Speech Work: Pronunciation of Polysyllabic Words with Stress and Intonation – Basic 6 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

What are Polysyllabic Words?

Polysyllabic words have three or more syllables. When we pronounce them, we must stress the correct syllable and use proper intonation.

What is Word Stress?

Word stress means saying one syllable louder and longer than the others. We show stress with this mark: ‘

Examples with Stress Patterns:

Words ending in -tion (stress on second-to-last syllable):

• re-gis-TRA-tion (4 syllables)
• sat-u-RA-tion (4 syllables)
• du-pli-CA-tion (4 syllables)
• in-for-MA-tion (4 syllables)
• ed-u-CA-tion (4 syllables)

Words ending in -sion (stress on second-to-last syllable):

• con-FU-sion (3 syllables)
• di-VI-sion (3 syllables)
• de-CI-sion (3 syllables)

Other polysyllabic words:

• EL-e-phant (3 syllables – stress on first)
• com-PU-ter (3 syllables – stress on middle)
• DIF-fi-cult (3 syllables – stress on first)
• im-POR-tant (3 syllables – stress on middle)

Exercise A – Count and Mark Syllables

Count the syllables and mark the stressed syllable with ‘:

1. registration → _____ syllables → re-gis-___-tion
2. celebration → _____ syllables → cel-e-___-tion
3. generation → _____ syllables → gen-e-___-tion
4. population → _____ syllables → pop-u-___-tion
5. organization → _____ syllables → or-gan-i-___-tion

Exercise B – Stress Pattern Practice

Read these words aloud with correct stress:

Group 1 (-tion words):

• cre-A-tion
• na-RA-tion
• op-er-A-tion
• prep-ar-A-tion
• con-ver-SA-tion

Group 2 (Other patterns):

• TEL-e-phone
• CAM-er-a
• re-MEM-ber
• VEG-e-ta-ble
• FAM-i-ly

Exercise C – Pronunciation Practice

Work with a partner. Take turns reading these words correctly:

1. administration (5 syllables)
2. communication (5 syllables)
3. refrigerator (5 syllables)
4. mathematical (5 syllables)
5. examination (5 syllables)
6. understanding (4 syllables)
7. particular (4 syllables)
8. necessary (4 syllables)

Exercise D – Syllable Division

Divide these words into syllables and mark the stress:

1. demonstration → dem-on-STRA-tion
2. congratulation → con-grat-u-LA-tion
3. multiplication → mul-ti-pli-CA-tion
4. presentation → pres-en-TA-tion
5. dictionary → DIC-tion-ar-y

Exercise E – Word Stress Rules

Complete these rules:

1. Words ending in -tion usually have stress on the _______ syllable from the end.
2. Words ending in -sion usually have stress on the _______ syllable from the end.
3. Three-syllable words often have stress on the _______ syllable.

Exercise F – Correct the Stress

These words are incorrectly stressed. Write them correctly:

Wrong: re-GIS-tra-tion
Correct: re-gis-TRA-tion

1. Wrong: sat-U-ra-tion
   Correct: _________________
2. Wrong: DU-pli-ca-tion
   Correct: _________________
3. Wrong: in-FOR-ma-tion
   Correct: _________________

Exercise G – Listening and Speaking

Teacher reads these words. Students clap on the stressed syllable:

1. registration (clap on TRA)
2. education (clap on CA)
3. television (clap on VI)
4. computer (clap on PU)
5. important (clap on POR)

Exercise H – Use in Sentences

Use these polysyllabic words in sentences. Read with correct stress:

1. registration: The registration for new students begins tomorrow.
2. information: Please give me more information about the program.
3. education: Education is very important for every child.
4. celebration: We had a wonderful celebration for our teacher.
5. examination: The examination will take place next week.

Exercise I – Word Building

Add suffixes to make polysyllabic words:

Root word + suffix = polysyllabic word

1. educate + ion = __________
2. create + ion = __________
3. organize + ation = __________
4. communicate + ion = __________
5. celebrate + ion = __________

Exercise J – Pronunciation Challenge

Practice saying these difficult polysyllabic words:

1. re-spon-si-BIL-i-ty (6 syllables)
2. in-ter-na-TION-al (5 syllables)
3. in-de-PEN-dent (4 syllables)
4. **gov-ern-MENT (3 syllables)
5. par-tic-u-LAR-ly (5 syllables)

Tips for Better Pronunciation:

• Practice slowly first, then increase speed
• Clap or tap on the stressed syllable
• Listen to how others pronounce words
• Break down long words into smaller parts

Use a dictionary to check stress patterns