This document discusses stress in English words. It defines stress as the relative emphasis given to certain syllables. Stress is represented with symbols like a capital letter or circle. Stressed syllables are longer, louder, higher in pitch, and have a purer vowel sound. The document provides rules for determining stress patterns in words, including compound words. Stress typically falls on the first syllable of two-syllable words and compounds. Suffixes usually do not change the stress of a word. Exceptions include words ending in -tion, -ian, -sion, -ic, and -ity, which often shift stress to the preceding syllable. Examples are provided to illustrate stress patterns.