List-Weak and strong forms

WEAK AND STRONG FORMS

Compare the pronunciation of at in the following two sentences:

I got up at / Ət/ six o'clock.

What are you looking at /æt /?

In the first sentence, at is not stressed (prepositions, conjunctions, articles, pronouns and auxiliary verbs are not usually stressed). In the second example, at is at the end of the sentence, in a more important position, and so has the stressed pronunciation /ćt/.

There are around fifty words like at, which have two pronunciations: a 'strong form', in which the vowel is generally pronounced as it is written, and a 'weak form', in which the vowel is pronounced with /e/ or /ɪ/. The weak form is much more common than the other; the strong form is only used if the word is specially stressed for some reason. Compare:

I was late. /wƏz/

It was raining. /wƏz/

Yes, I was. /wɒz/

I must go now. /mƏs(t)/

I really must stop smoking. /mʌst/

Where have you been? /Əv/

You should have told me. /Əv/

We usually have dinner at eight. /hæv/ (Have is the main verb in this sentence.)

Note that the contracted negative always has a strong pronunciation.

can't /kɑːnt/ (US: /kænt/ )

mustn't /'mʌsnt/

wasn't /'wɒznt/

The most important words which have strong and weak forms are:

strong form weak form

a /eɪ/ (unusual) / Ə/

am /æm/ /Əm/

an /æn/ (unusual) /Ən/

and /ænd/ /Ənd, Ən/

are /ɑː(r)/ /Ə(r)/

as /æz/ /Əz/

at /æt/ /Ət/

be /biː/ /bɪ/

been /biːn/ /bɪn/

but /bʌt/ /bƏt/

can /kæn/ /kƏn/

could /kʊd/ /kƏd/

do /duː/ /dƏ/

does /dʌz/ /dƏz/

for /fɔː(r)/ /fƏ(r)/

from /frɒm/ /frƏm/

had /hæd/ /hƏd, Əd/

has /hæz/ /hƏz, Əz/

have /hæv/ /hƏv, Əv/

he /hiː/ /hɪ, ɪ/

her /hɜː(r)/ /hƏ(r), Ə(r)/

him /hɪm/ /ɪm/

his /hɪz/ /ɪz/

is /ɪz/ /z,s/

must /mʌst/ /mƏst, mƏs/

not /nɒt/ /nt/

of /ɒv/ /Əv/

our /'aʊƏ(r)/ /ɑː(r)/

Saint /seɪnt/ /sƏnt/ (GB only )

shall /ʃæl/ /ʃƏl/

she /ʃiː/ /ʃɪ/

should /ʃʊd/ /ʃƏd/

sir /sɜː(r)/ /sƏ(r)/

some /sʌm/ /sƏm/

than /ðæn/ /ðƏn/

that (conj) /ðæt/ /ðƏt/

the /ðiː/ /ðƏ, ðɪ/

them /ðƏm/ /ðƏm/

there /ðeƏ(r)/ /ðƏ(r)/

to /tuː/ /tƏ/

us /ʌs/ /Əs/

was /wɒz/ /wƏz/

we /wiː/ /wɪ/

were /wɜː(r)/ /wƏ(r)/

who /huː/ /hʊ/

would /wʊd/ /wƏd, Əd/

will /wɪl/ /Əl, l/

you /juː/ /jʊ/

your /jɔː(r)/ /jƏ(r)/

From: Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, Oxford University Press, 1980