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Question

Difficulty: MediumWord and Syllable Stress

Which of the following options shows the correct placement of primary stress in the word characteristic?

  1. A
    CHAR-ac-ter-is-tic
  2. B
    char-AC-ter-is-tic
  3. char-ac-ter-IS-ticAnswer
  4. D
    char-ac-ter-is-TIC

Answer

char-ac-ter-IS-tic
In English phonology, words ending with the adjectival suffix '-ic' consistently place primary stress on the penultimate (second to last) syllable. For the five-syllable word 'characteristic', the fourth syllable '-IS-' receives the primary stress, yielding 'char-ac-ter-IS-tic'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the suffix of the multisyllabic word.
The word 'characteristic' ends with the suffix '-ic'.
English stress rules dictate that words ending in '-ic' place primary stress on the syllable immediately preceding the suffix (the penultimate syllable).
2
Count the syllables and locate the penultimate syllable.
The five-syllable word is broken into char-ac-ter-is-tic, making 'is' the fourth and penultimate syllable.
The stress must fall on 'is' to follow standard pronunciation rules for '-ic' suffix words.

Key Concept

Primary Stress Rules for Suffixes (-ic)
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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