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Question

Difficulty: MediumWord and Syllable Stress

Complete the sentence below by supplying the correct syllabified forms of the word 'conduct' with primary stress indicated in UPPERCASE letters for each blank.

Answer:The board authorized the manager to 【con-DUCT】 the investigation, ensuring that his professional 【CON-duct】 remained above reproach.

Answer

The first blank requires the verb form 'con-DUCT' with primary stress on the second syllable, while the second blank requires the noun form 'CON-duct' with primary stress on the first syllable.
In English phonology, many disyllabic words function as verbs when stressed on the second syllable and as nouns when stressed on the first syllable. In the given sentence, 'to conduct' is a verb requiring stress on the second syllable (con-DUCT), whereas 'his professional conduct' is a noun phrase requiring stress on the first syllable (CON-duct).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the grammatical category required for each blank in the context of the sentence.
Blank 1 follows the infinitive marker 'to' and functions as a verb. Blank 2 is preceded by the adjective 'professional' and functions as a noun.
English disyllabic words often shift stress based on their part of speech.
2
Apply the disyllabic noun-verb stress placement rule to the word 'conduct'.
As a verb, primary stress falls on the second syllable (con-DUCT). As a noun, primary stress falls on the first syllable (CON-duct).
Most two-syllable noun/verb pairs place primary stress on the final syllable for verbs and on the initial syllable for nouns.

Key Concept

Disyllabic Grammatical Category Stress Shift
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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