In the following options lettered A to D, all the words except on have the same stress pattern. Identify the one with the different stress pattern.

Analyze the question: Four two-syllable words are given, and we must find the one whose stress falls on a different syllable from the other three.

Concept: In two-syllable words, stress falls on either the first syllable or the second. Many verbs take stress on the second syllable, while many nouns take it on the first. Dictionary stress marks are what matter in these questions.

Step-by-step stress check:

• A. create /kriˈeɪt/ has stress on the 2nd syllable (cre-ATE).
• B. donate /dəʊˈneɪt/ (British English, the standard for WASSCE) has stress on the 2nd syllable (do-NATE). In American English it is sometimes stressed on the first syllable (DO-nate), but the Nigerian examination standard follows British pronunciation.
• C. cement /sɪˈment/ has stress on the 2nd syllable (ce-MENT).
• D. courage /ˈkʌrɪdʒ/ has stress on the 1st syllable (COU-rage).

Result: A, B and C are all stressed on the second syllable. Only courage is stressed on the first syllable, so it is the odd one out.

Answer: D (courage)

Tip: Words ending in -ate (as verbs like create, donate, relate) usually carry stress on the last syllable in two-syllable words. Nouns ending in -age (courage, village, message) are almost always stressed on the first syllable. Learn the endings and you can answer these questions quickly.