Read aloud the given words with the correct syllable stress according to the part of speech given in the brackets. PROduce (noun) proDUCE (verb) conTRACT (verb) CONtract (noun) PROJECT (noun) proJECT (verb) conTENT (verb) CONtent (noun) REFuse (noun) reFUSE (verb)
Some words change their stress pattern depending on whether they are used as nouns or verbs. Generally, nouns have stress on the first syllable while verbs have stress on the second syllable. This pronunciation rule helps distinguish meaning in spoken English.
PROduce (noun) - stress on first syllable, meaning agricultural products. proDUCE (verb) - stress on second syllable, meaning to make or create.
conTRACT (verb) - stress on second syllable, meaning to shrink or decrease. CONtract (noun) - stress on first syllable, meaning a legal agreement.
PROJECT (noun) - stress on first syllable, meaning a planned piece of work. proJECT (verb) - stress on second syllable, meaning to throw or display.
conTENT (verb) - stress on second syllable, meaning to satisfy. CONtent (noun) - stress on first syllable, meaning what is contained in something.
REFuse (noun) - stress on first syllable, meaning waste or garbage. reFUSE (verb) - stress on second syllable, meaning to decline or reject.
Explanation
The chapter explains that some words change their stress pattern depending on whether they are used as nouns or verbs. Generally, nouns have stress on the first syllable while verbs have stress on the second syllable. This pronunciation rule helps distinguish meaning in spoken English.
Solution Steps
Some words change their stress pattern depending on whether they are used as nouns or verbs
Nouns generally have stress on the first syllable
Verbs generally have stress on the second syllable
This pronunciation rule helps distinguish meaning in spoken English
Example pairs: PROduce/proDUCE, CONtract/conTRACT, PROJECT/proJECT, CONtent/conTENT, REFuse/reFUSE