Standard Word Patterns in Word Stress

I found this article in http://www.onestopenglish.com/,  the Macmillan teacher’s resource website, which is definitely a very reliable source of information.

 This is a huge area. However, there are some fairly regular patterns and these might help your student. The following general “rules” may be of some use but bear in mind that there will often be exceptions!

1.       With verbs of two syllables, if the second syllable of the verb contains a long vowel or a diphthong, or if it ends with more than one consonant, the second syllable is stressed.

Examples: apply, attract, complete, arrive, resist

2.      With verbs of two syllables, if the final syllable contains a short vowel and one (or no) final consonant, the first syllable is stressed.

Examples: enter, open, equal, borrow, profit

Exceptions to this rule include admit and permit (verb).

3.      There are some suffixes (or word endings) that usually carry stress. Words with these endings usually carry stress on the last syllable:

-ain	entertain
-ee	refugee
-eer	mountaineer
-ese	Portuguese
-ette	cigarette (NB American English would stress the first syllable)
-esque	picturesque

4.      The main or primary stress usually falls on the syllable before these endings:

-ion	decision, application
-ious / -eous	contentious, courageous
-ity	simplicity
-ive	extensive
-graphy	photography, biography

5.      In compound words or words made up of two elements, there are again some general patterns.

·         If the first part of the word is broadly speaking a noun, then the first element will normally carry more stress:

typewriter, car ferry, suitcase, tea cup

·         If the first part is broadly speaking an adjective, then the second element will carry more stress

loudspeaker, bad-tempered, black market, young learner

Methodology: stress patterns in English, By Tim Bowen

http://www.onestopenglish.com/support/ask-the-experts/methodology-questions/methodology-stress-patterns-in-english/146393.article