In the following question, the main/primary stress is indicated by writing the syllable on which it occurs in…

Analyze the question: You are asked to pick the correct primary stress for the word "installation" (in-stal-LA-tion, 4 syllables).

Concept: In English, words ending in -tion (also -sion, -ic, -ity) usually take the primary stress on the syllable immediately before the suffix. The suffix itself is never stressed.

Examples:

• edu-CA-tion
• con-ver-SA-tion
• ex-pla-NA-tion
• or-gan-i-ZA-tion

Solution:

1. Break the word into syllables: in | stal | la | tion
2. Identify the suffix: -tion (the last syllable)
3. The syllable just before it is la, so it takes the stress.
4. This gives: in-stal-LA-tion

Checking the options:

• A. IN-stal-la-tion: stress on the first syllable, which is wrong.
• B. in-STAL-la-tion: stress on the second syllable. This is the pattern of the verb "in-STALL", but the noun follows the -tion rule, so it is wrong.
• C. in-stal-LA-tion: stress on the syllable before -tion, which is correct.
• D. in-stal-la-TION: -tion is never stressed, so it is wrong.

Tip: For any word ending in -tion or -sion, count back one syllable from the end and stress that one. Notice that the verb "inSTALL" has stress on the second syllable, but adding -ation shifts the stress to the "la" syllable. This is a common trap in WASSCE and JAMB oral English.