Is "advocates" a verb or a noun?
that freedom advocates saw it as anything other than shorthand for voluntary exchange and mutually beneficial relationships between individuals.

Question

Answer

An advocate is a person who advocates something.
So it can be both a noun and a verb. 'Advocates' can be a plural noun or a conjugated verb.

To me, the 'ate' is pronounced 'et' when it's a noun, and 'ate' when it's a verb.

Answer

It can be both, but in this sentence it is a noun.

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