3. Tell tutors that combining certain sounds can be difficult for some learners, again because those combinations are not found or not found in that position in their first language. Sometimes learners will try to cope by adding a short unstressed vowel called a schwa to the combination of sounds. A schwa is pronounced like the a in about and is written as . For example, Arabic speakers might add the schwa to str initial combinations as this is an unusual combination in Arabic. The word street would then be pronounced as street or s treet.
4. Give out the Steps to Teaching Pronunciation handout and review it.
5. Ask tutors to brainstorm together on how they would handle the following problem. Your learner confuses p and b. Describe the steps you would follow to correct this problem. Tutors can refer to the handouts that they have received. If tutors seem stuck, you could give them a hint, for example, by asking them what the difference is between the two sounds. You might want to do this as a whole group or in smaller groups. When working with smaller groups, make sure that you allow time for each group to finish and give their ideas to the whole group as a summary. Write the tutors’ answers on the flip chart. This could also be a homework assignment.

Materials and equipment

Handout 12.10: Guidelines for Teaching English Stress

Preparation

Copy handout.

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

The following activity is adapted from the Regina Public Library’s English as a Second Language Tutor Training Manual.

1. Introduction
   • Stress refers to how loud and long syllables or words in a sentence are spoken. It creates the rhythm of the language.
   • Many learners can read and write sentences very well but when they speak or read aloud, their English doesn’t sound like English. Often this is because the learner doesn’t know the English stress, rhythm and intonation patterns.
   • English stress patterns, in particular, seem irregular and unpredictable to most non-English speakers.