Same Spelling, Different Beat

English has a small but common trick: pairs like PREsent/preSENT, PERmit/perMIT, and CONtract/conTRACT are spelled the same but stressed on different syllables depending on whether they're a noun or a verb. Get the stress wrong, and listeners may briefly hear the wrong meaning, even if the rest of the sentence is clear. Korean doesn't shift stress this way to mark grammar, so this pattern can slip past unnoticed. Try saying 'I'll present the present' out loud, making 'present' (the verb) punch the second syllable and 'present' (the gift) punch the first. Two minutes today: pick three of these pairs, write a short sentence using both forms, and say them aloud, exaggerating the stress difference each time. It's a small detail, but it's one native listeners rely on constantly — and once you notice it, you'll start hearing it in everything you watch.