superstitious — choose the one that has the correct stress as the word given below

Analyze the question: You're asked to find the syllable that carries the main stress in "superstitious". The word is written in lowercase, so the stress marking is the point of the question.

Explain the concept: In English, words ending in -tious, -tion, -sion, -cious and similar endings usually take the primary stress on the syllable just before the suffix. Examples: am-BI-tious, de-LI-cious, su-per-STI-tious, re-LI-gious.

Step-by-step solution:

1. Break the word into syllables: su – per – sti – tious (4 syllables).
2. Identify the suffix: -tious, which is pronounced /ʃəs/.
3. Apply the rule: the stress falls on the syllable immediately before the suffix, which is sti.
4. Pronunciation: /ˌsuːpəˈstɪʃəs/. The primary stress is on STI, and there is a secondary stress on su.

Checking the options:

• A. SU-per-sti-tious: stress on the first syllable. This is only the secondary stress, so it is not correct.
• B. su-PER-sti-tious: stress on the second syllable. Wrong.
• C. su-per-STI-tious: stress on the third syllable. Correct.
• D. su-persti-TIOUS: stress on the last syllable. Wrong, because the suffix itself is never stressed.

Tip: For words ending in -tion, -sion, -tious, -cious, -ic, -ical, put the stress on the syllable right before the ending. Examples: edu-CA-tion, eco-NO-mic, am-BI-tious.