Intonation In English: Nouns And Adjectives Are Stressed Differently Than Verbs
by Frank Gerace
Listen and Learn: Nouns and Adjectives one way; Verbs another
Chinese has "tones" but all languages have their own special intonation. The "music" of
a language is its intonation and it is perhaps the most important
element of a correct accent.
A "good" accent is not only a question of good pronunciation. Many people think
that pronunciation is what makes up an accent. It may be that pronunciation
is very important for an understandable accent. But it is intonation
that gives the final touch that makes an accent correct or native.
Often we hear someone speaking with perfect grammar, and perfect formation
of the sounds of English but with a little something that gives her away as
not being a native speaker.
Therefore, it is necessary to realize that there are three components
to an accent, pronunciation, intonation, and linking. In other places we will
examine pronunciation, the proper formation of vowels and consonants, and linking,
the way that syllables within a word, and the beginning and ending of words
come together.
But what interests us now is the issue of intonation, and in particular the
difference in intonation of nouns and adjusctives on the one hand, and the
intonation of verbs on the other. A review of this gives us a perfect example
of how meaning affects intonation.
Noun/Adjective and Verb
In other articles, we saw: that verbs of two syllables often have the stress
on the second syllable, while the related noun has the stress on the first
syllable. We also saw that expressiones of two words are stressed differently
according to their meaning.
This article, along with the others, is an example of the effect that meaning
has on intonation in English. Many native speakers do not realize that the "rule" of
this section is pretty rigorous. To know it can help you in building your vocabulary
at the same time that you perfect your intonation. Even native speakers can
profit from being more precise in the intonation of their English.
This is another intonation pattern that you must master. Verbs ending
in the letters "ate" pronounce the letter "a" of the last syllable with the "long
a" sound (the name of the letter "a", the sound of the words steak and make).
Related nouns or adjectives pronounce the
letter "a" of the last syllable with the indefinite schwa sound (the sound
of the "a" of the word about, or the second "e" in the word elephant)
For each word, indicate that you know the difference between the two uses of
the same word (by "same" we mean having the same spelling.)
First, give a brief meaning of the word used as noun or adjective and put the
letter "I" to indicate that the final letter "a" is the indefinite sound of
the "a" in about.
Next, give a brief meaning of the word used as a verb and put the letter "A" to
indicate that the final letter "a" is the sound of the "long a" of the word make.
I start the exercise with two examples, the words alternate and appropriate.
I have indicated the stress with CAPITAL LETTERS. You underline the syllable
that is stressed, and write a brief explanation to indicate that you understand
the difference. You do the rest of the table. And make sure you pronounce the
words OUT LOUD.
Alternate I
Noun: A substitute
Alternate A
Verb: To take turns.
Appropriate I
Adjective: correct or suitable
Appropriate A
Verb: To take over.
Now, you do the rest of the table, underlinging the accented syllable and defining the word to emphasize your understanding that the accent goes with the meaning.
approximate, to approximate
articulate, to articulate
associate, to associate
deliberate, to deliberate
duplicate, to duplicate
laminate, to laminate
graduate, to graduate
intimate, to intimate
moderate, to moderate
predicate, to predicate
precipitate, to precipitate
Practice on the following sentences that contain some of the words of the list used buth as noun or adjective, and as verb. Underline the accent and read the sentences out loud
The facilitator wanted to separate the general topic into separate categories
Would you care to elaborate on his elaborate explanation?
Have you heard that your associate is known to associate with gangsters?
How much do you estimate that the estimate will be?
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About the Author:
Frank Gerace Ph.D has worked in Latin America in UN and national Educational and Communication Projects, and has taught in Bolivian and Peruvian Universities. He currently teaches English in New York City at La Guardia College/CUNY. He provides resources on accent reduction and the proper American English accent at http://www.GoodAccent.com.