Here is Audio Word Study #016 from DailyStep English at DailyStep.com.
In this week’s audio blog about Austerity Britain (see below), there are some words that have the same spelling but a different pronunciation. For example:
1. a) …the Lib Dems have voted in favour of the fee increases.
b) The new government plans would increase the maximum amount of tuition fees to £9,000…
2. a) It started as a student protest against rising tuition fees…
b) The students organised a march to protest against these changes
Why are these words pronounced differently? It is because we are using the same word as both a noun and a verb. .
In sentence (a) of each example above, the word is a noun. These nouns are increase and protest. .
In sentence (b) of each sentence above, the word is a verb. These verbs are increase and protest..
We have a rule in English about this:
.
If a noun or an adjective has 2 syllables, the word stress is usually on the first syllable
If a verb has 2 syllables, the word stress is usually on the second syllable.
.
Let’s look at some other examples.
1. You will progress a lot with your English if you follow this rule.(verb)
You will make a lot of progress with your English if you follow this rule. (noun)
2. There has been a decrease in the number of visitors to the museum. (noun)
The number of visitors to the museum has decreased. (verb)
3. He rejected the plan.
This bowl was a reject, so I bought it at half price. (note: the noun ‘a reject’ means ‘something that was rejected due to deficiency’)
4. Steel is one of Britain’s main exports. (noun)
Britain exports a lot of steel (verb)
5. Britain imports a lot of food during the winter. (verb)
Food is a major import for Britain during the winter. (noun)
6. Everyone was present at the meeting. (adjective)
He gave me a birthday present. (noun)
I will present my ideas to the company tomorrow in a presentation.(verb)
But be careful, because sometimes the meaning of the noun and verb is different!
1. He refused to sign the document.
There is a refuse collection every Monday in the street where I live. (note: the noun ‘refuse’ means ‘rubbish’).
2. He produces films. He is a film producer.
That shop sells fruit and other produce. (note: the noun ‘produce’ means ‘food or goods that are grown through farming’)
3. This car has a defect. It does not work properly. (note: the noun ‘defect’ means ‘fault’)
Rudolf Nureyev, the famous Russian ballerina, defected from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961. (note: the verb ‘defect’ means ‘to leave a country, political party, etc., especially in order to join an opposing one’.)
(note: I'm afraid I made a mistake. Rudolf Nureyev was a ballet dancer, not a ballerina. Ballerinas are always female. Thank you Zoya for pointing that out!)
Of course, there are exceptions to the rule about word stress in 2-syllable nouns and verbs. Some words have the same word stress for both the noun and the verb. Examples of these are:
1. I answered the telephone. (verb)
I will give you my answer tomorrow. (noun)
2. I can just picture you as a politician. (verb)
I like that picture. (noun)
3. He travels a lot. (verb)
He told me all about his travels in Asia. (noun)
