Which feature describes the greater emphasis of some syllables or words over others during speech?

• A. Stress
• B. Rhythm
• C. Intonation
• D. Syllable

Answer: (A)

Stress is the emphasis placed on certain syllables or words in speech, making them louder, longer, or higher in pitch. This prominence helps listeners notice which parts of a word or phrase are most important and can even change meaning or grammatical function in some languages. The description—greater emphasis on some syllables or words—fits stress exactly, because it’s about which parts of the speech stream stand out. Rhythm refers to the overall pattern of strong and weak beats, intonation to the pitch movement across phrases or sentences, and a syllable is simply a unit of sound.