Noun and Verb Pairs

Mastering the American Accent » Noun and Verb Pairs

Noun and Verb Pairs

The following pairs of nouns and verbs are spelled the same but pronounced differently because of changing syllable stress. Make sure you reduce the vowel in the unstressed syllable. First you will hear the noun, and then the verb.

	NOUNS	VERBS
1.	addict	addict
2.	conduct	conduct
3.	conflict	conflict
4.	contest	contest
5.	convert	convert
6.	convict	convict
7.	defect	defect
8.	desert	desert
9.	increase	increase
10.	insult	insult
11.	object	object
12.	present	present
13.	produce	produce
14.	progress	progress
15.	rebel	rebel
16.	record	record
17.	research	research
18.	subject	subject
19.	suspect	suspect

Note: Some of the above words have completely different meanings in the verb and noun forms.

Practice Sentences

Underline the stressed syllables in the verbs and nouns in bold letters. To check your answers, listen to the audio.

The singer wants to record a new record.
The drug addict is addicted to heroin.
He insulted me with a rude insult.
I would like to present all of the present members.
This permit permits you to park your car here.
They protested in the protest.
Do you object to this object?
The convict was convicted again.
I suspect that they caught the suspect.
They are going to contest the results of the contest.

Practice Dialogue

Once again, underline the stressed syllables in the bold words before listening to the audio.

a. Have you heard? The police caught the suspect!
b. Do you mean the one who is suspected of robbing the bank?
a. Yes, I heard that he had a criminal record.
b. Oh really? What crime was he convicted of?
a. He’s a drug addict who has been robbing banks to support his addiction.
b. How many years do you think he will spend in prison?
a. A maximum of ten years. But he might be released early on good conduct.
b. If he conducts himself badly and insults the prison guards, I wonder if his sentence will be increased.
c. I don’t know. I haven’t heard of a prison term increase for insults and bad conduct.

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