In this episode of The Accent Journey, we look at two-syllable words that change their stress depending on whether they are used as nouns or verbs.

You’ll learn why we say REcord as a noun but reCORD as a verb, PREsent as a noun but preSENT as a verb, and SUSpect as a noun but susPECT as a verb.

We’ll also look at several other common noun/verb pairs and practice hearing and producing the difference.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why many two-syllable nouns tend to have first-syllable stress
• Why many two-syllable verbs tend to have second-syllable stress
• How changing stress can change a word's meaning or grammatical function
• Common noun/verb pairs such as REcord/reCORD, PREsent/preSENT, PERmit/perMIT, and CONtract/conTRACT
• How to practice these words in natural sentences and conversations

Practice Dialogue

A: Did you record yesterday's meeting?

B: Yes, I recorded the whole thing.

A: Great. We need a record of what the client agreed to.

B: I'll send you the recording this afternoon.

A: Thanks. I'm also going to present the new proposal tomorrow.

B: Are you giving the presentation to the whole team?

A: Yes. And I have a present for Sarah afterward.

B: Nice. What's the present?

A: I can't tell you yet.

Practice Passage: "I keep a record of every important meeting, so I usually record the conversation when everyone agrees. Last week, I received a present from a colleague before I had to present our new proposal. We also signed a contract with a supplier, and the manager will contract another company if we need additional support. The police suspect that the suspect may have left the area, but they haven't released any details yet."

Follow The Accent Journey, hosted by accent coach Steven Nelson, for weekly episodes designed to help non-native speakers build clearer, more confident American English pronunciation - one sound and pattern at a time.

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Music: Vendredi - Hypnosis ( Free Download & Free Copyright ) by Vendredi is licensed under a Creative Commons License.