Noun and verb form of the same word

Many English words have a verb form and a noun form. This can be confusing. The verb form and the noun form are sometimes pronounced differently, which can be even more confusing!
I wrote this blog post to help ESL students use these words with confidence.

Verb or Noun? – Grammar

Let’s start by answering a basic question.  What’s the difference between a noun and a verb?
A noun is a person, place, or thing.
A verb expresses an action or existence.
“A dog is running in the park.” – A DOG (thing) is running (action) in the PARK (place).

A basic English sentence will have this pattern. Subject – Verb – Object. The subject and object in a sentence will be nouns. DOG (Subject) is running (Verb) in the PARK (Object).

How can I tell a noun from a verb?

The sentence example above is very basic. Natural English sentences will use clauses and conjunctions to tell longer stories in a single sentence. Here is a simple way to tell if a word is a noun or a verb in a longer sentence.
Nouns often follow an article (a, an, the) or the possessive form of a noun or pronoun. (my, his/her, its, John’s, etc.)
Verbs will follow a subject and be conjugated (changed into past, present, future, continuous tense, etc.)

Noun – Happy birthday! I bought you a present.
The noun present follows the article a.
Verb – They will present their findings tomorrow at the meeting.
The verb present follows a subject – “They” – and is conjugated in the future tense. – “will present“

If you know the correct form, you can use the correct pronunciation.

Are all verb and noun pairs pronounced differently?

One-syllable Verb and Noun pairs

Many noun and verb pairs have only one syllable so there is no change in word stress between the verb and the noun. They all sound the same with a few exceptions. (You can find the exceptions in the one-syllable verb and noun list at the bottom of this post.)

Example:

list
noun – a series of names, items, figures, etc., especially when they are written or printed
“I wrote a shopping list this morning.”
verb – to write a list of things in a particular order
“I listed everything I need for my trip.”

Two-syllable Verb and Noun pairs

When noun and verb pairs are two syllables we pronounce them correctly by focusing on the syllable stress. English 2-syllable nouns will put stress on the first syllable. CONduct.
2-syllable verbs will put stress on the second syllable. conDUCT.

Example:

conduct
noun – CONduct – a person’s behavior in a particular place or in a particular situation
“Our school has a strict code of conduct.”
verb – conDUCT – to organize and/or do a particular activity 
“My university will conduct a survey on Friday.”

Three-syllable Verb and Noun pairs

There are a few cases where the verb and noun pair is three syllables and ends with the letters -ATE. For these examples, the sound of the last letters will change, not the stress. The stress will still be on the third syllable.

Example:

associate 
noun – asso-she-IT ~ a person that you work with, do business with, or spend a lot of time with
“Peter is a business associate of my father.” (asso-she-IT)
verb – to spend time with someone, especially a person or people that someone else does not approve of
“I try not to associate with angry or negative people.” (asso-she-ATE)

Associate audio below ↓

In this post, I will also give you 36 noun/verb pair examples with over 70 natural example sentences. Each example sentence has audio to improve your English listening skills and pronunciation. You can quickly start using the correct word stress with noun/verb pairs.

Noun and Verb Pair Vocabulary LIST

Verb and noun pairs examples with AUDIO

associate N V 

Noun – Peter is a business associate of my father. [asso・SHE・IT] Peter works with my dad.

Verb – ①I try not to associate with angry or negative people. [asso・SHE・ATE] I don’t like to spend time with negative people.

Verb – ② I like to associate new grammar with my own real experiences, it makes the grammar easier to remember. [asso・SHE・ATE] I connect new grammar to a real experience in my mind.

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compound N V

Noun – They are building a large prison compound in my hometown. [COMpound] They are building a complex that will be surrounded by a wall.

Verb – Cutting the budget will not solve anything. Budget cuts will only compound our problems. [comPOUND] Reducing the budget will make things worse.

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conduct N V

Noun – Our school has a strict code of conduct. [CONduct] We are told how to behave when we are at school.

Verb – My university will conduct a survey on Friday. [conDUCT] My university will organize a survey and ask the students some questions.

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conflict N V

Noun – Sadly there are many conflicts in the world right now. [CONflict] Many places are having strong disagreements.

Verb – My experiences in Japan conflict with some of the stories I was told before I came. [conFLICT] The stories I was told are the opposite of my experience.
(I was told is the passive voice – learn this grammar HERE)

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contest N V

Noun – I entered a break dancing contest when I was 12.  [CONtest] I entered a break dancing competition when I was 12.

Verb – After Donald passed away his youngest son contested his will. [conTEST] Donald’s youngest son opposed the will because he felt it was wrong.

contract N V

Noun – I just signed a new 3-year contract with the high school where I teach English. [CONtract] I have an official 3-year agreement to work at the school.

Verb – The company was contracted to build a new 50,000-seat stadium. [conTRACT] The company has made an official agreement to build a stadium.

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contrast N V

Noun – There is a big contrast between the customer service in Japan and the service I receive in Canada. [CONtrast] There is a big difference between the customer service at stores in these 2 countries.

Verb – I like to contrast American movies with Japanese movies. The style and pace are quite different. [conTRAST] I like to compare the 2 movie styles and show how they are different.

decrease N V

Noun – There was a decrease in school applications last year. [DEcrease] The number of applications was reduced.

Verb – The number of students at my school decreased last year. [deCREASE] The student population became smaller.

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delegate  N V

Noun – The meeting was attended by delegates from over 100 countries. [del・ah・GIT] People who were chosen to represent their countries attended the meeting.

Verb – I’m so busy at work. I think I will delegate some tasks to my assistant. [del・ah・GATE] I will give part of my work to my assistant.

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desert N V

Noun – If you travel in the desert you should bring lots of water. [DEzert] If you travel in a dry area with little water, you should bring your own.

(Be careful of the noun dessert. It is spelled with two ‘S’s.)
– I think I’ll have cheesecake for dessert.
Dessert vs Desert – Pronounce these words CORRECTLY(Audio)

Verb – I was left in the mall by myself. My friends deserted me. [deZERT] My friends left me by myself in the mall.

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detail N V

Noun – Édouard Manet’s paintings are beautiful, he pays attention to every detail. [DEtail] Manet pays attention to even the small points or features in his paintings.

Verb – This brochure details all the features of the car. [deTAIL] This brochure gives a list of facts and information about this car.

discount N V

Noun – If I buy one jacket I can get a 30% discount on a second jacket. [DIScount] If I buy 2 jackets there will be a 30% price reduction on the second one.

Verb – Stores usually discount their clothes at the end of the season. [disCOUNT] They take some money off the usual price.

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escort N V

Noun – When leaders travel to other countries they often have police escorts. [EScort] World leaders have local police travel with them to protect them.

Verb – It’s getting dark, please let me escort you home. [esCORT] Let me take you home so you are not alone, to make sure you are safe.

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export N V

Noun – Lumber is one of Canada’s main exports. [EXport] Lumber is one of the main goods that it sells to other countries.

Verb – Canada exports lots of lumber and oil to the United States. [exPORT] Canada sells some of its resources to America. 

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impact N V

Noun – Many people are climbing Mt. Everest and this has had a serious impact on the environment of Nepal. [IMpact] Many tourists come to climb the mountain. This has had a powerful effect on the environment.

Verb – The value of the Canadian dollar impacts businesses that export goods. [imPACT] The value of the Canadian dollar affects companies that sell goods to other countries.

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import N V

Noun – This store sells lots of exotic furniture and other imports from overseas. [IMport] The store sells furniture and other things that came from other countries.

Verb – I was surprised to learn that America imports more than half of its oil from Canada! [imPORT] More than half of The United States’ oil is brought in from Canada.

increase N V

Noun – There has been an increase in blood donations at the clinic. People want to help after the hurricane. [INcrease] There was a rise in the number of people who donated blood after the hurricane.

Verb – I really want to find a girlfriend. If I get out more and try new things I will increase my chances of meeting a nice girl. [inCREASE] If I go out and meet more people the chance that I will meet a nice girl becomes greater.

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insert N V

Noun – I bought some inserts for my shoes. They’re soft and make it easier to walk. [INsert] I bought a thin cushion to put inside my shoes.

Verb – I inserted $2.00 in the vending machine but it didn’t give me my drink! [inSERT] I put $2.00 into the money slot of the vending machine but I didn’t get a drink.

insult N V

Noun – Mike said my suit looks cheap. That’s an insult! [INsult] Mike made a remark that was trying to offend me.

Verb – Mike insulted my suit this morning. What a jerk. [inSULT] Mike’s comment about my suit offended me.

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invite N V

Noun – I didn’t get an invite to Craig’s party. Maybe he is mad at me. [INvite] I didn’t get a spoken or written request to come to Craig’s party.

Verb – Craig invited many people to his party. But not me. [inVITE] Craig asked many people to come to his party, but he didn’t ask me.

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misprint N V

Noun – The ad in the newspaper says the shoes are $1000.00, but I think it’s a misprint. [MISprint] There is a mistake in the (printed) advertisement.

Verb – The printing company misprinted the ad. [misPRINT] Th company printed the ad incorrectly.

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object N V ~ there are 4 uses of the NOUN object. Click the N to see them all!

Noun – A basic English sentence has a subject, a verb, and an object. [OBject] One use for the noun object is the thing in a sentence (also a noun) that is affected by the verb of the sentence.

Verb – I object to your question, it’s not relevant to the discussion. [obJECT] I disagree with your question, it is not related to what we are talking about.

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permit N V

Noun – You can’t camp here without a permit from the park. [PERmit] You need an official document to be allowed to camp here.

Verb – The park rangers don’t permit fires here. [perMIT] Fires are not allowed in the forest.

present N V

Noun – Happy birthday! I bought you a present! [PREsent] I bought a gift for you.

Verb – They will present their findings tomorrow at the meeting. [preSENT] The company will show us what they found for us to consider.

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produce N V

Noun – It’s better to buy local produce. Imported produce is not as fresh. [PROduce] It is better to buy fruits and vegetables grown on farms close to where you live.

Verb – Our goal is to produce more solar batteries than any other company in the area. [proDUCE] Our goal is to make more solar batteries than anyone else in the area.

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project N V

Noun – I’m working on a project for school. It’s about renewable energy. [PROject] I am making a piece of work involving the careful study of renewable energy.

Verb – Unemployment is projected to fall next year. That’s good news. [proJECT] The number of unemployed people is expected to drop next year.

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protest N V

Noun – There was a large protest in front of the government office. [PROtest] People gathered in a group to express their strong disagreement with the government.

Verb – My class protested loudly when the teacher gave us 6 pages of summer homework. [proTEST] My class told the teacher that they don’t like the summer homework that he gave us.

rebel N V

Noun – James Dean was a popular actor in the 1950s. He had the image of a rebel. [REbel] The characters he played didn’t like rules or authority.

Verb – Teenagers often rebel against their parents. [reBEL] Teenagers often fight against their parents’ rules.

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refund N V

Noun – The rain shoes I bought leaked! I took them back to the store and demanded a refund. [REfund] I strongly asked for the money back that I paid for the rain shoes. I brought the leaky shoes back to the store.

Verb – The store apologized and refunded my money. [reFUND] The store returned the money I paid for the rain shoes.

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reject N V

Noun – The rain shoes were rejects and shouldn’t have been at the store. [REject] The shoes couldn’t be used and should not have been sold.

Verb – My idea for the new school mascot was rejected by the students. [reJECT] My idea was not accepted.

subject N V

Noun – A basic English sentence has a subject, a verb, and an object. [SUBject] In English grammar a subject is a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun representing the person or thing that performs the action of the verb, about which something is stated, or, in a passive sentence, that is affected by the action of the verb. 

Verb – At karaoke last night I subjected everyone to my terrible singing. [subJECT] People were forced to listen to my terrible singing.

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survey N V

Noun – My university will conduct a survey on Friday. They want to know how most students get to school. [SURvey] They did an investigation of how students get to school by asking questions.

Verb – The government surveyed the land so they could make a map of the area. [surVEY] The government looked at the land carefully to get an impression of it.

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update N V

Noun – Will it rain tomorrow? I’ll check the weather app on my smartphone for an update. [UPdate] I will check my weather app for the most recent information about the weather.

Verb – I have to update the software on my smartphone. I hope it makes my phone faster. [upDATE] I have to make my software more modern by getting the newest version.

upgrade N V

Noun – On my flight to Canada I was given an upgrade to first-class. [UPgrade] I was given a seat of better quality.

Verb –  The airline upgraded me to first-class, [upGRADE] The airline moved me to a better seat.

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upset N V

Noun – No one thought we would win the game because the other team was too strong, but we beat them easily. It was a total upset! [UPset] We beat the team that was expected to beat us.

Verb – Brenda has been crying all morning. I think something upset her. [upSET] Something happened to Brenda to make her unhappy.

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One-syllable Verb and Noun pairs – List

One-syllable words rarely change sounds between the verb and noun forms, but there are a few exceptions. Below is a list of 150 common one-syllable Verb and Noun pairs, 4 word pairs with different pronunciation, and 23 uncommon word pairs that you probably didn’t know.

• The noun and verb forms are often related in meaning. *For example ACHE and JUICE.
• There are some examples where the meaning is totally different. The only thing that is the same is the spelling. *For example BOWL and FLY.

This is not a complete list, there are many one-syllable verb and noun pairs. I tried to include the most common words in this list with a verb and a noun form. 

Thanks to https://www.linguasorb.com/ for help making this list.

Four one-syllable Verb and Noun pairs with different pronunciations

use N V

Noun – In Tokyo, I have no use for a car. The public transportation is awesome. [YOU•S] For me a car has no purpose in Tokyo. I don’t need one because public transportation is very convenient.

Verb – If I need a car I can use my friend Kentaro’s, he said I can borrow it anytime. [YUUZ] I can do something {in this case DRIVE my friend Kentaro’s car} anytime. (Learn how to use the verbs LEND and BORROW HERE)

house N V

Noun – I just bought a new house. [HAUS] I just bought a new building to live in.

Verb – People whose homes were flooded were temporarily housed in community centers. [HOWZ] People whose homes were affected by the flood were given a place to live.

lead N V

Noun – Exposure to lead can make you sick. [LED] Lead is a chemical element and a heavy grey metal.

Verb – We hired a tour guide to lead us around Singapore. [LEED] A tour guide showed us around Singapore.

wind N V

Noun – The wind was strong today. It was perfect for sailing. [WIN・D] The air was moving quickly today.

Verb – I have to wind my watch all the time. It’s a pain. [WINE・D] I have to turn the small gear on the side of my watch to make it work.

Noun and Verb pair 14-page PDF E-guide

Download your printable PDF E-guide below. (It’s FREE!)↓

Find more helpful blog posts below.

• How to use Adjectives as Nouns (20 examples, PDF + video)January 30, 2023
• What Are Possessive Nouns? (43 Examples, Video, PDF Guide)January 4, 2023
• 3 Adverbs of Probability – Definitely, Probably, and MaybeNovember 4, 2022
• Past tense of READ and Past Participle of READ (Audio, Quiz, and PDF)October 21, 2022
• Third-Person Singular – Your best Guide (Free 24-page eBook)October 14, 2022
• Singular and Plural nouns – 50 examples (worksheet PDF)October 7, 2022
• Present Perfect Continuous Grammar Guide (w/ Audio and PDF)October 4, 2022

Some nouns and verbs have the same form in English. For example:

She set an Olympic record. (noun)
She’s recording her new song in the studios. (verb)

However, the pronunciation (i.e. syllable stress) is different. Where “record” is used as a noun, the stress is on the first syllable: RE-cord (where “re” is the same sound as the “re” in “relative”).

But when “record” is used as a verb, the stress is on the second syllable: re-CORD, and the “re” sounds like “ri”, as in “remember”.)

Here are some more examples of nouns and verbs that have the same form, but different pronunciation. You can listen to the audio (under each pair of sentences) to hear the differences in syllable stress.

To do with finance

increase
Noun: INcrease “There’s been an increase in the number of students.”
Verb: inCREASE “Numbers are increasing.”

/audio/increase.ogg

decrease
Noun: DEcrease “We’ve seen a decrease in the bird population.”
Verb: deCREASE “Numbers are decreasing every year.”
/audio/decrease.ogg

import
Noun: IMport “This is a cheap import.”
Verb: imPORT “They import their oil from the UK.”
/audio/import.ogg

export
Noun: EXport “Oil is one of their biggest exports.”
Verb: exPORT “We need to export more.”
/audio/export.ogg

discount
Noun: DIScount “Is there a discount on this?”
Verb: disCOUNT “They discounted the theories.”
/audio/discount.ogg

refund
Noun: REfund “I’d like a refund please.”
Verb: reFUND “We’ll refund you 50%.”
/audio/refund.ogg

To do with authority or argument

permit
Noun: PERmit “Do you need a permit to fish here?”
Verb: perMIT “They won’t permit her to leave the country.”
/audio/permit.ogg

conflict
Noun: CONflict “They’re reporting armed conflict in the area.”
Verb: conFLICT “His opinion conflicted with hers.”
/audio/conflict.ogg

contest
Noun: CONtest “She entered a beauty contest.”
Verb: conTEST “They contested the results.”
/audio/contest.ogg

insult
Noun: INsult “Your offer is so low it’s an insult.”
Verb: inSULT “Don’t insult me!”
/audio/insult.ogg

protest
Noun: PROtest “There’s a student protest today.”
Verb: proTEST “They’re protesting against cuts.”
/audio/protest.ogg

rebel
Noun: REbel “He was a rebel when he was younger.”
Verb: reBEL “He rebelled against authority.”
/audio/rebel.ogg

To do with renewal

rewrite
Noun: REwrite “That’s a rewrite of an old song.”
Verb: reWRITE “She rewrote her story.”
/audio/rewrite.ogg

update
Noun: UPdate “We’ve got some updates for you.”
Verb: upDATE “We’re updating our files.”
/audio/update.ogg

upgrade
Noun: UPgrade “They got an upgrade on the flight.”
Verb: upGRADE “It’s time to upgrade our computer.”
/audio/upgrade.ogg

To do with communication

invite
Noun: INvite “I received an invite to her party.”
Verb: inVITE “They invited us to their house.”
/audio/invite.ogg

misprint
Noun: MISprint “There’s a misprint in the book.”
Verb: misPRINT “He misprinted the word.”
/audio/misprint.ogg

insert
Noun: INsert “Put a couple of inserts in this text.”
Verb: inSERT “He inserted a few words into her paragraph.”
/audio/insert.ogg

survey
Noun: SURvey “Let’s do a customer survey to find out.”
Verb: surVEY “They surveyed over 1000 people.”
/audio/survey.ogg

Miscellaneous

contrast
Noun: CONtrast “There’s a big contrast between you two.”
Verb: conTRAST “He contrasted the two pictures.”
/audio/contrast.ogg

detail
Noun: DEtail “It’s just a minor detail.”
Verb: deTAIL “The story details their struggle with poverty.”
/audio/detail.ogg

escort
Noun: EScort “You’ll need an escort to get through security.
Verb: esCORT “He escorted her out of the door.”
/audio/escort.ogg

perfume
Noun: PERfume “He bought her a bottle of perfume for her birthday.”
Verb: perFUME “The roses perfumed the room.”
/audio/perfume.ogg

reject
Noun: REject “This is one of the rejects from the factory.”
Verb: reJECT “He rejected her advice.”
/audio/reject.ogg

upset
Noun: UPset “The victory was an upset in the championships.”
Verb: upSET “He upset her with his cruel remarks.”
/audio/upset.ogg

When noun and verb have different meanings

compound
Noun: COMpound “They lived in a compound.”
Verb: comPOUND “Current policy is just compounding problems.”
/audio/compound.ogg

contract
Noun: CONtract “Have you signed the contract?”
Verb: conTRACT “The economy is contracting.”
/audio/contract.ogg

conduct
Noun: CONduct “The conduct of the student was unacceptable.”
Verb: conDUCT “They’re conducting an enquiry.”
/audio/conduct.ogg

object
Noun: OBject “He treats her like an object.”
Verb: obJECT “She objected to the proposals.”
/audio/object.ogg

subject
Noun: SUBject “What subjects do you study?”
Verb: subJECT “She was subjected to harsh criticism.”
/audio/subject.ogg

present
Noun: PREsent “He gave her a present.”
Verb: preSENT “He’s going to present his findings.”
/audio/present.ogg

project
Noun: PROject “They’re working on a project.”
Verb: proJECT “He projects himself well.”
/audio/project.ogg

refuse
Noun: REfuse “The refuse collectors are on strike.”
Verb: reFUSE “He refused permission.”
/audio/refuse.ogg

desert
Noun: DEsert “They went travelling in the Sahara desert.”
Verb: deSERT “The soldiers deserted their post.”
/audio/desert.ogg