Word Stress Maze Activity
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Words stressed on the first syllable practice through a maze puzzle, with two versions and an optional presentation stage where students try to work out patterns in which kinds of words have which kind of stress.
Lesson Plan Content:
Word Stress Maze Activity
Trace a route through the maze following the words stressed on the first syllable (only),
starting at the top-left corner. You can go left, right, up or down from each square. When
you think that you have finished, your teacher will tell you which square you should finish
on and then how many squares are stressed on the first syllable so you can check your
answers.
Version 1
accent
volleyball
career
energy
equal
export (n)
convenience
update (n)
coordinator
Egypt
deflation
greenhouse
cooperation
alcohol
break up (v)
concert
Australia
image
photographe
r
allergy
energetic
collar
upgraded
Italy
exported
Austria
make up (v)
coffee
tobacco
makeup (n)
pyjamas
breakup
broken
cocktail
update (v)
ticket
Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2016
Word Stress Maze Activity
Version 2
litre
begin
accelerator
luxurious
multitasking
complaint
nonsense
orange
Brazil
bucket
dozen
humour
presented
present (n)
Mongolia
cauliflower
cashier
Paris
restaurant
radio
enthusiasm
eyebrow
dis-
advantage
Thailand
cottage
machine
romantic
helicopter
mechanic
pineapple
England
hamburger
liquid
discount (n)
again
lever
Mark the stress on the other words to make sure that none of them are stressed on the
first syllable.
Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2016
Word Stress Maze Activity Answers
The words stressed on the first syllable are in bold. The stressed syllables of the others
are written in each square.
Version 1
accent
volleyball
career (2
nd
)
energy
equal
export (n)
convenience
(2
nd
)
update (n)
coordinator
(2
nd
)
Egypt
deflation
(2
nd
)
greenhouse
cooperation
(4
th
)
alcohol
break up (v)
(2
nd
)
concert
Australia
(2
nd
)
image
photographe
r
(2
nd
)
allergy
energetic
(3
rd
)
collar
upgraded
(2
nd
)
Italy
exported
(2
nd
)
Austria
make up (v)
(2
nd
)
coffee
tobacco (2
nd
)
makeup (n)
pyjamas
(2
nd
)
breakup
broken
cocktail
update (v)
(2
nd
)
ticket
Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2016
Word Stress Maze Activity Answers
Version 2
litre
begin (2
nd
)
accelerator
(2
nd
)
luxurious
(2
nd
)
multitasking
(3
rd
)
complaint
(2
nd
)
nonsense
orange
Brazil (2
nd
)
bucket
dozen
humour
presented
(2
nd
)
present (n)
Mongolia
(2
nd
)
cauliflower
cashier (2
nd
)
Paris
restaurant
radio
enthusiasm
(2
nd
)
eyebrow
dis-
advantage
(3
rd
)
Thailand
cottage
machine
(2
nd
)
romantic
(2
nd
)
helicopter
mechanic
(2
nd
)
pineapple
England
hamburger
liquid
discount (n)
again (2
nd
)
lever
Use the words above to find out the rules for these words:
-
Most nouns
-
Nouns and verbs with the same form (including phrasal verbs and nouns from them)
-
Schwa (the “er” sound in “computer”)
-
Prefixes like “un-” and “mis-”
Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2016
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