How does stress shift from "photograph" to "photography"?
The base noun is PHO-to-graph with first-syllable stress, but adding '-y' shifts the stress to the second syllable: pho-TO-gra-phy, /fəˈtɒɡ.rə.fi/. This is the classic suffix-driven stress shift in English. The '-graphy' ending pulls the main beat to the syllable right before it. The same shift appears in 'geography' and 'biography'. In tech you meet this with documentation styles and imaging tools, so training your ear on this pair builds a reliable instinct for where stress lands.
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Where does stress fall in "economy" versus "economic"?
e-CO-no-my stresses the second syllable, /ɪˈkɒn.ə.mi/, but the adjective e-co-NO-mic moves stress to the third syllable, /ˌiː.kəˈnɒm.ɪk/. The '-ic' suffix consistently pulls primary stress to the syllable immediately before it. You see the same rule in 'photographic' and 'strategic'. For developers discussing the 'economic' cost of an architecture or the token 'economy' of an API, knowing this shift keeps your speech crisp and avoids the flat, equal-beat pronunciation that sounds non-native.
3 / 5
Which ending reliably pulls stress to the syllable right before it?
Suffixes like -ic and -ity are stress-fixing: the primary stress lands on the syllable immediately preceding them. Compare 'photograph' to 'photoGRAPHic', or 'stable' to 'staBILity'. In contrast, '-ing', '-ed', and '-able' are usually stress-neutral and do not move the beat. For tech vocabulary this matters with words like 'compatiBILity', 'scalaBILity', and 'algoRITHmic'. Spotting the suffix tells you where to put the loud beat without memorising each word separately, which is a huge shortcut for speaking confidently.
4 / 5
How is stress placed in "modularity" (from "modular")?
mo-du-LA-ri-ty stresses the syllable before '-ity', giving /ˌmɒdʒ.ʊˈlær.ɪ.ti/. The base adjective 'MO-du-lar' has front stress, but the '-ity' suffix pulls the main beat onto 'LA'. This is the same pattern as 'similar to similarity'. Architects praise the 'moduLArity' of a clean codebase, so this is a high-value word. Remember: whenever '-ity' appears, find the syllable just before it and make that one loud and long while the others reduce.
5 / 5
Where does stress fall in "compatible" versus "compatibility"?
com-PA-ti-ble stresses the second syllable, /kəmˈpæt.ɪ.bəl/, but the noun com-pa-ti-BI-li-ty shifts the loud beat onto the syllable before '-ity', /kəmˌpæt.əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/. This long word trips up many speakers because the stress travels far down the word. Break it into chunks: com-pa-ti-BI-li-ty, with the punch on 'BI'. Backwards compatibility is everywhere in software, so practise this until the rhythm feels automatic and the front syllables stay light and reduced.