Some words in the English language are heteronyms which mean that they are spelled the same but pronounced differently depending on whether or not the word is used as a noun or a verb in a sentence.  They are not to be confused with homonyms which are words that are spelled the same and pronounced the same but have different meanings.  For example, the word “change”  pronounced exactly the same, can have multiple meanings: I have change in my pocket. Vs. I will change my voicemail.

With heteronyms, when the word is a noun, the first syllable is stressed and if the word is a verb, the second syllable is stressed.  They have different meanings based on where the stress is placed.  Here are some examples. First divide the words into syllables and then practice saying the words with first syllable stress and then, second syllable stress.  Then use them correctly in a sentence depending on their meaning.  Remember to lengthen the vowel in the stressed syllable.  Listen to these examples:

Address
She has a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania address.
Please address the envelop correctly.

Affect
Her affect was flat.
A cut in pay will affect his lifestyle.

Combine
The combine was blocking the road.
Let’s combine our ideas and make a new product.

See if you can find some more examples and practice them until you can produce them easily. 

Would you like to learn more about stress in syllables and words?  Join our online Stressing Out membership class and learn about this in more detail so that you become an expert at correctly stressing words!