The Everything Writing Poetry Book by Tina D. Eliopulos

last syllable (“He will reject the faulty merchandise”). The first syllable of the word placid (an adjective) is stressed, but if you change it into the word placidity (a noun), the second syllable is stressed.
    Stress can also change according to the type of sentence you are making. For instance, in a normal statement such as “She is beautiful,” your voice starts high on the word she but then descends steadily through the sentence until hitting the bottom with the syllable - ful . In contrast, if you ask the question “Is she beautiful?” your voice find its highest pitch on the syllable - ful . Finally, if you exclaim “She is beautiful!” your voice tends to emphasize the word or syllable you want to be the center of attention. For example, if you want to highlight her beauty, the stress will fall on the syllable beaut -.
    Rules of Stress
    Fortunately, there are a few general rules that can help you distinguish between stressed and unstressed sounds and syllables. Modern English still retains elements of its root language, Old English. For example, when you say the word watchfulness , you place the stress on the first syllable because that is the syllable that carries the most meaning. When you say the word forgiveness , you place the stress on the second syllable for the same reason. Words borrowed from other languages— dependent, regrettable, insanity — also follow the same pattern.

    Compounds generally undergo a process of transformation that can last decades or even centuries. They begin as two words ( to morrow ), but their closeness in meaning or importance draws them together, first with a hyphen ( to-morrow ) and then with no separation at all ( tomorrow ).
    In words and phrases known as compounds , Old English indicates stress on the first part of the group, especially if the compound has been present in the language for a while. Thus, when you say bookkeeper, manhunt, busybody , or panhandle , the stress falls on the first syllable. In newer compounds, however, especially those that remain two separate words, the stress tends to fall evenly: knickknack, Mad Hatter, spring break .
    It is also important to listen for changes in vowel sounds. Remember that the majority of syllables in English have a vowel sound, which is considered the loudest part of that syllable. However, those vowel sounds will weaken or disappear if placed within an unstressed syllable. For example, when the vowel appears in an unstressed final syllable, especially a suffix, the vowel sound may be reduced to the mid-central vowel (or schwa ), because it requires less action by the tongue. Thus in the word able , the initial a sound is the long mid-front vowel, but in the suffix - able , as in available or believable , the a sounds like the u in nut .
    The vowel may be reduced in an unstressed initial syllable as well. In the word con (as in con man ), the o is a low back vowel. But in words like container or constrain , the o becomes a schwa or is dropped altogether. Vowels will also disappear between consonants that are formed with similar tongue positions. Thus in words like pistol or bitten , in which the t , the l , and the n sounds require the tongue tip to touch the roof of the mouth, the o and the e vowels are dropped.
    Another point to consider is parts of speech, which will be discussed in more detail later. For now, simply remember that the more important words, like nouns and verbs, tend to be stressed, and less important words, such as prepositions, conjunctions, and determiners (including articles), remain unstressed. Thus, in a sentence such as “A big fly landed in the milk,” stress will naturally fall on fly (noun), the first syllable of landed (verb), and milk (noun). Big (adjective) is stressed because it forms a unit with the noun fly , but the words A (article), in (preposition), and the (article), and the suffix - ed are not stressed.

    In English, prefixes and suffixes