The stressed syllable is written in capital letters. immunity

Analyze the question: You are asked to pick the correct stress pattern for the word immunity. The syllable in capital letters carries the main stress.

Explain the concept: Syllable division comes first. Immunity has four syllables: im-mu-ni-ty (/ɪˈmjuːnəti/).

Stress rule: English words ending in -ity usually take the main stress on the syllable immediately before the suffix, so the stress falls on the third syllable from the end (the antepenultimate syllable). Examples are ability (aBIlity), necessity (neCESSity), community (comMUnity), and electricity (electRIcity).

Show the solution:

• The syllables are im - mu - ni - ty.
• Counting from the end: ty (1st), ni (2nd), mu (3rd).
• The "-ity" rule would place stress on the syllable before "-ity", which is "ni" (imMUnity vs. immuNIty). Looking at the standard pronunciation, though, the stress is on mu: /ɪˈmjuːnəti/. This is because "-ity" counts as two syllables (-i-ty), so the stress falls on the syllable before them, which is mu.

Checking the options:

• A. iMMUnity: stress on the second syllable, "mu". This matches /ɪˈmjuːnəti/. Written in the format of the options, the capitals mark the "mmu" part of the word, which is the "mu" syllable.
• B. immuNIty: stress on "ni". Incorrect.
• C. Immunity: stress on "im". Incorrect.
• D. immuniTY: stress on the last syllable. Incorrect.

Answer: The correct option is A. iMMUnity.

Tip: For words ending in -ity, -ify, -ical, -ic, or -tion, stress usually falls on the syllable just before the suffix. For "-ity", count back to the syllable before "-i-ty": comMUnity, imMUnity, huMIDity, seCUrity. Say the word aloud and tap the beat to confirm.