Write the following sentences on the board and see if your students can correctly pronounce the word “conduct” in each sentence.
1. My conduct is always professional.
2. I conduct myself in a professional manner.
Tell your students that one tricky thing about English is that some words change pronunciation depending on whether we are using them as a noun or a verb.
In sentence 1, “conduct” is used as a noun. The stress is placed on the first syllable (CONduct).
In sentence 2, “conduct” is used as a verb. The stress is placed on the second syllable (conDUCT).
Provide your students with the chart below which lists some words that change pronunciation depending on whether they are a verb or a noun. English pronunciation, of course, varies geographically. The chart was designed to include common examples in American English.
| Noun | Verb |
|---|---|
| CONduct | conDUCT |
| ATTribute | attrIBute |
| COMbat | comBAT |
| CONflict | conFLICT |
| CONtest | conTEST |
| CONtract | conTRACT |
| DEcrease | deCREASE |
| EScort | esCORT |
| IMpact | imPACT |
| INcrease | inCREASE |
| INsult | inSULT |
| OBject | obJECT |
| PERmit | perMIT |
| PREsent | preSENT |
| PROceed | proCEED |
| PROgress | proGRESS |
| PROject | proJECT |
| REbel | reBEL |
| REfill | reFILL |
| REfund | reFUND |
| REject | reJECT |
| REpeat | rePEAT |
| SUBject | subJECT |
| SUSpect | susPECT |
Drill the pronunciation of the words both as a class and individually. Point out the pattern — the stress goes on the first syllable if it is a noun and the second syllable if it is a verb.