Word stress is absolutely one of the most important features of English pronunciation. That means that having clear and accurate word stress is essential for intelligible speech, i.e. in order to be easily understood. Did you know that it is often harder for native English speakers to understand people who put stress on the wrong syllables in a word, than to understand people who mispronounce some vowels or consonants? It’s true! In part, this is because it influences every word that has more than just one syllable. (Suggestion: watch my “Teaching Syllables” video first, and teach that lesson to your students, then come back and do this one!)
