Unpacking Syllables and Stress

Let’s talk about unpacking syllables and stress!

This the second blog post/video in a series I’m doing on schwa. If you have not read the first blog post or watched the video, 5 Quick Facts about Schwa, I would encourage you to as it lays the groundwork for the rest of this series.

Today, we’ll explore a topic that is very much connected with schwa: understanding syllable stress in words. This is a BIG topic, so I will not be covering everything there is to know.

While you may enjoy reading this blog post, I would HIGHLY encourage you to watch/listen to the video {link below} as there are several things that will be easier to understand when you do.

Stressed & Unstressed Syllables

One of the things I mentioned in the first part of this series is that the English language is rhythmic. Some syllables or words are stressed more than others.

Stressed syllables are usually held a little longer. We often say them louder than the other syllables. We usually have more inflection in our voice with stressed syllables, too. This means our voices tend to go up a bit more to emphasize the stressed syllables. I’ll be using a small vertical line to represent stressed syllables.

Unstressed syllables tend to be spoken much quicker. We also tend to say them a bit quieter and the pitch of our voice drops. Remember that schwa shows up in many unstressed syllables within longer words. I’ll be using a little scooping line to represent the unstressed syllable.

Watch my video now.

Exploring Stress in Rhymes, Poetry, or Songs

A good place to begin understanding syllable stress is to explore it using familiar rhymes, poetry, or songs. Rhymes and songs typically highlight stressed syllables on the stressed beats. The unstressed syllables after often shorter in duration.

Let’s try it with a simple nursery rhyme which you can chant to the rhythm that it would be sung: Mary had a little lamb; his fleece was white as snow.

Notice how the stressed beat, as shown by the vertical lines, coordinates with the stressed syllables of the words while the unstressed syllables or words line up with the unstressed beat. {If you don’t understand how to do this, watching this part of my video will help!}

This is true of other poems and songs. Just try singing a few lines of any kid song or poem you remember, and you’ll notice that the stressed syllables in the lyrics typically land right on the stressed beats of the song. Many types of poetry, including those using iambic pentameter, are intentionally constructed with stressed and unstressed syllables in mind.

Stress Different Words in Sentences

Another fun thing to try as you unpack stressed and unstressed syllables is to intentionally stress different words in sentences to hear the difference between them. We can use the sentence, I didn’t wash the car yesterday.

• We can stress the first word: I didn’t wash the car yesterday.
• We can stress the verb: I didn’t wash the car yesterday.
• We can stress the adverb: I didn’t wash the car yesterday.

It is interesting to note how stress can also affect the meaning of a sentence!

Grab the free printable in my post called, Helping Readers Identify Accented Syllables, which uses a similar sentence for learners to practice stressing different words in sentences.

Exaggerate Syllables Using “BA” and “ba”

One more idea to help you hear the stressed or unstressed syllables in a word is to exaggerate the syllables by replacing them with BA or ba.

BA represents the stressed syllable. It should be spoke a little longer and a little louder with more inflection in the voice. Lowercase ba represents the unstressed syllable. It should be spoken quicker, softer, and with less inflection in the voice.

With pencil and mitten, we have the BA-ba pattern. The stress is put on the first syllable and the second syllable is shorter and unstressed. BA-ba, pencil. BA-ba, mitten

The words away and begin have the stress on the second syllable, ba-BA, away, ba-BA – begin. In both words, we quickly move past the unstressed syllable and stretch out the second syllable a little longer.

This is one of those things that can really help, although you may feel a little silly doing it, so you may want to practice in the shower.

We’ll be looking at some word patterns/spellings connected to unstressed syllables and schwa within two-syllable words in the next blog post/video of this series, so stay tuned!

If you feel your learners are ready to explore stress within 2-syllable words, enjoy these FREE Stressed and Unstressed Syllable Sorts, found in a separate post. {Click on the link provided or on the image below}

More About Schwa & Stress

Click on any of the images below to find more!

Enjoy teaching!
~Becky