Contrasting Noun-Verb Stress

Contrasting Noun-Verb Stress

There are certain words in the English language that can be used as either nouns or verbs. Put stress on the first syllable when saying a noun. Put stress on the second syllable when saying a verb.

Caution: This rule does not apply to all words that can be used as either a noun or verb.

Practice pronouncing the words and sentences in this exercise with correct stress patterns. Listen to the audio file as you follow along with the Contrasting Noun-Verb Stress exercises below.

Exercises:

Here are a group of words that have two possible stress patterns depending on whether they are used as a noun or a verb. Listen carefully to the stress patterns. Can you hear the difference? Notice that the nouns have stress on the first syllable and that the verbs have stress on the second or last syllable.

NOUN

VERB

combine
The farmer has a combine for his fields.
combine
She will combine all of the ingredients.
permit
I bought a park permit for ten dollars.
permit
Will you permit me to enter the enclosure?
object
The object is precious to us.
object
Do you object to his decision?
content
What are the contents of the locker?
content
I am content to stay at home tonight.
rebel
The rebel had an important cause.
rebel
I will rebel against the oppressive regime.
progress
What kind of progress can I expect?
progress
The assistance helped Dan to progress quickly.
contest
Sara entered the poster contest.
contest
I think he should contest his father’s will.
present
She will love that present.
present
He will present his business plan to us.
address
What is your current address?
address
Please address me as Mr. Roberts.
desert
The Sahara desert is vast.
desert
Jerry plans to desert the army.
insult
What he said is an insult to me.
insult
Do not insult my intelligence.
contrast
The colour contrast is beautiful.
contrast
Should I contrast red and green in this picture?
entrance
The entrance to the theatre was blocked.
entrance
We were entranced by the performance.
discount
Will you give me a 25% discount?
discount
I promise not to discount your ideas.
conduct
His conduct was admirable in that situation.
conduct
Please conduct yourself with integrity.
record
Do you have a record of your birth?
record
I did not record our conversation.
survey
Karen will send the completed survey back.
survey
The premier came out to survey the damage.
converse
Her ideas are converse to what I thought.
converse
I will converse with you in private.
produce
I buy all of my produce at Superstore.
produce
How much oil does that well produce?
defect
There is a serious defect in his heart.
defect
His family was forced to defect for their safety.
subject
What was your favourite subject in school?
subject
Please do not subject me to that situation again.
project
I have been assigned to the Hibernia Project.
project
What do you project for our future earnings?
convert
She is a convert to healthy eating.
convert
Will you convert to Catholicism?
protest
The protest remained peaceful.
protest
I protest the thought of you joining my practice.
reject
The reject pile was growing larger.
reject
I am forced to reject those controversial ideas.
refuse
The refuse dump is outside of town.
refuse
She will not refuse my kind request.
suspect
The primary suspect was a known criminal.
suspect
Do you think Carl will suspect anything?
conflict
The conflict was resolved easily.
conflict
I think that meeting conflicts with my schedule.
envelope
I addressed the envelope to Mrs. Knight.
envelope
A warm feeling enveloped my body.