Watch the video and complete the activity here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/english-you-need/unit-29/session-3 How do you say 'renovation'? There are four syllables: re-no-va-tion The stress is on the third syllable: re-no-VA-tion The final syllable 'tion' is pronounced /ʃ(ə)n/ In phonemic script, the word is written like this: /ˌrenəˈveiʃ(ə)n/ London's Big Ben has fallen silent for major repair work expected to last until 2021.The decision to switch it off during the renovation to protect workers' hearing has sparked a debate about the length of time it will be silent, with MPs not being told it would be four years, the longest period in its history. 'Renovation' means repairing and improving something old to make it look new again.