Meaning & use
the accent
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Meanings
nounsingular
The particular way of pronouncing words that shows where a person comes from or which group they belong to.
Grammar: Used with "the" when both people know which accent is meant: the accent in that recording, the accent he grew up with.
Patterns
- the accent of a place
- speak with the accent
- lose the accent
You can hear the accent of southern Ireland in the way she says "film."
He moved to Toronto at ten, but the accent from his home town never really left him.
Listen to the accent in this clip and tell me which country the speaker is from.
nounsingulartechnical
The stronger emphasis placed on one syllable of a word or one beat in music.
Grammar: In this sense it often follows "on": the accent falls on the first syllable.
Patterns
- the accent falls on a syllable
- put the accent on something
In "photograph," the accent falls on the first syllable.
The drummer put the accent on the second beat of every bar.
Common combinations
- speak with an accent
- She speaks with a slight Italian accent.
- a strong/heavy accent
- His accent is so strong that I sometimes miss words.
- lose your accent
- After years abroad, he never lost his accent.
- put on an accent
- The actor put on a Scottish accent for the role.
- the accent falls on
- In this word the accent falls on the final syllable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pronunciation
- Pronunciation is the general term for how sounds are made; accent specifically marks a regional or social style of speech.
- dialect
- A dialect includes grammar and vocabulary as well as sound, while accent refers only to pronunciation.
- stress
- Stress is the technical word for emphasis on a syllable; accent is the more everyday term in language teaching.
Word family
- accented adjective
- having an accent, or marked with a written accent
- accentuate verb
- to make something more noticeable or to emphasize it
Commonly confused: the accent or ascent? the accent or assent?
the accent vs ascent
Ascent means a climb or upward movement and sounds almost the same, but it has nothing to do with speech.
the accent vs assent
Assent means agreement or approval, and is easy to mix up with accent in writing.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses "the accent" correctly.
Choose one answer.
"The accent" works when the speaker and listener both know which accent is meant, and it needs a defining phrase like "she has." Option 2 leaves the accent undefined, and option 4 drops the article, which English does not allow here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the accent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.