Trap 15 of 22 · French speakers
Noun or verb? REcord vs reCORD
Nom ou verbe ? REcord / reCORD
What French speakers do
You give these words one pronunciation, usually with the French final stress: re-CORD, pro-JET, con-TRAT — whatever the job.
The American rule
Noun → stress the first syllable (a REcord, a PROject). Verb → stress the second (to reCORD, to proJECT). The unstressed vowel shrinks.
Dozens of English words are spelled the same as a noun and a verb, and only the stress tells them apart:
- a REcord — to reCORD
- a PREsent — to preSENT
- an OBject — to obJECT
- a PROject — to proJECT
The rule of thumb: nouns stress the front, verbs the back. The vowel in the unstressed syllable shrinks, so the two forms sound more different than they look: REK-erd vs rih-KORD.
Each word below is practised in one of its two jobs; the tip gives you the other.
The words
record
/ˈrɛkɚd/
✗Re-KOR
✓REK-erd
The verb is rih-KORD: please record the meeting.
“She broke the world record.”
present
/prɪˈzɛnt/
✗pré-ZAN
✓prih-ZENT
The noun (a gift, or now) is PREZ-unt.
“I'll present the results tomorrow.”
object
/ˈɑbdʒɛkt/
✗ob-JÈ
✓AHB-jekt
The verb (to disagree) is ub-JEKT.
“What is that strange object?”
project
/ˈprɑdʒɛkt/
✗pRo-JÈ
✓PRAH-jekt
The verb is pruh-JEKT.
“This project is due Friday.”
contract
/ˈkɑntrækt/
✗kon-TRA
✓KAHN-trakt
The verb (to shrink) is kun-TRAKT.
“Sign the contract here.”
increase
/ˈɪnkris/
✗an-KRÉZ
✓IN-krees
The verb is in-KREES.
“There was a big increase in prices.”
produce
/prəˈdus/
✗pRo-DÜIZ
✓pruh-DOOS
The noun (fruit and vegetables) is PROH-doos.
“They produce cars in Detroit.”
conflict
/ˈkɑnflɪkt/
✗kon-FLI
✓KAHN-flikt
The verb is kun-FLIKT.
“We want to avoid conflict.”
export
/ˈɛkspɔrt/
✗eks-PÔR
✓EKS-port
The verb is ik-SPORT.
“Wine is a big export.”
progress
/ˈprɑɡrɛs/
✗pRo-GRÈ
✓PRAH-gres
The verb is pruh-GRES.
“You're making great progress.”
permit
/ˈpɝmɪt/
✗pèR-MI
✓PUR-mit
The verb is per-MIT.
“You need a parking permit.”