STRESS PATRENS QUIZ

For each of the six questions choose the one correct answer.

 1. Which 2-syllable word has a different stress pattern from the others?

a) police
b) mother
c) student
d) money
 
2. Which 2-syllable word has a different stress pattern from the others?

a) career
b) shampoo
c) balloon
d) problem
 
3. Which 3-syllable word has a different stress pattern from the others?

a) cinema
b) Saturday
c) umbrella
d) manager
 
4. Which 3-syllable word has a different stress pattern from the others?

a) potato
b) paragraph
c) computer
d) professor
 
5. Which of these adjectives beginning with ‘un’ or ‘in’ has the stress on the final syllable?

a) informal
b) unhappy
c) unfriendly
d) unemployed
 
6. In which sentence does the speaker want to tell us that John’s car is not second hand?

a) John’s bought a new car.
b) John’s bought a new car.
c) John’s bought a new car.
d) John’s bought a new car.

 Answers: 

1. Which 2-syllable word has a different stress pattern from the others?

a) police
b) mother
c) student
d) money

a) In the word ‘police’ we stress the second syllable police, the other words are
all stressed on the first syllable.
b) In the word ‘mother’ we stress the first syllable mother – in which word is the second
syllable stressed?
c) In the word ‘student’ we stress the first syllable student – in which word is the second
syllable stressed?
d) In the word ‘money’ we stress the first syllable money – in which word is the second
syllable stressed?
 
2. Which 2-syllable word has a different stress pattern from the others?

a) career
b) shampoo
c) balloon
d) problem

a) In the word ‘career’ we stress the second syllable career – in which word is the first
syllable stressed?
b) In the word ‘shampoo’ we stress the second syllable shampoo – in which word is the
first syllable stressed?
c) In the word ‘balloon’ we stress the second syllable balloon – in which word is the first
syllable stressed?
d) In the word ‘problem’ we stress the first syllable problem – the other words
are all stressed on the second syllable.

 3. Which 3-syllable word has a different stress pattern from the others?

a) cinema
b) Saturday
c) umbrella
d) manager

a) In the word ‘cinema’ we stress the first syllable cinema – in which word is another
syllable stressed?
b) In the word ‘Saturday’ we stress the first syllable Saturday – in which word is another
syllable stressed?
c) In the word ‘umbrella’ we stress the second syllable umbrella – the other
words are all stressed on the first syllable.
d) In the word ‘manager’ we stress the first syllable manager – in which word is another
syllable stressed?

4. Which 3-syllable word has a different stress pattern from the others?

a) potato
b) paragraph
c) computer
d) professor

a) In the word ‘potato’ we stress the second syllable potato – in which word is another
syllable stressed?
b) In the word ‘paragraph’ we stress the first syllable paragraph – the other
words are all stressed on the second syllable.
c) In the word ‘computer’ we stress the second syllable computer – in which word is
another syllable stressed?
d) In the word ‘professor’ we stress the second syllable professor – in which word is
another syllable stressed?

 5. Which of these adjectives beginning with ‘un’ or ‘in’ has the stress on the final syllable?

a) informal
b) unhappy
c) unfriendly
d) unemployed

a) This word is pronounced informal – generally speaking words beginning with ‘un’ or
‘in’ have the stress on the second syllable.
b) This word is pronounced unhappy – generally speaking words beginning with ‘un’ or
‘in’ have the stress on the second syllable.
c) This word is pronounced unfriendly – generally speaking words beginning with ‘un’ or
‘in’ have the stress on the second syllable.
d) This word had the stress on the final syllable unemployed. However, generally
speaking words beginning with ‘un’ or ‘in’ have the stress on the second
syllable.

 6. In which sentence does the speaker want to tell us that John’s car is not second hand?

a) John’s bought a new car.
b) John’s bought a new car.
c) John’s bought a new car.
d) John’s bought a new car.

a) The speaker is interested in telling us that it is John who bought the car and not
someone else.
b) The speaker is interested in telling us that John wasn’t given the car or that he didn’t
steal it!
c) The speaker is interested in telling us that the car is not second hand; it’s
new!
d) The speaker is interested in telling us that he bought a car, not a motorbike or
something else.