JAMB - English Language (2012 - No. 80)
Answer the following question below and choose the appropriate stress pattern from the options. The syllables are underlined in capital letters.
impossible
impossible
imPOSsible
IMpossible
imposSIBLE
impossiBLE
Uitleg
In English, "impossible" is a four-syllable word with the stress on the second syllable. Stress tends to avoid syllables with a weak vowel i.e. /ə/ and /ɪ/ which is present in every syllable except the second.
- im-POS-si-ble → The stress falls on "POS", making option A the correct answer.