Lecture 10

STRONG FORM AND WEAK FORM

 Contents
1. Strong form and weak form
2. Exercises
Look and mark stress on the following sentences.

Where are you from?

I’m from London.

Look and mark stress on the following sentences.

Are they from Italy?

Yes, they are.

Strong form & Weak form
Some words have two pronunciations.
E.g.:

Weak form Strong form

from

are
Strong form & Weak form
• Strong forms: stressed forms
• Weak forms: unstressed forms
E.g.: I like that.

The man that I saw yesterday is mysterious.

The importance of learning weak form
 How are strong forms changed into weak forms?
Words Strong form Weak form Examples
a [ ei ] [ə] We’ve got a dog.
an [æn ] [ən ] Take an apple.
her [hɜːr] [hə ] [ɜːr] [ ə ] What’s her name?
his [hiz ] [iz ] John had his haircut.
some [sʌm ] [sm ] [səm ] Get me some water.
your [jɔ:] [jə ] Take your time.
him [ him ] [ im ] Give him a pen.
do [ du: ] [ də ] [ d ] What do you do on Sundays?
 Cases of using strong forms
• The strong forms are used in the following
cases:
1. When we pronounce the words alone

2. When the word is stressed/ emphasized

✔ They don’t believe, do they?

✔ You must choose us or them.

 Strong form
3. When the word is at the end of a sense
group or a sentence, even when they are
unstressed.
✔Who is on duty today? I am.
✔Who’s got? Jane has.
✔What are you looking at?

✔Where did you get it from?

 Strong form
4. Prepositions may have their strong
forms when

E.g.: I am waiting for you.

 Strong form
5. SOME
✔“Some” (indefinite pronoun ): “a certain quantity”
E.g.: some of us
✔“Some” (adj): “certain”
E.g.: For some reason she is absent today.

✔“Some” (adj): in contrast to “others”

E.g.: Some people like it, but others don’t.
 Strong form
6. When a weak form word is being
cited or quoted.
E.g.:
You should not put “and” at the end
of a sentence.
 Weak forms
A weak form of a word is generally
distinguished from a strong form:
✔by
✔by
✔by
The weak form has /ə / in it, whereas the
strong form contains some other vowel.
E.g.:
 Weak forms
The weak form can be classified into
5 groups:
 Weak forms
A few words with /i:/ in the strong form
have a weak form with /i/
E.g.:
the
“the other end”
 SOME COMMON WEAK-STRONG FORM WORDS

Weak form Strong form

1. The /δə/, /δi/ Shut the door! /δi:/
2. A /ə/ before consonants Read a book. /ei/, /a:/
3. An / ən/ before vowels Eat an apple. /æn/
4. At /ət/ I’ll see you at lunch. /æt/
5. For /fə/ : before consonants / fər/: before vowels /fɔ:/
6. From /frəm/ I am from Vietnam. /frɒm/
7. To /tə/ /tu:/
8. Can /kən/ /kæn/
9. Must /məst/ /mʌst/
10. Do /də/ before consonants /du:/: before vowels
 Exercise 1:
Look at the underlined words in following sentences
and say if they are strong forms or weak forms?
1. Are you ready?
2. Yes, I am.
3. Can you play tennis?
4. Not now, I could when I was younger.
5. Who was that?
6. You can stay here if you like.
 Exercise 1:
Look at the underlined words in following sentences
and say if they are strong forms or weak forms?

7. There's a bridge over the river.

8. A cup of coffee, please.
9. A piece of cake, please.
10. An invitation to the party
Exercise 2: Transcribe the underlined
words in following sentences.
1. Are you ready? - Yes, I am.
2. Can you play tennis? - Not now,
I could when I was younger.
3. Are you coming?
4. Who was that?
5. You can stay here if you like.
6. There's a bridge over the river.
7. There are ten millimeters in a centimeter.
8. Where are my glasses? - Over there.
Exercise 2: Transcribe the underlined words
in following sentences.
9. The new computer is better than the old
one.
10. The old computer
wasn't as good as the new one.
11. “It was too difficult for them to read.”
12. “Where've you been all day?”
13. “What are you looking for?”
14. He's already gone to work.
15. She comes from Scotland.
Exercise 2: Transcribe the underlined words
in following sentences.
16. There's a bus to the village at six, but there's no
bus back from there tonight.
17. Tell him to go.
18. I would like some fish and chips.
19. I'll give it to him later.
20. She's leaving tomorrow.
21. A: Will you be at the meeting on Friday?
B: Yes. Will you be there?
22. A: Look! It's him.
B: Where? I can't see him.