The following groups of words have two primary stresses:
1. Polysyllables with separable prefixes having a distinct ueaning of their own.
Negative prefixes un-, dis-, non-, in- (and its variants ir-. il-, lm-), eg: 'un'able, 'un'known, 'unem'phatic, 'unpre'pared, 'disap'pear, 'discon'nect, 'disbe'lief, 'non'smoker, 'non'final, 'non'union, 'incon'venient. 'inartistic, 'in'accurate, 'illiterate. 'il'legal. 'imma'terial. 'ifregular, 'irresponsible.
re- (meaning repetition), eg: 're'wri'te, 'reorganize, 'reu'nite
mis- (meaning wrong), eg: 'misunder'stand. 'mis'print, 'miscount
pre- (meaning 'before', 'earlier'), eg: 'pre'paid, 'pre-'war, prehistoric
ex- (meaning 'former'), eg: 'ex-'minister, 'ex-'champion. 'ex-'husband
under-, sub- (meaning 'subordinate'), eg: 'undercharge, undersecretary, lsub'conscious, 'subdivide
inter- (meaning 'among'), eg: 'intercourse, 'interchange, 'interview
and some other rarely used prefixes like anti-, vice-, ultra-, out-, eg antifascist, vice-president, ultra-fashionable, outspread.
Notes: (a) Very common words with these prefixes sometimes lose the stress on the prefix in everyday usage, eg: un'usual, impossible, mis'take.
(b) The stress on the prefix is also lost in words which are not used without these prefixes, eg dis'courage (v), dis'dain.
2. Numerals from 13 to 19 including (otherwise in oral speech they might be easily mixed with such numerals as 30, 40, 50...90).
3. Compound numerals, eg 'rwenfy-'tnree.
4. Compound adjectives, eg: 'well-known, 'absent-'minded, 'kind-hearted.
5. Compound verbs consisting of a verb followed by a postposition or a preposition-like adverb which changes the primary meaning of the verb and as a result of it becomes very important and obtains a strong stress, eg to 'give 'in, to 'put 'on, to 'take 'off, to 'try 'on. |