SUSTAINED

MY WIFE IS A SEX OBJECT. EVERY TIME I ASK FOR SEX, SHE OBJECTS.

What’s so funny about this? In a way this joke is a good way to teach how the same word can be a noun or a verb depending on the pronunciation. The general rule is that in two syllable words, the noun will stress the first syllable and the verb will stress the second syllable. In most, but certainly not all, cases the definitions are similar. But sometimes, it’s as if they WERE two entirely different words with different meanings, and the context will determine whether it’s a noun or a verb. The greater the difference the more opportunity for jokes such as the one we have today. In all cases the noun verb pairs will have a common root but usage may have separated them to varying degrees. Let’s look at the word “i-n-s-u-l-t”. Simply looking at it abstractly, we can’t even be sure how to pronounce it. An “INsult” is a negative comment made about someone; however “inSULT” refers to the act of making a negative comment about