Pronunciation: Rules of Word Stress

PRONUNCIATION: RULES OF WORD STRESS

1. When a word ends with a vowel, “n,” or “s,” the stress falls on the next-to-last

syllable. Examples: ho-la, do-min-go

2. When a word ends with a consonant other than “n” or “s,” the stress falls on the last

syllable. Examples: pla-cer, es-cri-bir

3. When words do not follow the first two rules, a written accent mark is placed over

the stressed vowel. Examples: dí-as, mí-o

EJERCICIO: Using the rules stated above, underline the stressed syllable in the

following words:

1. lu-nes 2. miér-co-les 3. sá-ba-do

4. se-ñor 5. fe-liz 6. ma-ña-na

7. i-gual-men-te 8. te-lé-fo-no 9. cho-co-la-te

10. a-diós 11. es-pa-ñol 12. a-pe-lli-do

13. gra-cias 14. bue-nas 15. prac-ti-car

DIPTHONGS

A dipthong is a weak vowel (i/y, u) and a strong vowel (a, e, o) or two weak vowels coming together to form one syllable. Examples: Ma-rio, bue-no. Sometimes it is necessary to break the dipthong into two syllables. In order to do so, a written accent mark is placed on the weak vowel. Examples: dí-as, Ma-rí-a.

EJERCICIO: Using the definition above, underline the dipthong(s) in each word, if any.

1. viernes 2. quince 3. ciencias

4. jueves 5. cereal 6. luego

7. seis 8. leer 9. cuatro

EJERCICIO: Break the dipthong in each word by placing an accent mark over the weak

vowel.

1. mio 2. Raul 3. maiz