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PHONETICS II

STRONG AND WEAK FORMS

GRADATION /ɡrəˈdeɪʃn̩/ is the existence in many common English words of two or more

pronunciations, a strong form and one or more weak forms. There are about sixty words

in English which have two forms: a weak form and a strong form. Weak forms occur only

in unstressed position; strong forms are use mainly when the word is stressed, but they

also occur in unstressed positions.

The parts of speech that have these two forms are: personal pronouns, auxiliary and

defective verbs, conjunctions, articles, some prepositions and a few miscellaneous

words. They are all words of one syllable. The weakening generally consists in changing a

tense vowel for a weak sound or the murmur /ə/. It may also consist in dropping a vowel

or a consonant together with the weakening of the sound or in dropping both the vowel

and the consonant.

PRONOUNS

me /miː/ or /mɪ/ we /wiː/ or /wɪ/ she /ʃiː/ or /ʃɪ/ he /hiː/ or /hɪ/

Weak forms with short lax /ɪ/ are fairly common in the case of “me” and “she”, but they

are not regularly used like /bɪ/; the use of strong forms /miː/ and /ʃiː/ (with vowel

shortened owing to lack of stress) is also quite frequent in unstressed positions. Thus

Show me the way may be pronounced either: /ˈʃəʊ mɪ ðə ˈweɪ/ or /ˈʃəʊ miː ðə ˈweɪ/

She said so, though usually said with /ʃɪ/, may also be said with /ʃiː/, even when the

word is quite unstressed: /ʃɪ ˈsed səʊ/ or /ʃiː ˈsed səʊ/

In the case of “he” and “we”, the strong forms /hiː/ and /wiː/ are commonly used in

unstressed positions; weak forms /hɪ/ and /wɪ/ exist but are not often used. Therefore

the usual pronunciation of He said so is: /hiː ˈsed səʊ/ We gave it is: /wiː ˈgeɪv ɪt/

The most convenient rule for foreign learners is to pronounce unstressed “me”, “he”,

“she”, “we” always with long /iː/ sound.

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GENERAL RULES FOR PRONOUNS

1) When the subject or the object of the sentence has two or more personal pronouns,

or a noun and a pronoun, they are used in the strong form.

Jane and you came late. /dʒeɪn ənd juː keɪm leɪt/

He told her and my friend. /hiː təʊld həːr ən maɪ frend/

She and Alice are winning. /ʃiː ənd ælɪs ə wɪnɪŋ/

2) When there is a contraction between the personal pronoun and the auxiliary verb, the

pronoun is used in the strong form.

She’d better study it. /ʃiːd betə stʌdɪ ɪt/ We’ve advised them. /wiːv ədvaɪzd ðəm/

He’s late today. /hiːz leɪt tədeɪ/

3) When the personal pronoun used as a subject is placed after the verb in an affirmative

sentence, the pronoun goes in the strong form.

Go back said she. /ɡəʊ bæk sed ʃiː/ Here am I, working. /hɪər əm aɪ, wɜːkɪŋ/

4) When two pronouns are contrasted we use them in the strong form.

She called you, not me. /ʃiː kɔːld juː, nɒt miː/

He saw them, not us. /hiː sɔː ðem, nɒt ʌs/

They didn’t give it to me, but to you. /ðeɪ dɪdnt ɡɪv ɪt tə miː, bət tə juː/

YOU /juː/ /ju/ /jə/

1) The strong form /juː/ is used contrastively or emphatically.

Will it be you, or me? /wɪl ɪt bɪ juː, ɔː miː/

It was you that broke it! /ɪt wəz juː ðət brəʊk ɪt/

2) The weak forms /ju/ (before vowels and in final position) and/jə/ (before consonants)

are used. They can be placed instead of /juː/ in unstressed positions.

You ought. /ju ɔːt/ Thank you. /θæŋk ju/

If you can. /ɪf jə kæn/ I’ll see you tomorrow. /aɪl siː jə təmɒrəʊ/
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HE /hiː/ /hɪ/ /ɪ/ SHE /ʃiː/ /ʃɪ/ /ɪ/

1) The strong forms /hiː/ and /ʃiː/ are usually used contrastively or for emphasis.

I’m not interested in what he says; it’s her I’m listening to.

/aɪm nɒt ˈɪntrəstɪd ɪn ˈwɒt hiː ˈsez; ɪts həːr aɪm ˈlɪsn̩ɪŋ tuː/

I wouldn’t go, so she went. /aɪ wʊdnt ɡəʊ, səʊ ʃiː went/

What does she want? /wɒt dəz ʃiː wɒnt/

He is the one. /hiː ɪz ðə wʌn/

2) The weak forms /hɪ/ and/ʃɪ/ are used initially and in careful speech.

He says he can’t. /hɪ ˈsez (h)ɪ kɑːnt/

Does he live here? /dəz hɪ ˈlɪv hɪə/ Off she went. /ɒf ʃɪ went/

3) In the middle of the sentence “he” generally drops the “h” (in rapid speech, when

following a consonant).

Tell him so if he comes. /tel (h)ɪm ˈsəʊ ɪf (h)ɪ kʌmz/

What does he want? /wɒt dəz i wɒnt/

WE /wiː/ /wɪ/

1) The strong form /wiː/ is usually used contrastively or for emphasis.

We, not they, will win it. /wiː, nɒt ðeɪ, wɪl̩ wɪn ɪt/

So are we. /səʊ ə wiː/ We are the winners. /wiː ə ðə wɪnəz/

2) The week form/wɪ/ is used elsewhere.

We are the winners. /wɪ ə ðə wɪnəz/

HIS /hɪz/ /ɪz/

1) The strong form /hɪz/ is usually used contrastively, when it is the first word (initially)

in a sentence or it is in final position.

It’s his not hers. /ɪts hɪz nɒt hɜːz/

He said it was his. /hɪ sed ɪt wəz hɪz/

His shoes were wet. /hɪz ʃuːz wə wet/

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2) The possessive pronoun never drops the “h” because it is always stressed. The

possessive adjective is generally unstressed, therefore the “h” is dropped.

On his back. /ɒn ɪz bæk/

HER /həː(r)/ /hə(r)/ and HIM /hɪm/ /ɪm/

1) The strong forms /həː(r)/ and /hɪm/ are mainly used for emphasis or contrast.

It was her fault. /ɪt wəz həː fɔːlt/

His or her bank. /hɪz ɔː həː bæŋk/

The gift is for him, not for her. /ðə ɡɪft s fə hɪm, nɒt fə həː/

2) The weak form /hə(r)/ is used at the beginning of sentences and elsewhere in slow,

careful speech.

Her train was late. /hə treɪn wəz leɪt/

I admired her skill. /aɪ ədmaɪəd hə skɪl/

3) We generally drop the “h” in rapid speech.

She had a hat in her hand. /ʃɪ həd ə hæt ɪn ə hænd/

Let her through. /let ə θruː/

Give him his coat. /ɡɪv ɪm ɪz kəʊt/

US /ʌs/ /əs/ /s/

1) The strong form /ʌs/ is mainly used for emphasis, contrast or final position.

This land belongs to us. /ðɪs lænd bɪlɒŋz tə ʌs/

A them and us attitude. /ə ðem ənd ʌs ætɪtjuːd/

Did he really mean us? /dɪ hɪ rɪəli miːn ʌs/

2) The weak forms /əs/ and /s/ are used when unstressed, and can occur in final

position.

Let us get away. /let s ɡet əweɪ/

They joined us. /ðeɪ dʒɔɪnd əs/

Give us one. /gɪv əs wʌn/

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THEM /ðem/ /ð(ə)m/

1) The strong form /ðem / is used for emphasis or contrast.

Look at them. /lʊk ət ðem/ Them and us. /ðem ənd ʌs/

2) The weak form /ð(ə)m/ is used when unstressed and /ðm/ in rapid, casual speech.

Leave them alone. /liːv ðəm ələʊn/

Run them out. /rʌn ðəm aʊt/

Take them away. /teɪk ðəm əweɪ/

WHO /huː/ /hu/ /uː/ /u/

1) Whenever “who” is an interrogative pronoun, it goes in the strong form.

Who gave me that? /huː ɡeɪv miː ðæt/

Who told you to come? /huː təʊld ju tə kʌm/

2) When it is a relative pronoun, it is generally used in the weak form.

The man who did it. /ðə mæn (h)u dɪd ɪt/

The girl who spoke. /ðə ɡɜːl (h)u spəʊk/

But even though this is the rule for general use the strong form /huː/ even for the

relative pronoun can never be incorrect.

WHO /huː/ /hu/ /uː/ /u/ and WHOM /huːm//uːm/

They sometimes drop the “h”. This can only happen in very quick speech; otherwise it will

indicate very bad English.

The man who did it. /ðə mæn (h)u dɪd ɪt/

The girl whom she called. /ðə ɡɜːl (h)uːm ʃɪ kɔːld/

WEAK AND STRONG FORMS OF THE VERB TO BE

1) The strong form /biː/ is used contrastively and in sentence-final position.

The be all and end all. /ðə biː ɔːl ənd end ɔːl/

It ought to be. /ɪt ˈɔːt tə biː/

What will it be? /ˈwɒt wɪl̩ ɪt biː?/

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2) It is also usual to pronounce the strong form /biː/ instead of the weak form /bɪ/

when the following word begins with /ɪ/.

I shall be in. /aɪ ʃl biː ˈɪn/

3) The most convenient rule for foreign learners is to use the weak form /bɪ/

whenever the word is unstressed and not final.

You’ll be late. /juːl bɪ ˈleɪt/

4) The verb TO BE is used in the weak form when it is an (affirmative) auxiliary.

I am going now. /aɪ əm gəʊɪŋ naʊ/

She is parking the car. /ʃi: ɪz ˈpɑːkɪŋ ðə ˈkɑː/

They are working. /ðeɪ ə ˈwɜːkɪŋ/

I was telling the truth. /aɪ wəz telɪŋ ðə truːθ/

Mother was cutting bread. /mʌðə wəz kʌtɪŋ bred/

We were staying at a hotel. /wi: wə ˈsteɪɪŋ ət ə ˌhəʊˈtel/

5) The verb TO BE goes in the strong form:

a) When it is the subject of the sentence.

“To be” is the title of the essay. /tə biː ɪz ðə taɪtl əv ðɪ eseɪ/

“Were” is the word you have to say. /wəːr ɪz ðə wəːd ju hæv tə seɪ/

b) When it denotes existence.

Let me be. / let mɪ biː/

To be or not to be. / tə biː ɔː nɒt tə biː/

c) Before a pause or at the end of the breath group (A word or succession of words,

whether a sentence or part of a sentence, uttered without pause, in a single breath).

Were they listening? Yes, they were. /wə ðeɪ lɪsnɪŋ/ /jes, ðeɪ wəː/

Are you coming? Yes, I am. /ə ju kʌmɪŋ/ /jes, aɪ æm/

“They were”, that’s what she said. /ðeɪ wəː, ðæts wɒt ʃiː sed/

She was, though you may not believe it. /ʃɪ wɒz, ðəʊ jʊ meɪ nɒt bɪliːv ɪt/
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He was, said the instructor. /hɪ wɒz/ /sed ðɪ ɪnstrʌktə/

d) When affirming something emphatically.

He was his father. /hɪ wɒz hɪz fɑːðə/

The boys are ready. /ðə bɔɪz ɑː redɪ/

I am innocent. /aɪ æm ɪnəsnt/

They were at home last night. /ðeɪ wəːr ət həʊm lɑːst naɪt/

e) When it is in a contracted negative form.

You aren’t right. /ju ɑːnt raɪt/

They weren’t working with them. /ðeɪ wəːnt wəːkɪŋ wɪð ðəm/

She wasn’t my friend. /ʃɪ wɒznt maɪ frend/

I wasn’t feeling very well. /aɪ wɒznt fiːlɪŋ verɪ wel/

They weren’t there last night. /ðeɪ wəːnt ðeə lɑːst naɪt/

f) When it is followed by a negative.

Alice was not her daughter. /ælɪs wɒz nɒt hə dɔːtə/

I am not German. /aɪ æm nɒt dʒəːmən/

They were not there. /ðeɪ wəː nɒt ðeə/

g) When preceded by an adverb of place.

In front of the house, was a bicycle. /ɪn frʌnt əv ðə haʊs, wɒz ə baɪsɪkl̩/

On the roof, were two men working. /ɒn ðə ruːf, wəː tuː men wəːkɪŋ/

h) When it means “to have to”.

You are to stay home. /ju ɑː tə steɪ həʊm/

I am to finish my work. /aɪ æm tə fɪnɪʃ maɪ wəːk/

We are to go back. /wɪ ɑː tə gəʊ bæk/

j) As a principal (full verb) verb meaning:

 Existence (very rare to find; it may appear in the Bible)

In the beginning was the word. /ɪn ðə bɪɡɪnɪŋ wɒz ðə wəːd/

In the word was God. /ɪn ðə wəːd wɒz ɡɒd/

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 Command.

He was to be there at ten. /hɪ wɒz tə bɪ ðeər ət ten/

They were to start at once. /ðeɪ wəː tə stɑːt ət wʌns/

 When it denotes agreement of an arrangement.

They were to be married next month. /ðeɪ wəː tə bɪ mærɪd nekst mʌnθ/

She was to call on us tomorrow. /ʃɪ wɒz tə kɔːl ɒn əs təmɒrəʊ/

WEAK AND STRONG FORMS OF THE VERB TO HAVE

1) The verb TO HAVE is used in the weak form when:

a) It is at the beginning of an interrogative sentence.

Have you seen this place before? /həv ju siːn ðɪs pleɪs bɪfɔː/

Have we met in London? /həv wɪ met ɪn lʌndən/

Has he read the book? /həz hɪ red ðə bʊk/

Had he heard her sing? /həd hɪ hɜːd hə sɪŋ/

Had he left by ten? /həd hi: left baɪ ten?/

b) It is an (affirmative) auxiliary.

I have turned the page. /aɪ həv tɜːnd ðə peɪdʒ/

She has been working hard. /ʃɪ həz biːn wɜːkɪŋ hɑːd/

It has finished. /ɪt həz fɪnɪʃt/

I had forgotten. /aɪ həd fəɡɒtn̩/

The clock had stopped. /ðə ˈklɒk həd stɒpt/

2) The verb TO HAVE is used in the strong form when:

a) It is a principal (full verb) verb.

She has a nice house. /ʃɪ hæz ə naɪs haʊs/

Jane has my books. /dʒeɪn hæz maɪ bʊks/

I have a dog. /aɪ hæv ə dɒɡ/

They had the best teacher. /ðeɪ hæd ðə best tiːtʃə/

John had three shillings. /dʒɒn hæd θriː ʃɪlɪŋz/

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b) It denotes possession.

They have a house in the country. /ðeɪ hæv ə haʊs ɪn ðə kʌntrɪ /

I have two brothers. /aɪ hæv tuː brʌðəz/

c) It replaces “to eat” or “to drink”.

The English have a substantial breakfast. /ðiː ɪŋɡlɪʃ hæv ə səbstænʃl̩ brekfəst/

Have another drink. /hæv ənʌðə drɪŋk/

d) It denotes an obligation, followed by “to”.

She has to do her duty. /ʃɪ hæz tə duː hə djuːtɪ/

I have to go now. /aɪ hæv tə gəʊ naʊ/

e) It denotes an obligation followed by an object and an infinitive.

She has some sewing to do. /ʃɪ hæz səm səʊɪŋ tə duː/

We have a lot of work to finish. /wɪ hæv ə lɔt əv wəːk tə fɪnɪʃ/

f) Causative use. (To have something done for you).

I have my hair cut. /aɪ hæv maɪ heə kʌt/

He had his shoes mended. /hɪ hæd hɪz ʃuːz mendɪd/

g) It denotes an experience.

We had a marvellous journey. /wɪ hæd ə mɑːvələs dʒəːnɪ/

They had a good time at the party. /ðeɪ hæd ə gʊd taɪm ət ðə pɑːtɪ/

h) It is strong before a pause and at the end of the breath group.

Have you seen this place before? Yes, I have.

/həv ju siːn ðɪs pleɪs bɪfɔː/ /jes, aɪ hæv/

Had he heard her sing? Yes, he had.

/həd hɪ hɜːd hə sɪŋ/ /jes, hɪ hæd/

They had, as far as I know, stayed at home.

/ðeɪ hæd, əz fɑːr əz aɪ nəʊ, steɪd ət həʊm/

i) It is affirmed emphatically.

I have something to say. /aɪ hæv sʌmθɪŋ tə seɪ/

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j) It is used in the contracted negative form.

I haven’t seen her. /aɪ hævnt siːn hə/

She hasn’t come back yet. /ʃɪ hæznt kʌm bæk jet/

He hadn’t noticed it. /hi: hədnt ˈnəʊtɪst ɪt/

k) It replaces another verb.

I have (=eat) lunch at home. /aɪ hæv lʌntʃ ət həʊm/

She had (=drank) a cup of tea last night. /ʃɪ hæd ə kʌp əv tiː lɑːst naɪt/

WEAK AND STRONG FORMS OF THE VERB TO DO

1) DO and DOES have a strong form /duː/ and /dʌz/ which are used:

a) In final position.

He lives further away than I do. /hiː lɪvz fɜːðər əweɪ ðən aɪ duː/

Yes, I do. /jes/ /aɪ duː/

I don’t mind if she does. /aɪ dəʊnt maɪnd ɪf ʃɪ dʌz/

I don’t like it as much as she does. /aɪ dəʊnt laɪk ɪt əz mʌtʃ əz ʃi dʌz/

I think everybody does. /aɪ θɪŋk evrɪbɒdi dʌz/

b) As a full verb.

Do it yourself. /duː ɪt jɔːself/

That’s what she does for a living. /ðæts wɒt ʃi dʌz fər ə lɪvɪŋ/

c) For emphasis.

Why do you like him? /waɪ duː ju laɪk (h)ɪm/

It does look nice. /ɪt dʌz lʊk naɪs/

He doesn’t really mean it, does he? /hi dʌznt rɪəli miːn ɪt, dʌz hi/

d) For contrast.

I do and I don’t. /aɪ duː ənd aɪ dəʊnt/

It does cost a lot, but it doesn’t need repairing.

/ɪt dʌz kɒst ə lɒt, bət ɪt dʌznt niːd rɪpeərɪŋ/

e) Before a pause and at the end of the breath group.

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Do they work in a bank? Yes, they do. /də ðeɪ wɜːk ɪn ə bæŋk/ /jes, ðeɪ duː/

Does she play tennis? Yes, she does. /dəz ʃi pleɪ tenɪs/ /jes, ʃi dʌz/

f) When it means “to perform”.

A good student always does his best to succeed.

/ə ɡʊd stjuːdnt ɔːlweɪz dʌz hɪz best tə səksiːd/

I try to do my work well. /aɪ traɪ tə duː maɪ wəːk wel/

She does her care very well. /ʃɪ dʌz hə keə verɪ wel/

g) In the unemphatic inversion (so do I...) it may be weak or strong except for the

second and third person.

So do I. /səʊ duː (dʊ) aɪ/ So does he. /səʊ dʌz hɪ/ So do you. /səʊ duː jʊ/

h) In syntactical emphasis.

Do try to come. /duː traɪ tə kʌm/

He does want to go. /hɪ dʌz wɒnt tə ɡəʊ/

2) When DO and DOES occur in other positions as auxiliaries, the weak form is normally

used.

3) DO has two weak forms:

a) The weak form /du/ is used before vowels and before “w”.

What do others think? /wɒt du ʌðəz θɪŋk/

Why do all the books disappear? /waɪ du ɔːl ðə bʊks dɪsəpɪə/

Nor do I. /nɔː du aɪ/

So do we. /səu du wɪ/

b) The weak form /də/ is used before consonants and /d/ is commonly used before the

word “you” /ju/.

How do they do it? /hau də ðeɪ du ɪt/

Why do people go there? /waɪ də piːpl̩ ɡəu ðeə/

What do you want? /wɒt d ju wɒnt/

4) /dəz/ is the weak form of DOES.

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Why does it stop? /waɪ dəz ɪt stɒp/

Where does he live? /weə dəz (h)i lɪv/

5) DON’T /dəʊnt/ and DOESN’T /dʌznt/ are the negative forms.

I don't know. /aɪ dəʊnt nəʊ/

He doesn't work in a bank. /hi dʌznt ˈwɜːk ɪn ə bæŋk/

PHONETIC VALUE OF WRITTEN “R”

The “r” sound that we hear in English is the same as that of the Spanish word “pero”.

1) Final “r” is generally not pronounced:

This is my brother. /ðɪs ɪz maɪ brʌðə/

That is my sister. /ðæt ɪz maɪ sɪstə/

But:

We are adults, not children. /wɪ ɑːr ædʌlts, nɒt tʃɪldrən/

GENERAL RULES FOR PRIMARY AND MODAL AUXILIARIES VERBS

Even though the weak form is generally used with auxiliary verbs, there are some special

cases in which they are used in the strong form.

1) Verbs are used in the weak form when they are auxiliaries:

She has left already. /ʃɪ həz left ɔːlredɪ/

He had paid for it. /hɪ həd peɪd fər ɪt/

I have forgotten. /aɪ həv fəɡɒtn̩/

I could stay till later. /aɪ kəd steɪ tɪl leɪtə/

They can go now. /ðeɪ kən ɡəʊ naʊ/

2) They are used in the strong form:

a) We want to show an emphasis.

It does look nice. /ɪt dʌz lʊk naɪs/

b) We want to express a contrast.

I don’t know if he can or he can’t. /aɪ dəʊnt nəʊ ɪf hi kæn ɔː hi kɑːnt/

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c) When they are in final position.

It`s obvious that they both will. /ɪts ɒbvɪəs ðət ðeɪ bəʊθ wɪl/

d) They are used in the contracted negative form.

She hasn’t come to see me. /ʃɪ hæznt kʌm tə siː mɪ/

He wasn’t coming back. /hɪ wɒznt kʌmɪŋ bæk/

We shan’t pay for it. /wɪ ʃɑːnt peɪ fər ɪt/

e) They go at the end of a breath group.

Do you come with us? Yes, I do. /du ju kʌm wɪð ʌs?/ /jes, aɪ duː/

Can I stay home? Yes, you can. /kən aɪ steɪ həʊm/ /jes, ju kæn/

CAN /kæn/ /kən//kn/ CAN’T /kɑːnt/

1) The weak form is generally used.

I can go right now. /aɪ kən ɡəʊ raɪt naʊ/

2) The strong form is used:

f) For emphasis.

You can do it. /ju kæn duː ɪt/

g) Contrast.

I don’t know if he can or he can’t. /aɪ dəʊnt nəʊ ɪf hi kæn ɔː hi kɑːnt/

h) Final position in a sentence.

Let’s see if the others can. / lets siː ɪf ði ʌðəz kæn/

i) At the end of the breath group.

Can you go right now? Yes, I can. /kən jʊ ɡəʊ raɪt naʊ/ /jes, aɪ kæn/

SHOULD /ʃʊd/ /ʃəd/ /ʃd/ SHOULDN’T /ʃʊdnt/

1) The weak form is generally used.

When should it arrive? /wen ʃəd ɪt əraɪv/

I should go now. /aɪ ʃd ɡəʊ naʊ/

You should try to finish. /ju ʃəd traɪ tə fɪnɪʃ/

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2) The strong form is used:

a) To show emphasis, contrast or in final position.

He should have asked first. /hi ʃʊd həv ɑːskt fɜːst/

Don’t tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. /dəʊnt tel miː wɒt aɪ ʃʊd ɔː ʃʊdnt duː/

We both should. /wi bəʊθ ʃʊd/

b) When it expresses remote probability.

If the bus should come soon, we’ll go to the beach.

/ɪf ðə bʌs ʃʊd kʌm suːn/ /wɪl ɡəʊ tə ðə biːtʃ/

Should they insist, we’ll have to give in. /ʃʊd ðeɪ ɪnsɪst, wɪl hæv tə ɡɪv ɪn/

c) When it expresses duty.

They should do their work well. /ðeɪ ʃʊd duː ðeə wəːk wel/

I wonder what I should do. /aɪ wʌndə wɒt aɪ ʃʊd duː/

COULD /kʊd/ /kəd/ COULDN’T /kʊdnt/

1) The weak form is generally used.

He could have come earlier. /hɪ kəd həv kʌm əːlɪə/

2) The strong form is used:

a) For emphasis, contrast or sentence-final position.

You could be right. /ju kʊd bi raɪt/

Whether she could or not. /weðə ʃi kʊd ɔː nɒt/

As well as he could. /əz wel əz hi kʊd/

b) To denote possibility.

It could be true. /ɪt kʊd bɪ truː/

He couldn’t have become a liar. /hɪ kʊdnt həv bɪkʌm ə laɪə/

SHALL /ʃæl/ /ʃəl/ (OCCASIONALLY) /ʃl/ SHAN’T /ʃɑːnt/

1) The weak form is generally used.

 15

I shall go back there. /aɪ ʃəl ɡəu bæk ðeə/

What shall I do? /wɒt ʃl aɪ duː/

2) The strong form is used:

a) For strong insistence or prediction.

You should go to the ball, Cinderella. /ju ʃud ɡəʊ tə ðə bɔːl/ /sɪndərelə/

b) Command and determination not to obey.

You shall go! I shan’t! /juːʃəl ɡəʊ/ /aɪ ʃɑːnt/

c) In final position.

I sincerely hope we shall. /aɪ sɪnˈsɪəli həʊp wi ʃæl/

d) At the end of the breath group.

I said I shall. /aɪ sed aɪ ʃæl/

e) Asking for a command from the third person.

Shall he come with us? /ʃæl hɪ kʌm wɪð əs/

Shall he buy some? /ʃæl hɪ baɪ sʌm/

f) The contracted negative is /ʃɑːnt/

I shan’t be able to go there. /aɪ ʃɑːnt bɪ eɪbl̩ tə ɡəʊ ðeə/

She shan’t do anything of the kind. /ʃɪ duː eniθɪŋ əv ðə kaɪnd/

WILL/wɪl//wl//l/ WON’T /wəʊnt/

1) The weak form is generally used.

There’ll be more soon. /ðəl bi mɔː suːn/

Peter’ll ask and Jane will answer. /ˈpiːtə l ɑːsk ən dʒeɪn wl ɑːnsə/

2) The strong form is used:

a) To show habit, obstinacy or insistence.

He will come late. /hɪ wɪl̩ kʌm leɪt/

She will insist on seeing that. /ʃɪ wɪl̩ ɪnsɪst ɒn siːɪŋ ðæt/

He will ring up every day even if I’ve told him not to.

/hɪ wɪl̩ rɪŋ ʌp evrɪ deɪ iːvn̩ ɪf aɪv təʊld hɪm nɒt tuː/
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b) When beginning in questions.

Will you open the door? /wɪl̩ jʊ əʊpən ðə dɔː/

Will they come to dinner? /wɪl̩ ðeɪ kʌm tə dɪnə/

c) For emphasis.

I will do it. /aɪ wɪl duː ɪt/

d) In final position.

It`s obvious that they both will. /ɪts ɒbvɪəs ðət ðeɪ bəʊθ wɪl/

e) For contrast.

I don’t know if I will or not. /aɪ dəʊnt nəʊ ɪf aɪ wɪl ɔː nɒt/

MUST /mʌst/ / məst/ /məs/ MUSTN’T /mʌsnt/

1) The weak form is generally used.

a) /məs/ before a consonant.

b) /məst/ before a vowel or /j/.

Must I sign this? /məst aɪ saɪn ðɪs/

You must be joking! /ju məs bi dʒəʊkɪŋ/

Each of us must buy some. /iːtʃ əv əs məs baɪ sʌm/

You must always look first. /ju məst ɔːlweɪz lʊk fɜːst/

2) The strong form is used:

a) To show supposition, to make deductions.

If he’s late, he must be ill. /ɪf hiz leɪt/ /hi mʌst bi ɪl/

b) In final position.

Indeed, you must. /ɪndiːd/ /ju mʌst/

c) At the end of the breath group.

We mustn’t allow it, must we? /wi mʌsnt əlaʊ ɪt/ /mʌst wi/

d) To show obligation.

You must try harder. /ju mʌst traɪ hɑːdə/

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WOULD /wʊd/ /wəd/ /əd/ /d/ WOULDN’T /wʊdnt/

1) The weak form is generally used.

John would do it. /dʒɒn wəd duː ɪt/

I’d do it. /aɪd duː ɪt/

We’d love to go. /wiːd lʌv tə ɡəʊ/

2) The strong form is used:

a) When asking for a favour.

If you would shut the window, it’ll be warmer. /ɪf jʊ wʊd ʃʌt ðə wɪndəʊ, ɪtl̩ biː wɔːmə/

I would be happy if you helped me. /aɪ wʊd bɪ hæpɪ ɪf jʊ helpt mɪ/

b) In final position.

I knew she would. /aɪ njuː ʃi wʊd/

Who do you think would? /huː də ju θɪŋk wʊd/

c) For contrast.

I don’t know if he would or he wouldn’t. /aɪ dəʊnt nəʊ ɪf hi wʊd ɔː hi wʊdnt/

d) For emphasis.

I certainly would. /aɪ sɜːtnli wʊd/

That would be nice. /ðæt wʊd bi naɪs/

I would if I could. /aɪ wʊd ɪf aɪ kʊd/

e) At the end of the breath group.

f) When expressing something characteristic of a person or thing (habit).

He would go on doing that. /hɪ wʊd ɡəʊ ɒn duːɪŋ ðæt/

My car would stop on the road. /maɪ kɑː wʊd stɒp ɒn ðə rəʊd/

ARTICLES

1) The definite article “the” has three different phonetic values:

a) /ðə/ before a consonant.

The car. /ðə kɑː/

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b) /ðɪ/ before a vowel.

The umbrella. /ðɪ ʌmˈbrelə/

c)/ðiː/ to emphasize the article or to show contrast.

It was the party of the season. /ɪt wəz ðiː pɑːtɪ əv ðə siːzn/

d) Sometimes when the following word begins with short /ɪ/, the article is pronounced

/ðiː/.

The ink /ðiː ɪŋk/ The Indians /ðiː ɪndjənz/

2) The indefinite article “a” (used before consonant sounds) has two different phonetic

values:

a) /eɪ/ when stressed.

b) /ə/ when unstressed.

I don’t want a pen. I want a pencil. /aɪ dɔʊnt wɔnt ə pen aɪ wɔnt eɪ pensl/

3) The indefinite article “an” (used before vowel sounds) has two different phonetic

values:

a) /æn/ when stressed.

b) /ən/ when unstressed.

I said I want an apple not an orange. /aɪ sed aɪ wɔnt æn æpl nɔt ən ɔrɪndʒ/

Give me an orange, please. /gɪv mɪ ən ɔrɪndʒ, pliːz/

4) Articles are used in the strong forms when they are the subject to a verb.

“The” is a definite article. /ðiː ɪz ə defɪnɪt ɑːtɪkl/

“A” is an indefinite article. /eɪ ɪz ən ɪndefɪnɪt ɑːtɪkl/

PREPOSITIONS

AT/æt/ /ət/ FOR /fɔː(r)/ /fə(r)

OF /ɒv/ /əv/ FROM /frɒm/ /frəm/

TO /tuː/ tu/ /tə/ UPON /əpɒn/ /əpən/

1) Prepositions are used in the strong forms:

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a) At the end of the breath group.

b) When followed by a weak stressed word.

c) When placed before a pause.

d) To show contrast.

e) To show emphasis.

f) In sentence-initial and sentence-final position.

What are you looking at? /wɒt ə ju lʊkɪŋ æt/

Who are you working for? /huː ə ju wəːkɪŋ fɔː/

Upon my word, sir. /əpɒn maɪ wəːd, səː/

Where do you come from? /weə də ju kʌm frɒm/

2) Elsewhere the weak forms are used.

Look at that girl! /lʊk ət ðət ɡɜːl/

He’s the best of all. /hiːz ðə best əv ɔːl/

I’m working for John. /aɪm wəːkɪŋ fə dʒɒn/

One upon the other. /wʌn əpən ðɪ ʌðə/

TO /tuː/ /tu/ /tə/

1) The general rule is to pronounce the weak forms:

a) /tu/ before vowels and “w”.

b) /tə/ before consonants other than “w”.

c) /tu/ is also pronounced finally; i.e. at the end of the sentence.

Where are you going to? /weər ə ju ɡəʊɪŋ tuː(tu)/

Going to London. /ɡəʊɪŋ tə lʌndən/

She looked up to smile. /ʃi lʊkt ʌp tə smaɪl/

2) The strong form /tuː/:

a) It is found in expressions such as:

To and fro. /tuː ən frəʊ/

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b) It is also used contrastively.

The letter was to him, not from him. /ðə letə wəz tuː hɪm/ /nɒt frɒm hɪm/

3) /tuː/ is sometimes found in final positions, though the /tu/ form is more often

used in this context.

I don’t want to. /aɪ dəʊnt wɒnt tu/

INTO /ɪntuː/ /ɪntu/ /ɪntə/

1) The strong form /ɪntuː/ is sometimes used in final position.

That’s the wall he walked into. /ðæts ðə wɔːl hɪ wɔːkt ɪntuː/

2) The weak form /ɪntu/ is used before vowels and “w”.

Into action. /ɪntu ækʃən/

3) The weak form /ɪntə/ before consonants.

Into debt. /ɪntə det/

4) When two prepositions are placed together, the first one goes in the strong form.

They went on into the world. /ðeɪ went ɒn ɪntə ðə wəːld/

MISCELLANEOUS WORDS

AND/æn(d)/ /ən(d)/ / /n/

1) The strong form /æn(d)/ is used:

a) For contrast, emphasis, when it is between two pauses and also, before a vowel.

He looked up, and, turning back… /hɪ lʊkt ʌp, æn, təːnɪŋ back…/

He looked up, and, opening the door… /hɪ lʊkt ʌp, ænd, əʊpənɪŋ ðə dɔː…/

b) At the beginning of the breath group.

And they all lived happily. /æn ðeɪ ɔːl lɪvd hæpɪlɪ/

2) The weak form is the most used:

a) /ənd/ before a vowel.

Three and eight. /θriː ənd eɪt/

b) /ən/ before a consonant.

 21

Weak and strong forms. /wiːk ən strɒŋ fɔːmz/

c) /n/ sometimes occurs between two consonants but this happens only in very quick

speech.

Bread and butter. /bred ən (n) bʌtə/

Cut and dried. /kʌt ən (n) draɪd/

THAT /ðæt/ /ðət/

1) It goes in the strong form when it is a demonstrative pronoun.

Is that the house you are building? /ɪz ðæt ðə haʊs jʊ ə bɪldɪŋ/

2) In all the other cases, as a conjunction and a relative pronoun, it goes in the weak

form because the strong form is rarely used.

I found that I was wrong. /aɪ faʊnd ðət aɪ wəz rɒŋ/

The book that was on my desk. /ðə bʊk ðət wəz ɒn maɪ desk/

AS /æz/ /əz/

1) When it is used in the expressions of comparisons, it goes in the weak form.

She is as tall as I am. /ʃɪ ɪz əz tɔːl əz aɪ æm/

2) Otherwise it goes in the strong form.

As I was telling her... /æz aɪ wəz telɪŋ hə.../

As John was told. /æz dʒɒn wəz təʊld/

What’s he acting as? /wɒts hi æktɪŋ æz/

SOME /sʌm/ /səm/ /sm/

There are two grammatical functions for this word, one being the determiner, as in

“some apples, some bananas”, etc., where a weak form is used; the other being a

quantifier, as in “some were tired and some were hungry”, where the strong form is

usual. In final position, the strong form is also used “I want some”.

1) It goes in the strong form when:

a) It means “a few”.

I left some books at home. /aɪ left sʌm bʊks ət həʊm/

 22

b) It means “a little number or a little quantity”.

I want some stamps. /aɪ wɒnt sʌm stæmps/

Give me some bread. /ɡɪv mɪ sʌm bred/

May I have some paper? /meɪ aɪ hæv sʌm peɪpə/

May I have some more tea? /meɪ aɪ hæv sʌm mɔː tiː/

c) It means “certain, but not all”.

I don’t like it but some people do. /aɪ dəʊnt laɪk ɪt bət sʌm piːpl̩ duː/

Some of the boys were early and some were late.

/sʌm əv ðə bɔɪz wəːr əːlɪ ən sʌm wəː leɪt/

d) It means “a particular person or thing either unknown or unspecified”.

Can you give me some idea of what he said? /kən jʊ ɡɪv mɪ sʌm aɪdɪə əv wɒt hɪ sed/

e) It is used as a pronoun.

Take some of mine. /teɪk sʌm əv maɪn/

They brought some. /ðeɪ brɔːt sʌm/

Don’t buy some of those. /dəʊnt baɪ sʌm əv ðəʊz/

2) It goes in the weak form when:

a) It means “a little”.

Give me some milk. /ɡɪv miː səm mɪlk/

I want some water to drink. /aɪ wɒnt səm wɔːtə tə drɪŋk/

b) It means “any amount or number” or “an indefinite amount”.

I had some trouble over it. /aɪ hæd səm trʌbl̩ əʊvər ɪt/

He walked along with some people. /hɪ wɔːkt əlɒŋ wɪð səm piːpl̩/

Have some more. /həv s(ə)m mɔː/

I’ve got some friends coming. /aɪv ɡɒt s(ə)m frendz kʌmɪŋ/

OR /ɔː/ /ɔː(r)/ /ə/ /ə(r)/

1) The strong form is normally used.

2) The weak form is occasionally used in phrases such as:

 23

Two or three more. /tuː ə θriː mɔː/

BUT /bʌt//bət/

1) The strong form is used contrastively, for emphasis and in final-sentence position.

Rain? Nothing but rain! /reɪn/ /nʌθɪŋ bʌt reɪn/

2) The weak form is generally used.

Poor but proud. /pʊə (pɔː) bət praʊd |

THAN /ðæn/ /ðən/

3) The strong form is rarely used.

Better? Who’s he better than? /betə/ /huːz hi betə ðæn/

4) The weak form is occasionally used in phrases such as:

More than that. /mɔː ðən ðæt/

THERE /ðeə/ /ðeər//ðə/ /ðər/

1) The weak forms occur only when “there” is used existentially as in there is, there

are, there was, there won’t be, etc.

There’s a dog in the garden. /ðəz ə dɒɡ ɪn ðə ɡɑːdn̩/ (WEAK FORM)

There’s a dog in the garden. /ðeəz ə dɒɡ ɪn ðə ɡɑːdn̩/ (STRONG FORM)

There are five apples on the table. /ðər ə faɪv æpl̩z ɒn ðə teɪbl̩/

There was an apple in the fridge. /ðə wəz ənd æpl̩ ɪn ðə frɪdʒ/

There were ten students at school. /ðə wə ten stjuːdnts ət skuːl/

2) The strong form is the normal pronunciation for “there” as a placed adverbial.

They now go there. /ðeɪ naʊ ɡəʊ ðeə/

She offered the job and he accepted there and then.

/ʃɪ ɒfəd hɪm ðə dʒɒb ənd hɪ əkseptɪd ðeər ən ðen/

YOUR /jɔː(r)/ /juə(r)/ /jə(r)/

1) The strong form is usually used for emphasis or contrast.

It’s your fault. /ɪts jɔː fɔːlt/

With your look and my brains. /wɪð jɔː lʊk ən maɪ breɪnz/
 24

2) The weak form is /jə/ before consonants and /jər/before vowels.

Take your time. /teɪk jə taɪm/

On your own. /ɒn jər əʊn/

Make up your mind. /meɪk ʌp jə maɪnd/

VERB STRONG FORM WEAK FORM

Am /æm/ /əm/ /m/
Are /ɑː/ /ɑːr/ /ə/ /ər/ /r/
Be /biː/ /bɪ/
Been /biːn/ /bɪn/
Can /kæn/ /kən/
Could /kʊd/ /kəd/
Do (Aux.) /duː/ /dʊ/ /də/ /d/
Does (Aux.) /dʌz/ /dəz/
Has (Aux.) /hæz/ /həz/ /z/
Have (Aux.) /hæv/ /həv/ /v/
Must /mʌst/ /məst/
Shall /ʃæl/ /ʃəl/ /ʃl/
Should /ʃʊd/ /ʃəd/ /ʃd/
Was /wɒz/ /wəz/
Were /wəː/ /wəːr/ /wə/ /wər/
Will /wɪl/ /l/
Would /wʊd/ /wəd/ /d/
Is /ɪz/ /z/
Had /hæd/ /həd/ /d//

REFERENCES
 25

García Lecumberri, M. L. & J. Maidment (2000). English transcription course. London:

Arnold.

Gimson, A. C. & Cruttenden, A. (2001). Gimson’s pronunciation of English. London:

Edward Arnold.

Jones, D. (1956). An Outline Of English Phonetics. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

Jones, D. (2003). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

Kenworthy, J. (1987). Teaching English pronunciation. Harlow: Longman Group UK

Limited.

Knowles, G. (1987). Patterns of spoken English. Harlow: Longman Group UK Limited.

Roach, P. (2000). English phonetics and phonology: a practical course. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.

Roach, P., J. Hartman & J. Setter (2006) English pronouncing dictionary. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.

Wells, J. C. (2008). Longman pronunciation dictionary. Harlow: Longman Group UK

Limited.