What distinguishes grammatical items from lexical items?
Grammatical items are words like "the" and "at", lexical items are nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
How many morphemes does a simple word contain?
A simple word contains one morpheme.
What defines a derived word?
A derived word consists of a stem combined with one or more affixes.
How is a compound word formed?
A compound word is formed from free morphemes.
What is an example of a compound word?
Examples include "mother ship", "mother-in-law", and "motherboard".
What characterizes separable prefixes?
Separable prefixes have an autonomous meaning and are neutral in word stress.
How do inseparable prefixes differ from separable prefixes?
Inseparable prefixes have an integrated meaning within the derivative.
How do stressed syllables differ in loudness and length?
Stressed syllables are louder and longer than unstressed ones.
What vowel qualities are common in unstressed syllables?
Unstressed syllables commonly contain /ə/, /i/, /u/, or /ɪ/.
What defines primary stress in pronunciation?
Primary stress is prominence produced by pitch movement.
How is primary stress marked in phonetic transcription?
Primary stress is marked with ˈ.
What distinguishes secondary stress from primary stress?
Secondary stress lacks the pitch movement of primary stress.
How is secondary stress marked in phonetic transcription?
Secondary stress is marked with ˌ.
What is the stress pattern of the word “collect”?
“Collect” has the stress pattern /kəˈlekt/.
What is the stress pattern of the word “comprehensive”?
“Comprehensive” has the stress pattern /ˌkɒmprɪˈhensɪv/.
How many primary stresses does every lexical unit have?
Exactly one primary stress.
Where must a lexical unit have a primary or secondary stress?
On one of its first two syllables.
Can two stresses occur next to each other in a lexical unit?
No, except in compounds.
Can any stress occur after the primary stress in a lexical unit?
No stress can occur after the primary stress.
What is the stress pattern of the word “recollection”?
The stress pattern is 2010.
What is the first step in assigning compound stress?
Determining the primary stress of each free morpheme.
According to the general compound rule, where is the stress placed?
On the primary-stressed syllable of the first element.
Where is the primary stress placed in two-stress compounds?
On the second element.
Where is the secondary stress placed in two-stress compounds?
On the first element.
Which types of compounds are two-stress compounds?
Compound adjectives, geographical names, material-specifying compounds, and adjective-plus-noun compounds.
In compounds ending with "-ever" or "-self/selves", where does the stress fall?
On the ending.
Where is stress generally placed in compounds beginning with "any-", "every-", "no-", or "some-"?
On the first syllable.
Which suffixes are neutral grammatical suffixes that don't change stress?
-(e)s, -ing, -ed, -er, and -est are neutral grammatical suffixes.
Name some main neutral lexical suffixes in English.
Suffixes like -cy, -dom, -ess, -en, -er, -fold, -ful, -hood, -ish, -kin, -less, -let, -like, -ly, -man, -ment, -ness, -ry, -ship, -ty, and -y are main neutral lexical suffixes.
What is the first step in analysing a lexical word's stress?
Delete separable prefixes and neutral suffixes before applying stress rules.
Why does the stress remain on the first syllable in "sleeplessness"?
Because "-less" and "-ness" are neutral suffixes that do not change stress.
Which syllable receives primary stress with the ending -osis?
The first syllable of the ending.
Which syllable receives primary stress with the endings -itis, -oma, -ival, and -cidal?
The first syllable of the ending.
Where is primary stress placed with endings like -ic(s), -ety/-ity, -efy/-ify, -ish (verbs), -ible/-igible, and -sive?
On the syllable before the ending.
In words with more than two syllables, where is stress placed with the ending -ate?
Two syllables before the ending.
How is the ending -ate pronounced in verbs?
As /eɪt/.
How is the ending -ate pronounced in adjectives?
As /ət/.
Where is the stress in two-syllable verbs ending in -ate?
On the final syllable.
Where is the stress in two-syllable nouns and adjectives ending in -ate?
On the initial syllable.
What is the usual stress pattern of unprefixed two-syllable words not ending in -ate?
They generally have initial stress.
Where is the stress in prefixed two-syllable nouns?
On the initial syllable.
Where is the stress in prefixed two-syllable non-nouns?
On the final syllable.
Where do the nouns “proverb” and “accent” have stress?
On the initial syllable.
Where do the non-nouns “begin”, “superb”, and “advice” have stress?
On the final syllable.
When are stress-imposing endings applied in words longer than two syllables?
Before rules for words without stress-imposing endings.
What determines stress position when no stress-imposing ending is present?
The last non-neutral ending determines the stress position.
Do neutral endings alter stress position in words without stress-imposing endings?
No, neutral endings do not alter stress position.
Why does primary stress fall on the syllable before -ion in "conventional"?
Because -al is neutral after -ion, so stress falls before -ion.
Where is stress placed in longer non-verbs ending in a single consonant plus a vowel without stress-imposing endings?
On the final syllable.
How is stress placed in longer non-verbs with heavier preceding structures without stress-imposing endings?
Stress is generally earlier than the final syllable.
Where is stress placed in verbs in -ise/-ize with opaque derivation without stress-imposing endings?
On the first syllable.
Where do prefixed verbs without stress-imposing endings generally place stress?
On the first syllable of the stem.
Test your knowledge with 23 questions on English Word Stress.
1. Which classification correctly distinguishes grammatical items from lexical items?
2. What distinguishes a simple word from a complex word?
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