Speak aloud each of the following words. Which word has stress on its first syllable?
A. Re·new
B. Ob·tain
C. Fol·low
D. De·test
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is C. Follow.
Explanation:
Stress in English words refers to the emphasis placed on a particular syllable in pronunciation. Some words have their stress on the first syllable, while others have it on the second or later syllables.
Let’s analyze each word:
- Renew (re·NEW)
- The stress falls on the second syllable: re-NEW.
- This is common in many verbs that start with a prefix like “re-“.
- Obtain (ob·TAIN)
- The stress falls on the second syllable: ob-TAIN.
- Many two-syllable verbs in English have their stress on the second syllable.
- Follow (fol·low)
- The stress falls on the first syllable: FOL-low.
- This is common for many two-syllable words, especially verbs and nouns in English.
- Detest (de·TEST)
- The stress falls on the second syllable: de-TEST.
- Like “obtain,” it follows the pattern of many two-syllable verbs.
From this analysis, we can see that “follow” is the only word with stress on the first syllable.
Why does this happen?
- English word stress is often determined by a mix of historical patterns and syllable structure.
- Many verbs tend to have stress on the second syllable, while nouns and adjectives often have stress on the first.
- “Follow” is an exception, as it is a verb with first-syllable stress.
Thus, C. Follow is the correct answer.
Now, I’ll generate an image related to this explanation.
I’ve generated an infographic that visually explains word stress in English, highlighting ‘Follow’ as the word with first-syllable stress while contrasting it with ‘Renew,’ ‘Obtain,’ and ‘Detest,’ which have second-syllable stress. Let me know if you need any modifications!