Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

counterpoint

/ˈkaʊntə(ɹ)ˌpɔɪnt/ noun, verb

Forms counterpoints counterpointing counterpointed

  1. noun (music) A melody added to an existing one, especially one added to provide harmony whilst each retains its simultaneous identity; a composition consisting of such contrapuntal melodies.
  2. noun Any similar contrasting element in a work of art.
  3. noun An opposite point.
  4. verb (transitive) To compose or arrange such music.
  5. verb (transitive) To serve as an opposing point against.

Synonyms

contrapuntal music polyphony contrast

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English [Term?], from Middle French contrepoint, from Medieval Latin contrāpūnctum. Equivalent to counter- + point.

From Old French contrepointe, a corruption of coultepointe, from Latin culcita puncta, i.e. a stitched pillow or cover. See quilt.

Webster’s 1913

  1. noun An opposite point [Obs.] Sir E. Sandys.
  2. noun A coverlet; a cover for a bed, often stitched or broken into squares; a counterpane. See 1st Counterpane.

Etymology [Counter- + point.]

Etymology [F. contrepoint; cf. It. contrappunto. Cf. Contrapuntal.]

Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “counterpoint”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details