The stressed syllables are written in capital letters. productivity

Analyze the question You are asked to pick the correct stress pattern for the word "productivity" (pro-duc-TIV-i-ty). The word has five syllables: pro · duc · tiv · i · ty.

Concept In English, words ending in -ity normally take the primary stress on the syllable just before the suffix. Examples:

• acTIVity
• caPACity
• electriCIty
• nationALity

So the stress falls on the syllable immediately before "-ity". (The "-ity" itself is made up of two syllables, -i-ty.)

Step-by-step solution

1. Break the word into syllables: pro-duc-tiv-i-ty.
2. Identify the suffix: -ity (syllables "i" and "ty").
3. The syllable right before the suffix is "tiv".
4. So the stress falls on "tiv": pro-duc-TIV-i-ty.

Checking the options

• A. PROductivity: stress on the first syllable. Wrong.
• B. proDUCtivity: stress on the second syllable. Wrong. (This is the stress pattern of the root word "proDUCE" or "proDUCtive", but the -ity suffix shifts it.)
• C. producTIvity: stress on "TI", which is the syllable "tiv". Correct.
• D. productiVIty: stress on the "vi" after "ti". This is not how the word is pronounced. Wrong.

Note that option C is written as "producTIvity", so the capital letters mark the "ti" syllable (tiv). This matches the standard pronunciation /ˌprɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/.

Answer: C. producTIvity

Tip Remember: "-ity pulls the stress to the syllable just before it." Apply this to words like ability, majority, popularity, productivity and you can answer such questions in seconds.