Content Introduction 2 Topicality 2 1. The role of word accent in the phonetic structure of English. 5 1.1 The nature of word accent 5 1.2 Types of word accent according to the articulatory means 9 1.3 Types of word accent according to its position in words 12 1.4 Degrees of word accent 14 1.5 Typology of accentual structure according to G.P. Torsuyev 19 1.6 The main tendencies in accentuation system of English 22 1.7 The functional aspect of English word accent 30 1.8 Common difficulties occurring in the process of learning English accentual structure. 33 2. Practical samples of different types of word accent from the point of its articulation and position 36 Conclusion 57 Bibliography 58