inflammation — choose the one that has the correct stress

Analyze the question: The question asks where the main (primary) stress falls in the word inflammation.

Concept: In English, words ending in -tion (and similar suffixes like -sion, -ic, -ity) put the primary stress on the syllable just before the suffix. This is a very common rule in WASSCE oral English.

Step by step:

1. Break the word into syllables: in-flam-ma-tion (4 syllables).
2. The suffix is -tion, pronounced /ʃn/, so the stress falls on the syllable immediately before it: -ma-.
3. The standard pronunciation is /ˌɪn.fləˈmeɪ.ʃn̩/. The strong stress is on "MA" (pronounced /meɪ/), and the first syllable carries a weaker secondary stress.

Checking the options:

• A. IN-flam-ma-tion: stress on the first syllable. Wrong.
• B. in-FLAM-ma-tion: stress on the second syllable. Wrong. (This would be right for the word inflammable, where the stress falls on "FLAM".)
• C. in-flam-MA-tion: stress on the third syllable, just before -tion. Correct.
• D. in-flam-ma-TION: stress on the suffix. Wrong, since -tion is never stressed in this pattern.

Answer: C

Exam tip: For words ending in -tion, -sion, -ic, -ical, -ity, put the stress on the syllable right before the ending. Compare eduCAtion, inforMAtion, examiNAtion, and inflamMAtion. Tapping out the beats on your desk as you say the word can help you hear which syllable is strongest.