Where the English stress is likely occur?

Answer 1

The basic English instinct for the stress in a word is to put it as far from the end as possible, up to four syllables away, as in fórmer, cánnibal, cómpetently. However, there are many factors. For example, the stressed syllable of a root word usually affects where compounds made from it are stressed: piáno- piánist ( a hyper-corrected form píanist reflects the underlying native tendency toward the front, but is incorrect in this case).

A two-syllable word that may be a noun or a verb takes the stress on the first when it is a noun, for example pérmit, pérfume, cóntent; and on the second when it is a verb, as in permít, perfúme, contént. An exception to this is cement, always properly pronounced cemént, despite a native tendency toward "cément" for the noun.

And there are exceptions to the exceptions! A sense of inferiority seems to overtake English every so often, as if the forms and modes of its normal, Germanic usage were somehow not as refined as the Romance forms and modes that entered the language following the Norman Conquest of England; or simply not politically correct. Its affect on word-accent has led some to stressing the penult in many borrowed words, saying evidéntly instead of évidently; and the antepenult in others, saying formídable instead of fórmidable.

Many such hyper-corrected errors have become codified as rules.