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Question

Difficulty: MediumWord and Syllable Stress

In which of the following options is the primary stress placement correctly indicated for the word enthusiastic?

  1. A
    EN-thu-si-as-tic
  2. B
    en-THU-si-as-tic
  3. en-thu-si-AS-ticAnswer
  4. D
    en-thu-si-as-TIC

Answer

en-thu-si-AS-tic
In standard English phonology, multisyllabic words ending with the suffix '-ic' systematically place primary stress on the penultimate (second to last) syllable. For the five-syllable word 'enthusiastic' (en-thu-si-as-tic), the penultimate syllable is 'AS', resulting in 'en-thu-si-AS-tic'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the morphological structure and suffix of the target word
The word 'enthusiastic' contains five syllables (en-thu-si-as-tic) and ends with the adjectival suffix '-ic'.
English stress assignment rules are heavily influenced by specific suffixes.
2
Apply the suffix stress rule for words ending in '-ic'
Words taking the suffix '-ic' regularly place primary stress on the penultimate (second to last) syllable.
Suffixes like '-ic', '-ion', and '-ity' cause a stress shift to the syllable immediately preceding them.
3
Identify the penultimate syllable in 'enthusiastic'
The fourth syllable 'AS' is the penultimate syllable, yielding 'en-thu-si-AS-tic'.
Counting syllables from the end: '-tic' is ultimate, 'AS' is penultimate.

Key Concept

Penultimate syllable stress rule for suffixes ending in '-ic'
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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