There are many words in English that can be used both as nouns and as verbs and the majority sound the same no matter how you use them. When we are talking about certain business topics there are a few words that change their pronunciation depending on whether we are using them as a noun or a verb. For example, I might ask for an increase in my salary - an increase is a noun - or I might ask my boss to increase my salary - to increase is a verb. Similarly, I might want to renew my contract with a supplier or I might prefer to contract a new supplier. If I receive some faulty goods I would normally ask for a refund but the supplier might not want to refund the money I paid. Also, when I enter my office I might see an object on my desk and I might want to object to someone leaving it there.
There are lots of patterns that we can notice and recognise in language learning. Some people like to call them ‘rules’ but as rules are made to be broken I think that patterns is a better description. There is a clear pattern with these examples. The stress or emphasis shifts from the first syllable in the noun to the second syllable in the verb.
The last week of August 2018 is the final opportunity this summer to immerse yourself in a week of personalised Business English Coaching in Palma de Mallorca. There are only 6 places available.
Details: https://www.davies-business-english.com/en/component/jevents/eventdetail/11/45/business-english-week.html?Itemid=1
Reserve your place: