Podcast: Pronunciation Tips – The suffix “ate”

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Here we are again with a new inFlux Podcast! Today we’ll talk about pronunciation. It’s not always easy to say words in English. However, with a little bit of practice we can get really good at it!

Our idea today is to show that, even though some words have identical spelling they are spoken in different ways. You may think this is too complicated or hard to learn, but it isn’t! Check it out!

Some words in English have particular endings that are worth learning. For instance, the ones that finish with “ate”. Think of the word duplicate, for example. There are two possible ways of pronouncing it. It could be: duplicate or duplicate. Well, then you might ask: so what’s the difference between them? And the answer is – pretty much the meaning!

Luckily, there’s an easy pattern to follow when it comes to most words ending in “ate”. The very first case we’ll take a look at is: verbs. If you come across a verb like that, the pronunciation at the end will usually be /e?t/. As in:

Complicate

Celebrate

Demonstrate

Anticipate

Translate

Illustrate

Appreciate

But then, sometimes you’ll come across words which are adjectives and, in that specific case, the pronunciation at the end of those words will usually be /?t/. As in:

Fortunate

Unfortunate

Passionate

Delicate

Adequate

Inadequate

Accurate

Inaccurate

You should also know that there are some nouns with the “ate” endings. As well as the adjectives they are usually pronounced with a /?t/ at the end. Listen:

coordinate

conglomerate

chocolate

certificate

affiliate

bicarbonate

consulate

Well, the very last information we’ll give you today is the following: Some of the words ending in “ate”may have the same spelling but they can either be a verb, an adjective or a noun! And they also have different pronunciation. Interesting, huh? Let’s learn some of them, shall we?

The verb: separate – I need to separate my mail.

The adjective: separate – We have separate bank accounts.

The verb: duplicate – It’ll be hard to duplicate that video.

The adjective: duplicate – This is a duplicate key.

The noun: duplicate – That’s a duplicate of the car key.

The verb: coordinate – Who’s going to coordinate the project?

The noun: coordinate – Give me the coordinates so I can start up.

The verb: graduate – I think he’ll graduate next year.

The adjective: graduate – She’s a graduate student.

The noun: graduate – They’re still graduates.

The verb: precipitate – Her resignation precipitated a crisis in the company.

The adjective: precipitate – That’s a precipitate decision.

The verb: associate – I always associate the United States with capitalism.

The adjective: associate – She’s an associate director.

The noun: associate – One of our associates is travelling now.

That’s it, folks! We hope you’ve liked it! And see you on our next inFlux Podcast!