Today we are looking at words that end in –ate. Words that end in –ate are stressed on the second syllable if they have 2 syllables, but those with 3 syllables are stressed on the first syllable, those with 4 syllables, on the second and those with 5 syllables, on the third. Always bear in mind that words that end in –ate and have more than three syllables have their stress on the third-to-last syllable.  Remember, in English language, there are almost always exceptions to every rule guiding every aspect of the language. We shall have a look at some of these exceptions.
2-SYLLABLE words that end in –ate include:
berate create debate equate estate gyrate locate mutate negate notate predate sedate update (V.) vacate  collate dictate placate vibrate
EXCEPTIONS: inmate innate pirate bedmate hydrate (a solid compound that contains water) mandate (v. and n.) update (N.)

The following are 3-SYLLABLE words that end in –ate. Remember, they are stressed on the first syllabl, bu most people pronounce these words like do the two syllable words ending in -ate. They place the stress in the last syllable.
animate educate elevate
As an educated animator, he has be elevated to the position of assistant film director
 emanate emirate emulate
The message charging Muslim faithfuls to emulate the life of prophet Mohammed emanated from the emirate
 isolate violate urinate
He was isolated for violating the school rule that prohibits urinating outside the wps.
 agitate radiate activate
The workers agitated for the cristal to be activated so it could radiate the vicinity
advocate(N. or V.) allocate amputate
The group advocated that any civil servant convicted of embezzling funds allocated for a public project should have his or her hand amputated.
automate  correlate decorate
He automated the machine to decorate the stage to correlate with the setting of the play.
 dedicate defecate delegate(N. or V.)
Having been deligated to inspect the lavetory regularly, the man announced that he was dedicated to exposing those who kept defecating wihout flushing the toilet.
dominate elongate fumigate
Her plan to fumigate the vicinity dominated our discussions and that succeeded in elongating our closing time.
germinate generate hesitate
He hesitated to observe if the the plant was germinating well, and generated some data based on his observation.
indicate innovate irritate
That one could give me a list of innovators without indicating their innovations is what I found quite irritating
 jubilate liberate meditate
The kept meditating on how jubilated when they were liberated
modulate motivate navigate
the modulator felt motivated to speak to the captain navigating the ship homewards.
nominate obligate populate
We are not obligated to nominate too many people so as not to populate the executive with mediocres.
regulate relegate relocate
The government, in its effort to regulaate streetism,  has relocated the low income earners to the outskirts of the city, where the are relegated to the ashes.
renovate separate tabulate
Members of the committee were devided on which items to use in the tabulated equipment needed for renovating the dome.
tolerate validate calculate
I do no tolerate the us of calculators with output that cannot validated.
captivate conjugate formulate
I was captivated by her ability to formulate a new method of conjugating the algebraic equation in a matter of seconds.
implicate  penetrate
The man was implicated in the teenager's claimed that he succeeded in penetrating and impregnating her.
punctuate suffocate illustrate
The English Studies teacher illustrated how reading badly-punctuated writings could be suffocating  to examiners.

EXCEPTIONS: karate /kəˈrɑː.ti/  dehydrate BrE/ˌdiː.haɪˈdreɪt/ AmE /diːˈhaɪdɹeɪt/ impregnate /ɪmˈpɹɛɡneɪt/.

Download the audio instruction here: Speak Right, Sound Right 10