Pronunciation
Noun and verb pairs
Some English words are spelled the same, but the stress tells you if the word is a noun or a verb.
The rule
- Noun → stress on the first syllable: a RE·cord
- Verb → stress on the second syllable: to re·CORD
An easy way to remember: Noun comes first in the alphabet, so the noun has stress first.
| Word | Noun | Verb |
|---|---|---|
| present | PRE·sent (a gift) | pre·SENT (to show to a group) |
| record | RE·cord (saved information) | re·CORD (to save sound or video) |
| project | PRO·ject (a plan of work) | pro·JECT (to guess a future number) |
| increase | IN·crease (a rise) | in·CREASE (to go up) |
| object | OB·ject (a thing) | ob·JECT (to say you don't agree) |
| permit | PER·mit (an official paper) | per·MIT (to allow) |
Listen for small words
The words around it help too. After a, the or my, it is usually a noun: my PRO·ject. After to, I, we or they, it is usually a verb: I will pre·SENT.
Present (noun: PRE·sent)
A gift that you give to someone. Stress: PRE·sent.
My sister gave me a present for my birthday.
Present (verb: pre·SENT)
To show or explain something to a group of people. Stress: pre·SENT.
I will present my app to the team on Friday.
Record (noun: RE·cord)
Information that is saved so you can look at it later. Stress: RE·cord.
The database keeps a record of every order.
Record (verb: re·CORD)
To save sound, video or information. Stress: re·CORD.
I record a short video for my blog every week.
Project (noun: PRO·ject)
A piece of planned work. Stress: PRO·ject.
My new project is an English vocabulary website.
Increase (verb: in·CREASE)
To become bigger in number or amount. Stress: in·CREASE.
Our website visitors increase every month.