IOE Word Stress Practice Set (50 Questions), kept fully structured, exam-style, and unmodified in meaning, with answers and explanations.

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📘 IOE Word Stress Practice Questions (1–50)

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🔵 Questions 1–10: Two-Syllable Words (Nouns/Adjectives vs Verbs)

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Question 1

A. record B. present C. object D. delay

Answer: D. delay
Explanation:

• record (RE-cord): noun – 1st syllable
• present (PRE-sent): noun – 1st syllable
• object (OB-ject): noun – 1st syllable
• delay (de-LAY): verb – 2nd syllable

✔ Rule: Nouns stress 1st syllable, verbs stress 2nd.

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Question 2

A. perfect B. contract C. conflict D. protect

Answer: D. protect
Explanation:

• protect (pro-TECT): verb – 2nd syllable

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Question 3

A. export B. import C. support D. transport

Answer: C. support
Explanation:

• support (sup-PORT): verb – 2nd syllable

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Question 4

A. increase B. decrease C. release D. refuse

Answer: C. release
Explanation:

• release (re-LEASE): verb – 2nd syllable

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Question 5

A. subject B. project C. reject D. object

Answer: C. reject
Explanation:

• reject (re-JECT): verb – 2nd syllable

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Question 6

A. permit B. submit C. commit D. admit

Answer: A. permit
Explanation:

• permit (PER-mit): noun – 1st syllable

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Question 7

A. survey B. convey C. obey D. betray

Answer: A. survey
Explanation:

• survey (SUR-vey): noun – 1st syllable

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Question 8

A. progress B. success C. access D. excess

Answer: B. success
Explanation:

• success (suc-CESS): 2nd syllable stress

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Question 9

A. desert B. dessert C. present D. parent

Answer: B. dessert
Explanation:

• dessert (des-SERT): 2nd syllable stress

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Question 10

A. concert B. convert C. contact D. contest

Answer: B. convert
Explanation:

• convert (con-VERT): verb – 2nd syllable

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🟣 Questions 11–20: -ic, -tion, -ion Patterns

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Question 11

A. electric B. historic C. optimistic D. politics

Answer: D. politics
✔ Rule: -ic words stress before suffix.

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Question 12

A. scientific B. specific C. terrific D. music

Answer: D. music
✔ Exception word.

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Question 13

A. nation B. station C. action D. mountain

Answer: D. mountain
✔ Not -tion word.

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Question 14

A. education B. communication C. celebration D. television

Answer: D. television
✔ Exception.

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Question 15

A. opinion B. onion C. million D. union

Answer: B. onion
✔ Different stress pattern.

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Question 16

A. ambition B. suspicion C. musician D. fashion

Answer: D. fashion
✔ 2-syllable stress.

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Question 17

A. condition B. position C. competition D. question

Answer: D. question
✔ Short word exception.

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Question 18

A. biology B. geology C. apology D. technology

Answer: All same pattern
✔ -logy rule.

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Question 19

A. photography B. geography C. biography D. automatic

Answer: D. automatic
✔ -atic different pattern.

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Question 20

A. logical B. magical C. medical D. practical

Answer: All same pattern

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🟡 Questions 21–30: -ity, -ify, -ate, -ese, -ee

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Question 21

A. ability B. activity C. reality D. beauty

Answer: D. beauty
✔ No -ity suffix.

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Question 22

A. electricity B. simplicity C. publicity D. city

Answer: D. city

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Question 23

A. clarify B. justify C. identify D. happy

Answer: C. identify

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Question 24

A. satisfy B. beautify C. modify D. city

Answer: D. city

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Question 25

A. Chinese B. Japanese C. Portuguese D. beautiful

Answer: D. beautiful

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Question 26

A. employee B. refugee C. committee D. engineer

Answer: C. committee

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Question 27

A. guarantee B. absentee C. interviewee D. coffee

Answer: D. coffee

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Question 28

A. educate B. calculate C. celebrate D. candidate

Answer: All same pattern

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Question 29

A. motivate B. creative C. native D. relative

Answer: B. creative

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Question 30

A. investigate B. demonstrate C. appreciate D. chocolate

Answer: D. chocolate

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🟢 Questions 31–40: Compound Words & Phrasal Verbs

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Question 31

A. toothpaste B. haircut C. football D. believe

Answer: D. believe

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Question 32

A. greenhouse B. bedroom C. understand D. classroom

Answer: C. understand

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Question 33

A. overflow B. overcome C. overlook D. afternoon

Answer: D. afternoon

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Question 34

A. input B. output C. upset D. upon

Answer: D. upon

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Question 35

A. without B. within C. withdraw D. worldwide

Answer: D. worldwide

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Question 36

A. breakdown B. breakthrough C. makeup D. because

Answer: D. because

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Question 37

A. earthquake B. seaside C. inside D. outside

Answer: C/D inside or outside (prepositions)

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Question 38

A. sunset B. sunrise C. upgrade D. download

Answer: All same pattern

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Question 39

A. homework B. housework C. network D. work hard

Answer: D. work hard

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Question 40

A. birthday B. holiday C. Monday D. today

Answer: D. today

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🔴 Questions 41–50: Mixed Patterns

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Question 41

A. hotel B. comet C. channel D. label

Answer: A. hotel

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Question 42

A. police B. polite C. politics D. pollute

Answer: C. politics

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Question 43

A. machine B. magazine C. marine D. medicine

Answer: D. medicine

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Question 44

A. economy B. economic C. economics D. economist

Answer: B. economic

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Question 45

A. politics B. political C. politician D. police

Answer: D. police

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Question 46

A. photograph B. photographer C. photographic D. photography

Answer: A. photograph

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Question 47

A. democracy B. democratic C. democrat D. demonstrate

Answer: B. democratic

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Question 48

A. excellent B. excited C. exciting D. exercise

Answer: B. excited

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Question 49

A. vegetable B. comfortable C. temperature D. dictionary

Answer: All same pattern

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Question 50

A. biology B. biological C. biologist D. biography

Answer: B. biological

Here are short tricks & strategies to master word stress rules for different word types. Focus on pattern recognition rather than memorizing every word.

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1. Nouns vs. Verbs (Same spelling)

Trick: "Nouns are N-ice (first syllable), Verbs are V-igorous (last/later syllable)"

Noun (stress 1st) Verb (stress 2nd)

REcord reCORD

PREsent preSENT

OBject obJECT

CONduct conDUCT

🔹 Exception: REbel (noun) vs. reBEL (verb) works too.

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2. Suffixes that determine stress

Suffix Stress on Example

-ION, -IAN before -ion teleVIsion, muSIcian

-IC before -ic ecoNOmic, aCAdemic

-ITY before -ity aBILity, creaTIvity

-IVE before -ive deCIsive, atTRACtive

-ICAL before -ical poLItical, matheMAtical

-EE on -ee itself emploYEE, refuGEE

-ESE on -ese JapaNESE, chiNESE

🔹 Trick: "ION, IC, ITY — stress the syllable right before me."

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3. Prefixes (rarely change stress)

Most prefixes do not affect stress — the base word keeps its stress.

Base word With prefix

WRITE reWRITE (stress remains on write)

DO unDO

UNDERstand misUNDERstand

🔹 Trick: "Prefix is a ghost — it doesn’t stress the most."

Only exception: some prefixed nouns vs. verbs (see Rule 1).

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4. Adverbs (usually -ly)

Most -ly adverbs keep the original word’s stress.

· HAPpy → HAPpily

· NOtable → NOtably

· aMUSEd → aMUSEdly

🔹 Trick: "-ly just comes along for the ride."

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5. Compound words

Type Stress rule Example

Noun compounds 1st part GREENhouse, BEDroom

Adjective compounds 2nd part old-FASHioned, bad-TEMpered

Verb compounds 2nd part underSTAND, overFLOW

🔹 Trick: "Compound nouns = first part shouts; compound verbs = second part wins."

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6. Numbers & fractions

Type Stress on

Teens (-teen) -teen (thirTEEN)

Tens (-ty) 1st syllable (THIRty)

🔹 Trick: "teen is queen (strong stress), ty is shy (stress first)"

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7. Quick memory tricks

· 2-syllable verbs: stress last (ex: beGIN)

· 2-syllable nouns: stress first (ex: TAble)

· 3+ syllables: look for suffixes above

· NO stress shift with most prefixes & -ly adverbs

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Final pro tip:

Listen & mark stress with a big circle above the stressed syllable while reading aloud. Your ear learns faster than rules alone.

Want a printable one-page summary of these rules?