5 exercises on verb vs noun stress in compound tech terms.
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How does stress differ between the verb "set up" and the noun "setup"?
Verb "set up" = set UP (stress on the particle "up", two words); noun/adjective "setup" = SET-up (stress on "set", one word). English systematically front-stresses compound nouns but stresses the particle in phrasal verbs. So "I need to set UP the server" (action) versus "check the SET-up" (the configuration). The spelling also differs: two words for the verb, one word for the noun. Hearing the stress tells listeners which you mean. This pattern repeats across many tech phrasal verbs.
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How does stress differ between "log in" (verb) and "login" (noun)?
Verb "log in" = log IN (stress on "in", two words); noun/adjective "login" = LOG-in (stress on "log", one word). "Please log IN to continue" is the action; "the LOG-in page" or "your LOG-in credentials" is the noun/adjective. The verb takes two words with particle stress; the noun fuses into one word with front stress. Same applies to "sign in"/"sign-in". Saying "the log-IN page" with verb stress sounds slightly off to native ears - front-stress "LOG-in" for the noun.
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How does stress differ between "back up" (verb) and "backup" (noun)?
Verb "back up" = back UP (stress on "up", two words); noun/adjective "backup" = BACK-up (stress on "back", one word). "Remember to back UP the database" (action) versus "restore from the BACK-up" or "a BACK-up server" (noun/adjective). Front-stress and one-word spelling mark the noun; particle-stress and two words mark the verb. This is identical to set up/setup and log in/login. The stress pattern is the audible clue distinguishing the action from the thing produced.
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How does stress differ between "roll back" (verb) and "rollback" (noun)?
Verb "roll back" = roll BACK (stress on "back", two words); noun "rollback" = ROLL-back (stress on "roll", one word). "We need to roll BACK the release" (action) versus "trigger a ROLL-back" or "the ROLL-back script" (noun/adjective). Consistent with the compound-verb pattern: the phrasal verb stresses the particle and is two words; the derived noun front-stresses and fuses to one word. So in incident response, "roll BACK now" is the command, "the ROLL-back completed" is the noun.
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How does stress differ between "check out" (verb) and "checkout" (noun, e.g. git)?
Verb "check out" = check OUT (stress on "out", two words); noun/adjective "checkout" = CHECK-out (stress on "check", one word). "Check OUT the feature branch" (the git action) versus "the CHECK-out process" or "a sparse CHECK-out" (noun/adjective). The same compound-verb stress rule applies: particle stress plus two words for the verb, front stress plus one word for the noun. In e-commerce the "CHECK-out flow" is always the front-stressed noun. Let stress signal whether you mean the action or the thing.