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

Analyze the question: We need three words with the same stress pattern and one odd one out.

Concept: In two-syllable words, stress falls on either the first syllable (e.g., TA-ble) or the second (e.g., be-LOW). Compound nouns like cowshed usually take stress on the first element.

Step-by-step:

• A. couture /kuːˈtjʊə(r)/ (or /kuːˈtʃʊə/): borrowed from French, stress falls on the second syllable: cou-TURE.
• B. cowshed /ˈkaʊʃed/: stress on the first syllable: COW-shed.
• C. forest /ˈfɒrɪst/: stress on the first syllable: FOR-est.
• D. gadget /ˈɡædʒɪt/: stress on the first syllable: GAD-get.

B, C and D are all stressed on the first syllable. Only couture has second-syllable stress, so it is the odd one out.

Answer: A. couture

Tip: French loanwords ending in -ure, -ette, -eur and similar patterns (e.g., brochure, cigarette, amateur) often keep stress toward the end of the word, unlike typical native English two-syllable nouns. Also remember that compound nouns (cowshed, blackboard) are normally stressed on the first part.