Quiz: English Word Stress — 23 questions

1. Which classification correctly distinguishes grammatical items from lexical items?

A. Grammatical items include words such as “the” and “at,” while lexical items include nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

B. Grammatical items include nouns and verbs, while lexical items include words such as “the” and “at.”

C. Grammatical items describe word structure, while lexical items describe patterns of sentence stress.

D. Grammatical items are formed from several morphemes, while lexical items contain a single morpheme.

Answer: (A)

Explanation

Grammatical items include function words such as “the” and “at,” whereas lexical items include the major word classes: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The second option reverses these categories, confusing grammatical items with lexical items.

2. What distinguishes a simple word from a complex word?

A. A simple word contains one morpheme, whereas a complex word contains more than one morpheme.

B. A simple word contains a stem and an affix, whereas a complex word contains two free morphemes.

C. A simple word has primary stress, whereas a complex word has both primary and secondary stress.

D. A simple word functions grammatically, whereas a complex word functions lexically in a sentence.

Answer: (A)

Explanation

The distinction is based on morpheme count: simple words have one morpheme, while complex words have more than one. A stem combined with an affix describes a derived word, not the general distinction between simple and complex words.

3. Which description correctly defines a derived word?

A. It combines a grammatical item with a lexical item in a phrase.

B. It contains one morpheme that cannot be divided into smaller units.

C. It consists of two free morphemes joined to form a compound.

D. It consists of a stem combined with one or more affixes.

Answer: (D)

Explanation

A derived word is formed by combining a stem with one or more affixes. Combining free morphemes describes a compound word rather than a derived word.

4. Which word is formed from free morphemes and therefore illustrates compounding?

A. the

B. motherboard

C. quickly

D. unhappiness

Answer: (B)

Explanation

“Motherboard” is a compound formed from the free morphemes “mother” and “board.” “Unhappiness” is derived through affixation, while “the” and “quickly” do not illustrate this compound structure.

5. Which combination of features most typically characterizes a stressed syllable rather than an unstressed syllable?

A. Reduced energy, greater duration, lower pitch, and a centralized vowel

B. Quieter articulation, shorter duration, lower pitch, and a full vowel

C. Lower pitch, shorter duration, weaker energy, and a reduced vowel

D. Greater loudness, longer duration, higher pitch, and a full vowel

Answer: (D)

Explanation

Stressed syllables are generally louder, longer, higher in pitch, more energetic, and pronounced with full vowels. The other descriptions combine properties associated with unstressed syllables, especially reduced vowels.

6. What does primary stress indicate, and which symbol marks it?

A. Prominence produced by pitch movement, marked with ˈ

B. A reduced vowel in an unstressed syllable, marked with ə

C. Prominence without pitch movement, marked with ˌ

D. A boundary between morphemes, marked with a hyphen

Answer: (A)

Explanation

Primary stress is prominence produced by pitch movement and is marked with ˈ. Prominence without the associated pitch movement describes secondary stress, which is marked with ˌ.

7. A lexical unit has several syllables and includes secondary stress. What must it still contain?

A. A primary stress on each stressed syllable

B. Two adjacent stresses before the main stressed syllable

C. Exactly one primary stress

D. A stress after the primary stress to complete the pattern

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Every lexical unit has exactly one primary stress, even when it also contains secondary stress. Secondary stress may occur in addition to the primary stress but does not create another primary stress.

8. Which stress placement satisfies the principle that one of the first two syllables must carry primary or secondary stress?

A. A four-syllable word with stress on its third syllable only

B. A five-syllable word with stress on its fourth syllable only

C. A four-syllable word with stress on its second syllable

D. A three-syllable word with stress on its final syllable only

Answer: (C)

Explanation

The principle requires a primary or secondary stress on one of the first two syllables, so stress on the second syllable satisfies it. A later stressed syllable cannot satisfy the principle when the first two syllables carry no stress.

9. Which stress pattern violates the rule that two stresses cannot occur next to each other in a lexical unit outside compounds?

A. 2010

B. 1010

C. 1001

D. 0101

Answer: (B)

Explanation

In the pattern 1010, the two 1s are adjacent, so two stresses occur next to each other. The other patterns separate the stresses and therefore do not create that violation.

10. Which stress pattern follows the rule that no stress occurs after the primary stress in a lexical unit?

A. 1001

B. 2010

C. 0100

D. 2011

Answer: (C)

Explanation

In 0100, the primary stress occurs before the remaining unstressed syllables, so no stress follows it. The patterns 2010, 1001, and 2011 place a stress after the primary stress and therefore violate the rule.

11. What is the correct sequence for assigning stress in a compound word?

A. Assign stress to the first element, compare vowel length, then determine the number of stresses

B. Determine each element’s primary stress, decide the number of stresses, then locate them

C. Identify the number of stresses, delete unstressed syllables, then assign element boundaries

D. Locate the final stress, count the syllables, then determine each element’s primary stress

Answer: (B)

Explanation

Compound stress analysis begins with the primary stress of each free morpheme, continues by determining how many stresses the compound has, and ends by locating those stresses. The other procedures reverse or replace steps that are part of the analysis.

12. Under the general compound-stress rule, where does the main stress fall?

A. On the final syllable of the entire compound

B. On the first unstressed syllable of the first element

C. On the primary-stressed syllable of the second element

D. On the primary-stressed syllable of the first element

Answer: (D)

Explanation

The general rule places one stress on the syllable that is primary-stressed within the first element. Stress on the second element occurs in special compound patterns rather than under this general rule.

13. How are stresses arranged in a two-stress compound?

A. Both elements receive equal primary stress in the compound

B. Primary stress occurs on the second element and secondary stress on the first

C. The first element receives primary stress while the second remains unstressed

D. Primary stress occurs on the first element and secondary stress on the second

Answer: (B)

Explanation

A two-stress compound assigns primary stress to the second element and secondary stress to the first. Equal stress and first-element primary stress describe different patterns.

14. Which suffix set consists of neutral grammatical suffixes that preserve the stem’s stress pattern?

A. -ic, -ity, -ify, -ible, and -sive

B. -osis, -itis, -oma, -ival, and -cidal

C. -ate, -cy, -ness, -ship, and -ment

D. -s, -ing, -ed, -er, and -est

Answer: (D)

Explanation

The grammatical suffixes -(e)s, -ing, -ed, -er, and -est are neutral because they do not change the stem’s stress. The other sets include endings that can impose stress or lexical suffixes that are not this grammatical group.

15. What should be done first when analysing the stress pattern of a lexical word?

A. Apply stress-imposing endings before removing any affixes

B. Count all syllables and treat each affix as stress-bearing

C. Delete separable prefixes and neutral suffixes

D. Assign stress to the final syllable of the word

Answer: (C)

Explanation

The initial analysis removes separable prefixes and neutral suffixes so that the remaining stress rules can be applied to the lexical base. Stress-imposing endings are analysed after this preliminary reduction, not before it.

16. Where does the ending -osis place primary stress?

A. On the final syllable of the ending

B. Two syllables before the ending

C. On the syllable immediately before the ending

D. On the first syllable of the ending

Answer: (D)

Explanation

The ending -osis attracts primary stress to its first syllable, as shown by forms such as neuˈrosis and ˌmetaˈmorphosis. The syllable-before-the-ending pattern belongs to endings such as -ic(s), not -osis.

17. Which group of endings generally places primary stress on the syllable before the ending?

A. -ic(s), -ety/-ity, -efy/-ify, -ish in verbs, -ible/-igible, and -sive

B. -s, -ing, -ed, -er, -est, and -ness

C. -osis, -itis, -oma, -ival, -cidal, and -ate

D. -cy, -dom, -hood, -less, -ment, and -ship

Answer: (A)

Explanation

The listed endings generally place primary stress on the syllable immediately before the ending. Endings such as -osis and -itis instead attract stress to the first syllable within the ending, while neutral suffixes preserve the existing pattern.

18. How does the ending -ate differ in pronunciation between verbs and adjectives?

A. It is pronounced /eɪt/ in verbs and /ət/ in adjectives

B. It is pronounced /ɑːt/ in verbs and /iːt/ in adjectives

C. It is pronounced /ət/ in verbs and /eɪt/ in adjectives

D. It is pronounced /iːt/ in verbs and /ɑːt/ in adjectives

Answer: (A)

Explanation

The ending -ate has the pronunciation /eɪt/ when it forms a verb and /ət/ when it occurs in an adjective. The reverse assignment would confuse the two grammatical categories.

19. Where does primary stress generally fall in an unprefixed two-syllable word that does not end in -ate?

A. On the second syllable

B. On the suffix before the final syllable

C. On the syllable containing the first consonant cluster

D. On the first syllable

Answer: (D)

Explanation

Unprefixed two-syllable words without the -ate ending generally receive initial stress. A common mistake is to assign final stress based on the word’s two-syllable structure, but that pattern applies more readily to prefixed non-nouns.

20. How does stress typically differ between a prefixed two-syllable noun and a prefixed two-syllable non-noun?

A. Both forms generally have final stress because they are non-native formations

B. The noun has final stress, while the non-noun has initial stress

C. The noun has initial stress, while the non-noun has final stress

D. Both forms generally have initial stress because they are prefixed

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Prefixed two-syllable nouns generally receive initial stress, whereas prefixed non-nouns generally receive final stress. Treating the prefix as producing the same stress pattern in both categories overlooks the noun versus non-noun distinction.

21. A two-syllable word ending in -ate is used as a verb rather than as a noun or adjective; where does its stress generally fall?

A. On the consonant immediately before -ate

B. On the initial syllable

C. On the final syllable

D. On the syllable before the prefix

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Two-syllable verbs ending in -ate generally have final stress, while nouns and adjectives with that ending generally have initial stress. The most plausible alternative reverses the pattern by applying the noun-and-adjective rule to the verb.

22. When analyzing a word longer than two syllables, which stress rule should be checked first?

A. Rules for unprefixed two-syllable words

B. Rules for stress-imposing endings

C. Rules for final neutral endings

D. Rules based on the word’s initial consonant

Answer: (B)

Explanation

Stress-imposing endings are evaluated before ordinary rules for words that lack such endings. Applying a general word-pattern rule first can produce the wrong stress when a stress-imposing ending is present.

23. If a word longer than two syllables has no stress-imposing ending, what determines its stress position?

A. The last non-neutral ending, while neutral endings leave it unchanged

B. The first prefix, which assigns stress to the opening syllable

C. The total number of syllables, which places stress at the word’s midpoint

D. The final neutral ending, which shifts stress toward the word’s end

Answer: (A)

Explanation

Without a stress-imposing ending, the last non-neutral ending determines the stress position, and a neutral ending does not change that position. Confusing a neutral ending with a stress-determining ending would incorrectly move the primary stress.