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Difficulty: HardWord and Syllable Stress

Match each of the following English words to its corresponding syllabified scheme with the primary stress indicated in uppercase letters.

  • diplomatDIP-lo-mat
  • diplomacydi-PLO-ma-cy
  • diplomaticdip-lo-MAT-ic
  • reconciliationre-con-ci-li-A-tion

Answer

'diplomat' matches 'DIP-lo-mat', 'diplomacy' matches 'di-PLO-ma-cy', 'diplomatic' matches 'dip-lo-MAT-ic', and 'reconciliation' matches 're-con-ci-li-A-tion'.
Primary word stress in English depends on syllable count and suffix rules. Base nouns like 'diplomat' stress the first syllable ('DIP-lo-mat'). Attaching '-cy' causes antepenultimate stress ('di-PLO-ma-cy'). Attaching '-ic' shifts stress to the penultimate syllable ('dip-lo-MAT-ic'), and '-ation' likewise attracts primary stress to the penultimate syllable ('re-con-ci-li-A-tion').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the stress pattern for 'diplomat'.
DIP-lo-mat
Base trisyllabic nouns of this class carry primary stress on the initial syllable.
2
Apply the '-cy' suffix stress assignment rule to 'diplomacy'.
di-PLO-ma-cy
Words ending in the nominal suffix '-cy' place primary stress on the antepenultimate (third from last) syllable.
3
Apply the '-ic' adjectival suffix stress rule to 'diplomatic'.
dip-lo-MAT-ic
The suffix '-ic' conditions stress assignment to the penultimate (second from last) syllable.
4
Apply the '-ation' suffix stress rule to 'reconciliation'.
re-con-ci-li-A-tion
Polysyllabic words with the suffix '-ation' consistently carry primary stress on the penultimate syllable.

Key Concept

Suffix-driven stress placement and morphological stress shifts in English polysyllabic words.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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