Syllables

Learning Objectives

Identify syllables in words in order to improve pronunciation

Syllable- a unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound, and may or may not be surrounded by consonants. A syllable can form a whole word or part of a word. Words have one, two, three or more syllables.

Word

Syllable Count

book book 1
paper pa-per 2
attention at-ten-tion 3
capacity ca-pac-i-ty 4
disproportionate dis-pro-por-tion-ate 5
Syllables and word stress-Understanding syllables helps to understand where to place the stress (emphasis) when pronouncing a word. When a word has more than one syllable, one of the syllables is stressed (or emphasized). Here are some general guidelines for stressing the correct syllable:
  1. It is common to stress the first syllable.

Examples: ba’/sic, pro’/gram.

  1. In words that have prefixes or suffixes, the stress is usually on the main root word.

Examples: un/pack’ box’/es

  1. If de-, re-, ex-, in-,po-, pro-, or a- is the first syllable in a word, it is usually not stressed.

Examples: de/cay’, ex/plore’

  1. Two vowel letters together in the last syllable of a word often indicates a stressed last syllable.

Examples: com/plain’ con/ceal’

  1. When there are two of the same consonant letters within a word, the syllable before the double consonants is usually stressed.

Examples: be/gin’/ner, let’/ter

  1. The stress is usually on the syllable before the suffixes -ion, ity, -ic, -ical, -ian, -ial, or -ious, and on the second syllable before the suffix -ate.

Examples: af/fec/ta’/tion, dif/fer/en’/ti/ate

  1. In words of three or more syllables, one of the first two syllables is usually stressed.

Examples: ac’/ci/dent, de/ter’/mine

 

tips for teaching

One vowel sound=one syllable.

Example: been (1), climbing (2), excellent (3)

 

Syllables are divided by consonant sounds.

Example: climbing (2), excellent (3)

 

Clap for each vowel sound to count the number of syllables.

Example: One clap for rip, trip, strips

One clap for strength, Two claps for strengthens

 

For clear pronunciation, speak each syllable.