REVIEW

(unit 46 - unit 52)

WEAK AND STRONG FORMS
SHORT AND LONG FORMS (CONTRACTIONS)
PRONOUNCING -ED AND -S ENDINGS

I. CONSTRACTIONS
1. Short and long forms of negative verbs

Long form short form

do not ​/duːnɑːt/-​​/duː/nɒt/ don’t /dəʊnt/

does not ​/dʌznɑːt/-​​/dʌznɒt/ doesn’t ​/ˈdʌznt/

did not /​dɪdnɑːt/ - /dɪdnɒt/ didn’t ​/ˈdɪdnt/

are not /​ɑːrnɑːt/ - /ɑːrnɒt/ aren’t ​/ɑːrnt/ - /ɑːnt/

is not /​ɪznɑːt/ - /ɪznɒt/ isn’t ​/ˈɪznt/

were not /​wərnɑːt/ - /wərnɒt/ weren’t ​ ​/wɜːrnt/

was not /​wʌznɑːt/ - /wʌznɒt/ wasn’t ​/ˈwʌznt/

have not /​hævnɑːt/ - /hævnɒt/ haven't ​/ˈhævnt/

has not /​hæznɑːt/ - /hæznɒt/ hasn’t ​/ˈhæznt/

cannot /​kænɑːt/ - /kænɒt/ can’t ​/kænt/

could not /​kədnɑːt/ - /kədnɒt/ couldn’t /ˈkʊd.ənt/

must not /​məstnɑːt/ - /məstnɒt/ mustn’t ​/ˈmʌs.ənt/

might not /​maɪtnɑːt/ - /maɪtnɒt/ --

need not /​niːdnɑːt/ - /niːdnɒt/ needn’t ​ /ˈniː.dənt/

will not /​wɪlnɑːt/ - /wɪlnɒt/ won’t ​/woʊnt/

would not /​wədnɑːt/ - /wədnɒt/ wouldn’t ​ /ˈwʊd.ənt/

shall not /​ʃəlnɑːt/ - /ʃəlnɒt/ shan’t ​ /ʃænt/ - /ʃɑːnt/

should not/​ʃədnɑːt/ - /ʃədnɒt/ shouldn’t ​ /ˈʃʊd.ənt/

 2. Short and long forms of auxiliary verbs:
long short short form pronounced example of short
form form as: form

am ’m /m/ I’m coming.

are ’re /r/, /​ər/ We’re leaving now.

is ’s /s/,/z/, or /​ɪ​z/ What’s the matter?

has ’s /s/,/z/, or /​ɪ​z/ He’s finished.

have ’ve /v/, ​/əv/, or​ ​/ə/ I’ve seen him.

had ’d /d/, /​ɪd/ I asked if he’d seen

it

would ’d /d/, /​ɪd/ She’d like to buy a

car.

did ’d /d/, /​ɪd/ Where’d they go.

will ’ll /l/, ​/əl/ I’ll ask her.

NOTE:
- Do not join the pronoun to an auxiliary verb at the end of the sentence.
For example, say ​Yes, I will​, don't say ​Yes, I’ll.
- You don’t need to copy the fast speech pronunciation. People will
understand you if you use careful speech. But you need to be able to
understand the fast speech.
- After a pronoun, ​am​, ​is ​and a
​ re ​usually written as a contraction.
- Short forms are used more in speaking than in writing, but they are
open used in writing that shows conversation.
II. WEAK AND STRONG FORMS
→ ​Many common grammar words in English have two pronunciations, a
STRONG FORM and a WEAK FORM.
→ In connected speech, weak forms are usually used.
→ The strong form is used only if the word is stressed, for example to give it
special emphasis or when the word is at the end of a phrase.
→ Almost weak forms of the words will contain the unstressed sound /ə/.
1. Weak forms of some pronouns
Example Weak Strong
he /iː/, ​ ​/i/ /hiː/
 him /ɪm/ /hɪm/,

she /ʃi/ /ʃi:/

her /ər/ /hɜ:r/

them /ðəm/ / ðem/

you / jə/ /ju:/

your /jər/ / jʊr/

we /wi/ /wi:/
NOTE:
- Pronoun in sentences are usually unstressed → weak forms
- Only put stress on pronouns if you want to emphasize or contrast
something → strong forms.
2. Strong and weak forms of Articles, Conjunctions and Prepositions
Examples Weak Strong

and /ən/ - /ənd/ /ænd/

but /bət/ /bʌt/

that /ðət/ /ðæt/

at /ət/ / æt/

from /frəm/ / frɒm/

of /əv/ - /ə/ /ɒv/

to /tə/ /tu:/

for / fə/ / fɔ:/

the /​ðə/ - /ði/ /ðiː/

a /ə/ /eɪ/

an /ən/ /æn/

NOTE
- In fast speech, the consonant sounds after the vowel in these
words may not be pronounced. In this case, ​and​ sounds like ​an,​
and ​of s​ ound like ​a.
 - The consonant sound in ​of ​is not dropped when the following
verbs begin with a vowel, for example: ​Some of (​/əv/)​ each.
- Articles​ are usually unstressed in sentences. → weak form.
- When the word following begins with a vowel, ​the ​changes from
/​ðə/ to /ði/ (strong form /ðiː/), ​and ​to ​changes from ​/tə/ to /tu/
(strong form /tuː/).
3. Strong and weak forms of comparatives
- as:​ weak form /əz/, strong form ​​/æz/
- than​: weak form /ðən/, strong form ​​/ðæn/
→ These two words are usually used with their ​weak form.
4. Strong and weak form of auxiliary verbs
Examples Weak Strong

Is /əz/-/z/ -/s/ /ɪz/

Am /əm/ /æm/

Are /ər/-/ə/ /ɑːr/

Was /wəz/ /wʌz/

Were / wər/ /wɜːr/

Have /həv/-/əv/ /hæv/

Has /həz/ -/ əz/ /hæz/

Do /də/ /duː/

Does /dəz/ /dʌz/

Can /kən/ / kæn/

Could / kəd/ /kʊd/

Should /ʃəd/ /ʃʊd/

Would /wəd/- /əd/ /wʊd/

NOTE:
- In fast speech → Weak forms.
- Many speakers pronounce ​are ​just as the weak vowel sound ​/ə/, but if
the following word begins with a vowel sound, the /r/ is pronounced too
(→ /ər/) , for example​ People are angry.
 - Auxiliary verbs are stressed in ​negative contractions ​(eg. aren’t), and
at the end of the sentence (eg. Yes, I am) → strong forms
- Auxiliary verbs are also stressed for emphasis or contrast (use strong
forms), for example:
​ That can’t be John… Wait a minute… It ​is J​ ohn.
- Auxiliary verbs are usually unstressed in WH-questions (when, where,
what, ect.), eg. ​What ​do you t​ hink​?
III. ​PRONOUNCING -ED AND -S ENDINGS
1. Pronouncing -ed endings
● -ed pronounced as /t/ when the sound that comes before it is voiceless:
/k/, /p/, /s/, etc.
● -ed pronounced as /d/ when the sound that comes before it is a vowel,
diphthong, or voiced consonant.
● -ed pronounced as /​ɪ​d/ when the sound that comes before it is /t/ or /d/.
2. Pronouncing -s endings
● -s pronounced as /s/ when the sound that comes before it is voiceless:
/k/, /p/, etc.
● -s pronounced as /z/ when the sound that comes before it is a vowel,
diphthong, or voiced consonant.
● -s pronounced as /​ɪ​z/ when the sound that comes before it is /s/, /z/, ​/tʃ/,
/dʒ/​, /​ʃ/​or /​ʒ​/.
REFERENCES
Hewings, M., & Goldstein, S. (1999). Pronunciation plus. New York, NY:
Cambridge University Press.
Hancock, M. (2003). English Pronunciation in use. New York, NY: Cambridge
University Press.

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