Learning English Vocabulary Pronouncing verbs and nouns
Feb 23, 2026
They explore words that share spelling but change stress when used as nouns or verbs. Short listening tasks and real examples like increase, decrease, invite and record are used to show the shift. A quick quiz tests your ear. Practical tips include using online audio and recording yourself to practice stress.
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Stress Shift Between Nouns And Verbs
- Many English words spelled the same change stress depending on noun or verb usage.
- Examples: present (noun) vs present (verb), record (noun) vs record (verb), increase (noun) vs increase (verb).
Lucy On Sam Smith Driving Ticket Demand
- Lucy describes Sam Smith's success and its effect on concert demand as an example.
- She says new recordings will cause an increase in people wanting concert tickets, illustrating noun/verb stress in context.
First Syllable For Nouns Second For Verbs
- Stress placement flips: nouns get first-syllable stress, verbs get second-syllable stress.
- Hosts demonstrate with 'increase' (INcrease noun, inCREASE verb) and playback clips to show the difference.