Stress that lands on the last syllable

1. 1
   career/kərˈɪr/

   noun

   The path your working life takes.
2. 2
   champagne/ʃæmˈpeɪn/

   noun

   A white wine full of bubbles.
3. 3
   bizarre/bəˈzɑːr/

   adjective

   Very strange.
4. 4
   guitar/ɡɪˈtɑːr/

   noun

   A musical instrument with six strings.
5. 5
   routine/ruːˈtiːn/

   noun

   The usual way you do things.
6. 6
   vaccine/ˌvækˈsiːn/

   noun

   A shot that trains your body to fight a disease.
7. 7
   tattoo/ˌtæˈtuː/

   noun

   A design inked into the skin.
8. 8
   believe/bɪˈliːv/

   verb

   Think something is true.
9. 9
   achieve/əˈtʃiːv/

   verb

   Get something through hard work.
10. 10
    relax/rɪˈlæks/iAlso said riːˈlæks.

    verb

    Rest and let the tension go.

The sentences

1. I'm thinking about a career change next year.

2. We opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

3. That was such a bizarre dream last night.

4. My brother finally started learning to play the guitar.

5. My morning routine starts with a strong coffee.

6. Did you get your flu vaccine this year?

7. Is that a new tattoo on your arm?

8. I still believe this career change was the right call.

9. What do you want to achieve before next summer?

10. I just want a quiet weekend to relax.

Pronunciation

• career/kərˈɪr/

  Say it kuh-REER, with the weight on the end, so it doesn't sound like carrier.

• champagne/ʃæmˈpeɪn/

  The ch sounds like the sh in shop.

• bizarre/bəˈzɑːr/

  It sounds just like bazaar, with the weight on zar.

• guitar/ɡɪˈtɑːr/

  Put the weight on tar, not on the gui.

• vaccine/ˌvækˈsiːn/

  The weight goes on seen: vak-SEEN.

Good to know

small talk

Catching up over coffee usually starts with easy topics like work or weekend plans before anything personal comes up.

coffee to go

Ordering your coffee to go is common and doesn't seem rushed, even when you're meeting a friend to sit and talk.

splitting the bill

Friends often split the bill evenly or each pay for their own, and either way is normal to suggest.

Questions

How do you pronounce career without it sounding like carrier?

Say it kuh-REER, with the weight on the end.

What does bizarre mean?

Very strange, as in that was such a bizarre dream last night.

What's the difference between routine and vaccine in how they're stressed?

Routine has no special note, but vaccine puts its weight on seen: vak-SEEN.