The stressed syllable

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.

This excercise is from the book English File. It asks to underline the syllable and it also says that the stress syllable will never be on the prefix or suffix. But isn't it in the word ''creative?'' I mean on ''ative.''

I underlined the stressed syllables.

 

[GoesStation]

Creative has three syllables. The final one is the suffix -ive. Which syllable is stressed?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hint: cree-ate-ive.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Creative has three syllables. The final one is the suffix -ive. Which syllable is stressed?

cree-ate-ive. The one in bold? :shock:

 

[Skrej]

Hello.

This excercise is from the book English File. It asks to underline the syllable and it also says that the stress syllable will never be on the prefix or suffix. But isn't it in the word ''creative?'' I mean on ''ative.''

I underlined the stressed syllables. View attachment 3417

They've made some mistakes on the syllable divisions. Both the words in #3 (rebellious) and #4 (comfortable) have four syllables, but they've only divided them into three.

 

[jutfrank]

For me, comfortable is closer to three and rebellious is closer to four.

 

[GoesStation]

For me, comfortable is closer to three and rebellious is closer to four.

Definitely four for the latter when I'm talking. The former usually comes out as cumf-ter-bull in my dialect, but sometimes I put the /r/ back where it belongs and pronounce all four syllables.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

They've made some mistakes on the syllable divisions. Both the words in #3 (rebellious) and #4 (comfortable) have four syllables, but they've only divided them into three.

Sometimes. Where I come from, they're ree-bell-yus and cumf-tr-bl.

 

[Yankee]

For me, comfortable is closer to three and rebellious is closer to four.

I can't go with four for 'rebellious'.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I can't go with four for 'rebellious'.

Ditto. I count three.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Definitely four for the latter when I'm talking. The former usually comes out as cumf-ter-bull in my dialect, but sometimes I put the /r/ back where it belongs and pronounce all four syllables.

I count three for each.

That's horse racing!

 

[Skrej]

I might slip into three for 'rebellious' if speaking rapidly, but 'comfortable' is a solid four syllables for me any day of the week, all month long.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I might slip into three for 'rebellious' if speaking rapidly, but 'comfortable' is a solid four syllables for me any day of the week, all month long.

I've been in Maine for years and still get a kick out of the quirks of its accents.

In Maine, it's customary to take syllables out of some words:

- probably > prully
- Saturday > Saddy

. . . and add them to others, especially if they end in R:

- there < they-ah
- dear < dee-ah
- more < mo-ah
- sure < shoo-ah

 

[jutfrank]

I might slip into three for 'rebellious' if speaking rapidly, but 'comfortable' is a solid four syllables for me any day of the week, all month long.

I might slip into three for rebellious, too, but comfortable is a solid three, all day long.

I think this might have to do with rhoticity. I wonder if comfortable is more likely to have four for speakers who articulate the /r/ sound.

 

[Yankee]

I might slip into three for 'rebellious' if speaking rapidly, but 'comfortable' is a solid four syllables for me any day of the week, all month long. Or all mouth long.

But seriously, break down 'rebellious" into syllables as with four, please.

 

[GoesStation]

I think this might have to do with rhoticity. I wonder if comfortable is more likely to have four for speakers who articulate the /r/ sound.

I think the dominant pronunciation in my region is "kumf-ter-bull". We reduce the syllable count and shift the /r/. Linguistics has a word for that trick with the /r/ but I can't remember it.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . I wonder if comfortable is more likely to have four for speakers who articulate the /r/ sound.

I don't think so. I say cumf-tr-bl.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

But seriously, break down 'rebellious" into syllables as with four, please.

I just can't can't can't do it.

When I was a kid, I had a friend named Elia. He HATED it when people made it three syllables: "Not El-ee-ah. El-yah!"

 

[jutfrank]

I think the dominant pronunciation in my region is "kumf-ter-bull". We reduce the syllable count and shift the /r/. Linguistics has a word for that trick with the /r/ but I can't remember it.

Interesting technique! (It's called metathesis).

 

[GoesStation]

Interesting technique! (It's called metathesis).

Ax and ye shall receive, eh? (I heard "ax" for ask on many kids' lips in my childhood — white and black. Nowadays I associate it mostly with AAVE, but it wouldn't surprise me to hear some white Americans make the exchange.)