Pronouncing verbs and nouns (Easy)

Vocabulary points to take away:

a decrease (noun): amount by which something becomes smaller in size or number
The rise in tuition fees has led to a DEcrease in the number of students applying to our
courses.

to decrease (verb): make the amount or number of something smaller
We hope that by introducing trams, we can deCREASE the level of pollution in the city
centre.

an increase (noun): amount by which something becomes bigger in size or number
There has been a big INcrease in the number of young unemployed people in many
European countries in the last few years

increase (verb): make the amount or number of something bigger
After putting the rice in the water, inCREASE the temperature until the water starts to boil.

an invite (noun): invitation, written or spoken, to go somewhere
I’m sorry I can’t come for a drink with you tomorrow night, but thanks for the INvite
anyway!

invite (verb): ask someone to go somewhere
How many people did you inVITE for dinner? We’ve only got six chairs!

a present (noun): something you give to someone on a special occasion like a birthday or
wedding
My best PREsent was my new mobile. I couldn’t believe it when I unwrapped it!

present (verb): show, give or introduce
The Queen is going to preSENT the medals to the winners.

a record (noun): the best ever done, often in sport; music or song you can buy on a CD
or download
The Guinness Book of Records has some fascinating REcords, like how far a dog can ride a
scooter!
record (verb): store sounds, music or information so they can be used later
A good way to practise speaking English is to reCORD your voice on your phone and listen
to yourself.

Lắng nghe và điền vào chỗ trống:

Cloze Test

CLOZE TEST

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Catherine

Neil

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Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Vocabulary. Im Catherine…

Neil

And Im Neil. Oh… Catherine.

Catherine

Yeah.

Neil

A ?

Catherine

Yes.

Neil

How kind. Its not even my birthday.

Catherine

I know, Neil. But every days a present in Learning English. Actually, I bought it because

the word present is a key word for the topic were to present in this programme…

Neil

Ah… PREsent and preSENT. They are spelt same way but we say them .

Catherine

Thats right, because today were talking about words that are spelt the same, but

pronounced differently, depending on were using them as nouns or verbs.

Neil

Like PREsent and preSENT. So the present you gave me is noun.

Catherine

Thats right. And were presenting 6 Minute Vocabulary � present here is a verb.

Neil

Well be you more examples…

Catherine

And well have a quiz, so listen carefully …*%��

Neil

And well also bring you top tip for learning vocabulary. And Ive got an invite for

Catherine to my party…

Catherine

And its not your birthday.

Neil

Its my birthday every day.

Catherine

OK. Ill come to your party then.

Neil

Well, more that invite later…

Catherine

But first, lets hear Lucy talking about Sam Smith, her favourite singer. Neil: Sam Smith.

you a fan?

Neil

I wouldnt say Im a fan, but Im aware of his work.

Catherine

Oh good.

Anyway, heres Lucy. And she is a big Sam Smith fan. Think about this question while you

listen: Will number of people who want to go to his concerts go up, or down?

INSERT

Lucy

I really want go to a Sam Smith concert but the tickets have already sold out. Sometimes

when that happens, they increase number of concert dates. I want to hear him sing

Stay with me � it won ‘Record of the ’ at the Grammys. I hope hell record some new

songs soon. But that will mean an increase in people concert tickets.

Catherine

So we asked you: Will the number of people who want to go to Sam concerts go up,

or will it go down?

Neil

And the answer is: it will go up. Lucy says will be an increase in people wanting

concert tickets.

Catherine

Yes, and increase here is a noun, so the is on the first syllable: INcrease. But Lucy

also used the same word as a verb. Listen to this . Where does the stress fall this time?

INSERT CLIP 1

Sometimes when that happens, they increase the number of dates.

Neil

This time, the stress falls on the second syllable � inCREASE, because Lucys using the

word as verb.

Catherine

Other nouns and verbs with the same spelling move the stress from the first to second

syllable the same way - like the noun DEcrease…

Neil

…which becomes deCREASE, when its a verb.

Catherine

…and there , of course Neil, the INvite you gave me to your party…

Neil

Yes, INvite here is a noun with stress on the first syllable. But if I say to Catherine, I

want to inVITE you to my party Saturday, inVITE is a verb, with the stress falling on

the second syllable… Dont worry Catherine � I havent …

Catherine

Nor have I, Neil! Looking forward to it. And heres another clip from Lucy. Listen out for

another she uses as a noun and a verb with different stress patterns.

INSERT CLIP 1

I want to hear sing Stay with me � it won ‘REcord of the Year’ at the Grammys. I hope

hell reCORD some songs soon.

Neil

We had REcord and reCORD. REcord is the noun, so the stress is on the first .

Catherine

…And reCORD is the verb, so the stress is on the second syllable.

IDENT

6 Minute Vocabulary, from Learning English.

Neil

Were talking about nouns and verbs that are spelt the same but pronounced differently,

like a and to reCORD.

Catherine

And we stress the first syllable when the word is a noun, and the second when the

word is a verb.

Neil

And now, its time for a quiz, so get ready! Which is correct way to say the missing

word in these sentences? Number one: Michael Phelps has the [sfx: beep] for most

Olympic gold medals. Is it a) reCORD or b) REcord?

Catherine

Its REcord because its a noun.

Neil

done if you got that right. Number two: We hope that sales will [sfx: beep] this month.

Is it ) INcrease or b) InCREASE?

Catherine

And the answer is b) InCREASE because its a verb.

Neil

And finally, number : I need to buy a [sfx: beep] for my friends. Theyre getting

married tomorrow. Is it a) PREsent or ) preSENT?

Catherine

Its a) PREsent because its a noun.

Neil

And thats the end of the quiz � well if you got them right.

Catherine

And its almost the end of the programme.

Neil

But before we go, todays top tip for learning vocabulary: when you look up a word in an online dictionary, listen to the and try to copy the word stress. If possible,

record yourself saying the word, then compare your pronunciation with audio from the

dictionary.

Catherine

Theres more about this at bbclearningenglishcom.. Join us again for more 6 Minute

Vocabulary.

Bye!

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