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Question

Difficulty: MediumWord and Syllable Stress

In English phonology, stress placement shifts depending on whether a disyllabic word functions as a noun or a verb. Which syllabification correctly indicates the primary stress placement for the missing word in the sentence below?

Answer:The tribunal had sufficient evidence to 【con-VICT】 the accused officer of financial misconduct.

Answer

con-VICT (with primary stress placed on the second syllable)
In standard English pronunciation, two-syllable words that function as both nouns and verbs alter their stress patterns according to their grammatical role. When used as a verb in this sentence ('to con-VICT'), primary stress is located on the second syllable. First-syllable stress ('CON-vict') represents the noun form.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the grammatical function of the target word within the sentence structure
The word follows the particle 'to', functioning as an infinitive verb ('to con-VICT').
The syntactic slot requires an action verb.
2
Apply the rule governing stress shift in two-syllable noun/verb pairs
Disyllabic verbs take primary stress on the second syllable (con-VICT), whereas disyllabic nouns take primary stress on the first syllable (CON-vict).
Stress moves to the final syllable when the word acts as a verb.

Key Concept

Grammatical category stress shift in disyllabic words
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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