Place stress on two-syllable words in English.
To the Verb:
– If the second syllable of the verb is strong, it is stressed:
Examples: Apply [ə`plaɪ], attract [ ə`træk ], arrive [ ə`raɪv ]
– If the final syllable is weak then the first syllable is stressed
Examples: Enter[`entə]; open[`əʊpən ]; equal [`iːkwəl ]
– a final syllable is also unstressed if it contains [əʊ], [ə]
Examples: follow [`fɔləʊ]; borrow [`bɔrəʊ]
– Two-syllable simple adjective are stressed according to the same rules, giving:
Examples: Lovely [`lʌvlɪ ]; divine [ dɪ`vaɪn ]; hollow [ `hɔləʊ ], correct [ k ə`rekt ]
Except: honest [`ɔnɪst ]; perfect [`pɜːfɪk ] or [ `pɜːfekt ] both of which end with strong syllable but are stressed on the first syllable.
To the Noun:
The noun requires a different rule:
– If the second contains a short vowel, then the stress will usually comes on the first syllable otherwise it will come on the second syllable.
Examples: Money [ `mʌnɪ ]; product [ `prɔdʌk ]; larynx [ `lærɪŋks ]; estate[ ɪ`steɪt ]
– Other two-syllable words such as adverb and preposition seem to behave like verbs and adjectives./.