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Question

Difficulty: MediumWord and Syllable Stress

Which of the following syllabifications correctly indicates the primary stress placement in the word photography?

  1. A
    PHO-to-gra-phy
  2. pho-TOG-ra-phyAnswer
  3. C
    pho-to-GRA-phy
  4. D
    pho-to-gra-PHY

Answer

The correct stress placement is pho-TOG-ra-phy, which places primary stress on the second syllable.
In standard English pronunciation, four-syllable nouns ending in the suffix '-graphy' (such as biography, geography, and photography) carry primary stress on the antepenultimate syllable (the second syllable). Therefore, the correct pattern is 'pho-TOG-ra-phy'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Divide the target word into individual syllables.
The word has four syllables: pho-tog-ra-phy.
Identifying the syllable breakdown is necessary for locating the stressed unit.
2
Apply standard English stress rules for words ending in '-graphy'.
Nouns ending with the suffix '-graphy' place primary stress on the antepenultimate syllable (the syllable immediately preceding '-graphy').
In 'photography', the antepenultimate syllable is the second syllable ('-TOG-').

Key Concept

Primary Stress Placement in Suffix-Derived Nouns (-graphy)
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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