllable In A Word

Knowing the right syllable to stress could be a herculean task, especially for non-native speakers. The rules of writing and speaking English have exceptions that might confuse you, but it is good to follow general patterns. However, in a word that has multiple syllables, it is important to note that there can’t be more than one stressed syllable.

Rule 1: Bi-syllabic adjectives and nouns are stressed on the first syllable. 

E.g., INcrease, COward, REcord, DORmant, CAREful

Rule 2: Bi-syllabic nouns that are compound words are stressed on the first syllable.

E.g., CELLphone, CLASSroom, KEYboard

Rule 3: Bi-syllabic adjectives that are compound words are stressed on the second syllable.

E.g., short-HANDED, eight-HOUR, full-TIME

Rule 4: Bi-syllabic prepositions and verbs are stressed on the second syllable.

E.g., deCREASE, beTWEEN, exPORT, proNOUNCE 

Rule 5: Words ending in ‘tion’ are stressed on the second last syllable.

E.g., identifiCAtion, personaliZAtion, accommoDAtion

Rule 6: Words ending in ‘er’, ‘y’, and ‘ly’ are stressed on the first syllable.

E.g., QUIetly, LIghter, Ably

Additionally, some words have the same spelling but different meanings depending on whether you want to use them as a noun or a verb. They include the following:

Nouns - Verbs

• INcrease - inCREASE
• REfund - reFUND
• PROtest - proTEST
• DEcrease - deCREASE
• EXport - exPORT
• PREsent - preSENT

One way to identify correct stress words is by using an audiobook while reading. It will help you hear the words and their correct pronunciations. Also, you will hear the context in which the words are used so that you can use it correctly too.

Here are some examples:

Record

• Do you have a REcord of last week’s sales?
• You need to reCORD the number of boxes in the store

Present

• We bought a birthday PREsent for the celebrant
• We will preSENT the speech tomorrow

Contract

• He signed the CONtract last week
• You will conTRACT the virus if you do not take the vaccine

Produce

• You can get fresh PROduce from the farmers’ market
• Can the farmers proDUCE fruits and vegetables all year round?

Project

• When will the team commence the PROject?
• The company is proJECTING its latest products and services in the fair

There are many more examples, but you must practice constantly by saying them out loud. And as you aim for perfection, your pronunciation improves, pitching you for a promotion, a new job offer, or an excellent sales presentation.

What Words You Might Want To Always Stress Correctly?

Correct use of stress in sentences brings rhythm to the words we speak. This explains why some words sound low, while others sound high. 

The emphasis is usually placed on the words that convey important information. Such words are referred to as content words, and they include nouns, action verbs, adjectives, negative auxiliaries, and adverbs. However, the stress in sentences depends on what the speaker wants listeners to pay attention to. 

The unstressed words are not so important, but they help to construct the sentence. They are referred to as structural or function words. They include helping verbs, pronouns, conjunctions, articles, and prepositions.  

Below are examples of stressed words.

• Nouns - bus, dress, car, Joe
• Action verbs - buy, sell, give
• Adjectives - bright, beautiful, adorable
• Negative auxiliaries - won’t, can’t, haven’t, don’t
• Adverbs - calmly, blindly, bitterly, always

Below are examples of unstressed words.

• Helping verbs - be, may, do, will, can
• Pronouns - he, her, theirs, everyone
• Conjunctions - because, but, and, for, so
• Articles - the, a, an
• Prepositions - between, inside, under, toward, within

Take note: stressed syllables have a strong vowel sound while unstressed syllables have a weak or soft sound. Let’s look at a few examples.

‘I want a cup of coffee’

The highlighted words are content (stressed) words, while the others are function (unstressed) words.

• ‘I’ is a pronoun
• ‘Want’ is a verb
• ‘A’ is an article
• ‘Cup’ is a noun
• ‘Of’ is a preposition
• ‘Coffee’ is a noun

‘She will be late to the party’

In this example, ‘late’ is an adjective, while ‘party’ is a noun. The other words are not highlighted because they are function words.

• ‘She’ is a pronoun
• ‘Will’ is a modal verb 
• ‘Be’ is a to-be
• ‘To’ is a preposition
• ‘The’ is an article 

Remember, there are always exceptions to English language rules. Function words can be stressed when you intend to emphasize them for clarity. Here’s an example:

‘I want fish and chips’

In this sentence, ‘want’ is a verb, while ‘fish’ and ‘chips’ are nouns. Because they are content words, we must stress them naturally. 

However, if you want to make sure your listener does not misquote you, here’s what you can say:

‘I want fish and chips, not fish or chips’

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现在你已经知道在句子中强调哪些单词了，请注意以下句子，并尝试识别重读和未强调的单词。我们将包括演讲链接，以便您可以测试自己对句子重音的理解。

• 我希望我们离开这个世界比我们发现的更好。

• 而且，幸福可能是错误的词，因为幸福是一种感觉。

• 如果核心价值观是健康和安全，请将其置于您做出的每项决策的中心。

如果你还想练习，你可以 从斯科特·加洛韦和艾米·埃德蒙兹等热门演讲者那里查找更多短语。

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为什么你的听众不会纠正你？

没有人能克服错误，即使是母语为英语的人也是如此。有时，你说的英语不正确，是因为你感到疲倦、紧张，或者试图将你的母语翻译成英语。

除非你要求别人更正你的语法，否则他们这样做是错误的。根据校正的呈现方式，听起来可能很粗鲁。尽管你希望得到纠正以提高英语水平，但你可能会感到不聪明并感到沮丧。

此外，当有人为了纠正你而打断你的讲话时，可能会分散你的注意力。你可能会忘记自己在说什么，如果你排练了演讲，你可能会忘记剩下的台词。纠正你也可能很耗时，尤其是当你在会议中提出想法时。因此，即使你犯了一个错误，你的听众也可能不愿纠正你。

此外，如果你每次犯错误都会得到更正，那么你可能会比学习正确的语法更有意识地犯错误。这是英语学习者说话缓慢而让听众感到厌烦的原因之一。虽然缓慢起步是件好事，但长时间保持这种节奏会阻碍你快速实现学习目标。

从积极的角度来看，你的听众可能不会纠正你，因为他们不希望你失去自尊心。私下获得反馈，尤其是朋友的反馈，将鼓励你做得更好。它还可以让你在不感到困惑或感到羞耻的情况下提问、犯更多错误和学习。

话虽如此，不要害怕犯错误。如果你不说话，你就无法学习。从小句子开始，自信地说话。你也可以录制自己的演讲，倾听自己的心声，然后在必要时做出修改，直到你把话说对了。

如何像美国母语人士一样用言语表达压力？

如果你想像美国母语人士一样强调单词，你必须要有听音乐的耳朵。像其他英语方言一样，美式英语是有压力的，发音时会产生音乐节奏。这就是为什么母语人士说话时听起来不像机器人的原因。

听起来像美国母语人士的一种简单方法是使用 发音应用程序，语音检查器。该应用程序会检查您的语音质量并建议正确的单词发音方式。

另外，如果你正在阅读电子书，请突出显示任何部分，Pronunce应用程序就会大声朗读。还有另一个功能可以让你录制你的演讲。之后，它会生成一个笔录，显示你发音不正确的单词。随着时间的推移，您将能够访问自己的分析，从而了解自己的表现。

无论你的英语学习水平如何，Pronece 应用程序都能为语音练习提供经济实惠的解决方案。有免费和付费版本，具有互动功能，使学习变得有趣而简单。你还可以在任何地方使用它，无论是在网络上还是在手机上；谈谈巅峰时期的便利性！

结论

美式英语的节奏在当地语言中可能缺失。因此，如果你努力强调正确的单词，这是可以理解的。Pronuce是一款创新的人工智能语音助手，可以帮助你理解美式英语的节奏，让你放心地说话。只需每天花几分钟或几小时进行练习，在很短的时间内，您就会注意到其中的区别。