Word Stress Pattern Rules

1. Using suffixes to predict stress

(A) Stress the suffix itself:
(B) Stress the syllable immediately before the suffix:
(C) Stress the second syllable before the suffix:
2. Using Parts of Speech to predict stress
(A) For certain two-syllable words used as both nouns and verbs,
stress nouns on the first syllable, and verbs on the second syllable.
(B) Stress compound nouns on the first part/word:
(C) Stress two-word verbs more strongly on the second word,
but for their noun equivalents, stress them on the first part.
The Detailed List of Differences
U.S. Scribner's Trade Edition U.K. Penguin Edition
Word or Phrase Word or Phrase
1 Criticizing criticising 7
1 any one anyone 7
5 a source of perpetual confusion a source of perpetual wonder 11
5 Mr. Gatsby Mr Gatsby 11
6 Savors savours 12
6 Anticlimax anti-climax 12
6 took your breath away; took your breath away: 12
7 French windows french windows 13
8 rosy-colored rosy-coloured 14
12 out onto a rosy-colored porch out on to a rosy-coloured porch 18
13 the evening, too, would be over the evening too would be over 19
13 �The Rise of the Colored Empires� * "The Rise of the Coloured Empires" * 19
15 I said I began 21
16 Gayety gaiety 22
18 broke off ceasing to compel my attention broke off, ceasing to compel my attention 24
18 The Saturday Evening Post the Saturday Evening Post 24
20 rumors/rumored rumours/rumoured 26
21 gas-pumps petrol-pumps 27
23 of men who of ash-grey men, who 29
23 days under sun and rain days, under sun and rain 29
24 Restaurants cafés 30
24 afternoon and when afternoon, and when 30
25 surplus flesh flesh 31
26 went toward the little office mingling went toward the little office, mingling 32
immediately immediately
26 Color colour 32
27 Up-stairs Upstairs 33
27 Gray grey 33
28 Weatherproof weather-proof 34
28 Sunday afternoon that I wouldn�t have Sunday afternoon. I wouldn�t have been 34
been surprised surprised
28 Mrs. Wilson Mrs Wilson 34
29 Town Tattle Town Tattle 35
29 Whiskey whisky 35
31 Hauteur hauteur 36
31 Appendicitis appendicitus [typo] 37
32 down-stairs downstairs 38
32 Montauk Point � The Gulls "Montauk Point � The Gulls" * 38
33 George B. Wilson at the Gasoline Pump "George B. Wilson at the Gasoline Pump"* 39
34 gypped out gyped out [typo] 40
34 Kike kyke 40
35 that I had played no part in her past. that I expected no affection. 41
35 "--the man came after it one day when he �--the man came after it one day when he 41
was out." She looked around to see who was out: "Oh, is that your suit?" I said. "This
was listening. "�Oh, is that your suit?� I is the first I ever heard about it."--�
said. �This is the first I ever heard about
it.�--"
36 and I was him too, looking up and and I saw him too, looking up and 42
wondering. wondering.
37 Tomorrow to-morrow 42
37 discussing in impassioned voices whether discussing, in impassioned voices, whether 43
38 Halfway half way 43
39 a crop of caterers a corps of caterers 45
40 hair shorn in strange new ways hair bobbed in strange new ways 46
45 country-side countryside 51
45 English oak English Oak 51
46 Claude Claud 52
47 the Third Division (WWI) the First Division (WWI) 53
47 the ninth machine-gun battalion (WWI) the Twenty-eighth Infantry (WWI) 53
47 the Seventh Infantry (WWI) the Sixteenth (WWI) 53
48 Favor favour 54
48 just as far as just so far as 54
48 Roughneck rough-neck 54
49 introduced himself, a butler introduced himself a butler 55
49 "I think he killed a man," and �I think he killed a man�, and 55
50 formed with Gatsby�s head for one link formed for Gatsby�s head for one link 57
52 Tonight to-night 58
53 good-by good-bye 59
54 Tire tyre 60
58 lighted cigarettes outlined unintelligible lighted cigarettes made unintelligible 64
gestures circles
61 Timetable time-table 67
63 Russell Russel 68
63 The Dewers The Dewars 69
64 Today to-day 70
64 lifting work or rigid sitting in youth lifting work in youth 70
64 Six half a dozen 70
66 two machine-gun detachments my machine-gun battalion 72
69 Southeastern south-eastern 75
69 Somber sombre 75
69 Wolfsheim Wolfshiem 75
76 the Armistice the armistice 82
78 tongue, and, moreover, you tongue and, moreover, you 84
79 little girls children 84
89 Neighboring neighbouring 95
89 while occasionally willing to be serfs while willing, even eager, to be serfs 95
92 Odor odour 97
92 Restoration Salons Restoration salons 98
92 an Adam study an Adam�s study 98
93 many-colored many coloured 99
95 a sport shirt a �sport shirt� 101
99 a seventeen-year-old boy a seventeen year-old boy 105
100 soft-mindedness softmindedness 106
100 the turgid sub or suppressed journalism the turgid journalism 106
109 shadows, that shadows, who 114
109 they�re they are 115
119 Molding moulding 124
119 some one someone 125
126 Parlor parlour 132
128 Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi, Tennessee 134
128 Aluminum aluminium 134
133 Rancor rancour 139
139 Motorcycle Motor-cycle 145
149 Stratum strata 155
161 Pneumatic penumatic [typo] 167
166 unmoved eyes shocked eyes 172
168 Splendor splendour 174
182 Orgiastic orgastic 188

Differences in Spelling

There are several words in British and American English that share the same pronunciation but are
spelled differently.

Different But Similar Terms

Certain words are both spelled and pronounced in different ways, but still are the same term.

Different Words for the Same Concepts

In the two versions of the same novel, it became clear that the speakers (and readers) of British and
American English sometimes simply use different terms or expressions for the same concept.

Differences in Punctuation, Grammar and Syntax

Quotations

The most obvious punctuation difference between the two versions is the way quotations are marked.
The original American version uses quotation marks ("xx"), while the British version employs inverted
commas (�x�).

Hyphens

Another noticeable difference is the use of hyphens.

Different Markings of Proper Names

Another very distinctive difference between the two texts is the way the titles of books, newspapers, and
other items are marked.

Cultural Differences

Some of the differences of the two versions arise from the United States and Great Britain being different
cultures, and thus having different ways of viewing the world.

Peculiarities in Translation

Many of the dissimilarities between the two versions were understandable, even expected. Others,
however, were a source of mystification.