Easily Confused Verbs and Nouns
Hello, guys!
I've decided to tell you about some special words which can be both nouns and verbs at the same time. Do you know any such words?
I suspect that you already know some of these words… Hey, wait! 'Suspect' is one of them, actually! In this sentence –
I suspect that you know them.
– what part of speech is 'suspect'? Yes, it's a verb. So when 'suspect' is a verb, we say: susPECT. So which syllable do we stress? Yep, the second one. 'To suspect' means to believe something.
I suspect that you know this.
(= I believe that you know this.)
Also, we can suspect someone. In that case, we believe this person to be guilty. And the person we suspect is called… the suspect! Which syllable do we stress here? That's right, the first. And in this example a 'suspect' is … a verb or a noun? Yay! A noun!
So, the verb is 'to susPECT'. And the noun is 'SUSpect'. Good job!
Have you ever suspected anyone? Who was the suspect?
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Let me give you some advice. Learn these words! Don't confuse them.
'Advice', is it a noun or a verb? In our case, it's a noun. I gave you advice. How do we spell advice? That's right. A-D-V-I-C-E. With a C, it's a noun.
When we give advice to someone, we advise them. And in this case, 'to advise' is a verb. How do we spell it? It's not spelled like the noun. A-D-V-I-S-E. So here we have an -S- instead of -C-. With an -S- it's a verb.
Have you ever given advice to anyone? What did you advise that person to do?
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I have a new flatmate now. I haven't known her for a long time, so I hope we won't conflict with each other.
What does 'conFLICT' mean? It means fight, argue.
Is 'conFLICT' a noun or a verb here? Yay! It's a verb! So when we stress the second syllable it's a verb.
What will happen if we stress the first syllable? Sure! The verb will become a noun. 'CONflict' is a noun. What does it mean? It means a fight, an argument.
I hope I'll never have a conflict with my flatmate.
Have you ever conflicted with a close friend? What was the conflict about?
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After I finish writing this podcast, I'll reCORD it. Then I'll upload the REcord onto enpodcast.com, so you can listen to it.
Which is a noun? 'REcord' or 'reCORD'? Yes! 'REcord' is a noun. It's the digital file that you get when you reCORD a song or speech. 'To reCORD' is a verb. It means to talk or sing into a microphone and save the speech on your computer.
Have you ever reCORDed anything? Do you still have the REcord?
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When I went to the seaside, one of the beaches was super well-guarded, and only those who had a PERmit were perMITted to go there.
What's a 'PERmit'? It's a piece of paper that tells that you are allowed to do something, for example to go to that beach.
'To perMIT' means to let, to allow someone to do something.
So how do we say the verb? To perMIT. That's right. Stress the second syllable!
And if we stress the first syllable, we have 'PERmit', which is a noun! Great!
Do you have any kind of permit with you right now?
When you were a child, what did your parents never permit you to do?
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I heard that Hollywood is planning to remake a lot of old movies. Do you think you'll like the remakes?
So is 'reMAKE' a noun or a verb? Great, it's a verb! And 'REmake' is a noun. 'To remake' means to do something again, to make something new which looks like the old version. And the 'remake' is what you get when you remake something.
Have you seen any REmakes of old films?
Do you think it's a good idea to reMAKE films which were successful in the past?
So, in general, with these confusing verbs and nouns, when we stress the first syllable it's a noun. Suspect, remake, conflict and so on.
When we stress the second syllable it's a verb: perMIT, reMAKE, susPECT and so on.
So, now you know some confusing verbs and nouns and I hope that you won't confuse them any more!
Good luck!
