Trap 17 of 22 · French speakers
-ive says IV: active, positive, creative
-ive se dit « iv » : active, positive, creative
What French speakers do
You keep the French ending, long and stressed: ac-TIVE, posi-TIVE (-eev).
The American rule
-ive = a short, weak IV (the short I of ship), never -eev. The stress goes earlier: AK-tiv, PAH-zuh-tiv.
French actif/active, positif, créatif have English twins in -ive. The ending looks the same; it sounds nothing alike:
- French: long -ive (eev), and it carries the stress.
- English: short -iv, unstressed, with the relaxed I of ship.
Active = AK-tiv. Positive = PAH-zuh-tiv. Creative = kree-AY-tiv. Put the weight on the stressed syllable and let the ending almost disappear.
The words
active
/ˈæktɪv/
✗ak-TEEV
✓AK-tiv
“She's very active on social media.”
positive
/ˈpɑzətɪv/
✗po-zi-TEEV
✓PAH-zuh-tiv
“Try to stay positive.”
negative
/ˈnɛɡətɪv/
✗né-ga-TEEV
✓NEG-uh-tiv
“The test was negative.”
creative
/kriˈeɪtɪv/
✗kRé-a-TEEV
✓kree-AY-tiv
“You're so creative!”
expensive
/ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/
✗eks-pan-SEEV
✓ik-SPEN-siv
“This city is expensive.”
effective
/ɪˈfɛktɪv/
✗é-fek-TEEV
✓ih-FEK-tiv
“It's a very effective method.”
native
/ˈneɪtɪv/
✗na-TEEV
✓NAY-tiv
“Are you a native speaker?”
objective
/əbˈdʒɛktɪv/
✗ob-jek-TEEV
✓ub-JEK-tiv
“What's the main objective?”
relative
/ˈrɛlətɪv/
✗Re-la-TEEV
✓REL-uh-tiv
“She's a distant relative.”
sensitive
/ˈsɛnsətɪv/
✗san-si-TEEV
✓SEN-suh-tiv
“My teeth are sensitive to cold.”
alternative
/ɔlˈtɝnətɪv/
✗al-tèR-na-TEEV
✓awl-TUR-nuh-tiv
“Is there an alternative?”