The -age ending, two ways

1. 1
   garage/ɡərˈɑːʒ/

   noun

   A building beside or under a house where a car is kept.
2. 2
   storage/ˈstɔːrədʒ/

   noun

   A place where things are kept until someone needs them again.
3. 3
   luggage/ˈlʌɡədʒ/

   noun

   The bags and cases you carry your things in when you travel.
4. 4
   package/ˈpækədʒ/

   verb

   To put something into a box, ready to send or store.
5. 5
   damage/ˈdæmədʒ/

   verb

   To harm something so it works less well or looks worse.
6. 6
   manage/ˈmænədʒ/

   verb

   To succeed in doing something difficult.
7. 7
   message/ˈmesədʒ/

   noun

   A few words you send or leave for someone.
8. 8
   collage/kəˈlɑːʒ/

   noun

   A picture made by gluing pieces of paper or photos onto a surface.
9. 9
   camouflage/ˈkæməˌflɑːʒ/

   noun

   Cloth with green and brown patches, made so the person wearing it is hard to see.
10. 10
    corsage/kɔːrˈsɑːʒ/

    noun

    A small bunch of flowers given as a gift and worn on a dress or wrist.

The sentences

1. The garage is packed with boxes we never opened.

2. We could put the winter coats into storage.

3. All the old luggage is stacked behind the garage.

4. Could you package the dishes before the truck comes?

5. Careful, the damp could damage those old photos.

6. Do you think we can manage this on our own?

7. I left you a message about the moving truck.

8. She made a collage from our old vacation photos.

9. I found an old camouflage jacket in the bottom box.

10. There's a dried corsage pressed inside this old book.

Pronunciation

• garage/ɡərˈɑːʒ/

  Stress falls on the second syllable, which ends with the soft zh sound in measure.

• luggage/ˈlʌɡədʒ/

  The second half is a flat "ij", not "ayj".

• collage/kəˈlɑːʒ/

  Two syllables with the stress on the second: kuh-LAHZH.

• camouflage/ˈkæməˌflɑːʒ/

  Three syllables, stress on the first, and the middle one is just "uh": CAM-uh-flahzh.

• corsage/kɔːrˈsɑːʒ/

  Stress the second half, and it ends with the same buzz as "garage".

Questions

How do you pronounce garage?

Garage is stressed on the second syllable, which ends with the soft zh sound in measure, as in 'The garage is packed with boxes we never opened.'

What's the difference between storage and luggage?

Storage is a place where things are kept until someone needs them again, as in 'We could put the winter coats into storage.' Luggage is the bags and cases you carry your things in when you travel, as in 'All the old luggage is stacked behind the garage.'

How do you say camouflage?

Camouflage has three syllables with stress on the first, and the middle one is just 'uh': CAM-uh-flahzh, as in 'I found an old camouflage jacket in the bottom box.'