Strong and weak forms

Words	Strong Forms	Weak Forms (quantitative reduc­tion, qualitative reduction, elision of sounds)	Examples
Articles the	ði:	ðə + consonant	glʊk ət  ðə ╲bʊk
		ði･, ði, ðI  + vowel	aIl gteIk  ðI Ig ╲zæm
a	eI + C	ə + С	hIəz ə ╲letə
an	æn + V	æn + V	hIəz æn ╲æpl
Prepositions at	æt	ət	ət ╲həʊm
from	frɒm	frəm	frəm ╲lLndən
of	ɒv	əv, v	ə  gʤLg  əv ╲mIlk
to	tu:	tə + C	gspi:k  tə ðə ╲di:n
		tu･, tʊ + V	gkLm tʊ  ə  kən╲klu:ʒn
into	Intu:	Intə + C	gkLm  Intʊ  ðə ╲ru:m
		Intʊ + V	gpʊt   It  Intʊ   ə ╲bɒks
for	fɔ: + C	fə + C	gkLm  fə ╲ti:
	fɔ:r + V	fər + V	gkLm  fər ə  ╲tɔ:k
Pronouns you	ju:	ju･,  ju, jʊ	ju ə ╲raIt
he	hi:	hi･, hi, hI	hIz ╲fri:
she	ʃi:	ʃi･,  ʃi,  ʃI	ʃIz  ╲prItI
we	wi:	wi･,  wi,  wI	wI  ə╲gri:
me	mi:	mi･,  mi,  mI	glet mI ╲si:
her	hɜ: + C	hɜ･, hə, ə + C	gnIkz  hə ╲sLn
	hɜ:r + V	hər, ər + V	gtel hər  ╲ɔ:l
his	hIz	Iz	aI glaIk  Iz ╲feIs
him	hIm	Im	gsend  Im ə ╲wɜ:d
us	Ls	əs, s	gli:v  əs In ╲pi:s
them	ðem	ðəm,  əm	gɑ:sk  ðəm tə ╲du: It
your	jɔ: + C	jɔ･,  jɔ, jə + C	ghIəz jə ╲hæt
	jɔ:r + V	jɔ･r,  jɔr, jər + V	aIm  jər gəʊld ╲frend
our	aʊə + C	aə + C	gbraʊnz  aə ╲neIbə
	aʊər + V	aər + V	hIz  aər gəʊld ╲frend
Verbs be	bi:	bi･,  bi,  bI	gdəʊnt bI ╲nɔ:tI
been	bi:n	bi･n, bin, bIn	aIv  bIn ╲qIŋkIŋ
am	æm	m – after I,  əm	aIm ╲taIəd
are	ɑ: + C	ɑ･, ə + C	jʊə ╲leIt
	ɑ:r + V	ɑ･r, ər + V	jʊər  ə╲ləʊn
is	ɪz	z – after voiced consonants and vowels	gweəz ╲nɪk
		s – after voiceless consonants	gðæts╲ raɪt
		ɪz – after s, z,  ʃ, ʒ tʃ, dʒ	ðə ghaʊs ɪz ╲lɑ:dʒ
was	wɒz	wəz	gwɒt wəz ╲rɒŋ
were	wɜ: + C	wɜ･,  wɜ,  wə + C	ðə gtri:z wə ╲gri:n
	wɜ:r + V	wɜ･r,  wɜr,  wər + V	ðə gbɔɪz wər ╲ɒnɪst
have	hæv	həv, əv, v – after personal pronouns	ðə gkɑ:z əv ╲stɒpt
has	hæz	həz, əz, z – after voiced consonants and vowels s – after voiceless consonants	ðə gdɒktə həz ╲kʌm
had	hæd	həd, əd, d – after personal pronouns	mnɪk həd ˈfɪnɪʃt ɪt baɪ ╲faɪv
can	kæn	kən, kn	ðeɪ kən ╲steɪ
could	kʊd	kəd, kd	ðeɪ kən ╲fəʊn
must	mʌst	məst, məs	aɪ məst ╲wɔ:n ɪm
will	wɪl	l	ðeɪl ə╲gri:
would	wʊd	wəd, əd, d – after personal pronouns	ðə ggɜ:l wəd ╲steɪ
shall	ʃæl	ʃəl, ʃl – after personal pronouns	wɪ ʃəl ╲wɜ:k
should	ʃʊd	ʃəd, ʃd – after personal pronouns	aɪ ʃəd glaɪk tə ╲steɪ
do	du:	du･,  du, dʊ, də	gwɒt də ðeɪ ╲nəʊ
does	dʌz	dəz	gwen dəz ɪ ╲kʌm
Conjunctions and	ænd	ənd, ən, n	beɪkn ənd ╲egz
but	bʌt	bət	bət gwaɪ ╲nɒt
that	ðæt	ðət	jʊ gnəʊ ðət jʊə ╲rɒŋ
than	ðæn	ðən, ðn	ɪts gwɔ:mə ðən ╲jestədɪ
as	æz	əz	əz gsu:n əz ╲pɒsɪbl
or	ɔ: + C	ɔ･, ɔ, ə + C	gred ɔ ╲waɪt
	ɔ:r + V	ɔ･r, ɔr, ər + V	gtɒm ɔr ╲æn
Particles to	tu:	tə + C	gtraɪ tə ╲du: ɪt
		tʊ + V	gtraɪ tʊ ╲i:t ɪt
there	ðeə	ðə + C	ðə wə ╲letəz
		ðər + V	ðər ə ╲tʃɪldrən

С — consonant; V — vowel

The weak forms of the words listed in the table should be used in unstressed positions.

The strong forms of auxiliary and modal verbs, personal and possessive pronouns and form-words are by far more rarely used. They are used in their strong forms when they are said in isolation, when they become the communicative centres of utter­ances. The following cases should be also remembered as the traditional use of strong forms in the English language.

Prepositions have their strong forms though they might re­main unstressed:

(a)  at the very end of an intonation group or phrase, eg

What are you looking at? [gwɒt ə jʊ _╲lʊkɪŋ æt].

(b)  at the end of an intonation group or phrase when they are followed by the unstressed pronoun. Monosyllabic prepositions are either stressed or not, according to the rhythmic pattern of the phrase, eg

I'm not talking to you.[ aɪm gnɒt _╲tɔ:kɪŋ tu: jʊ]

                             but: [aɪm ^mnɒt _ˈtɔ:kɪŋ tə _╲ju:]

Polysyllabic prepositions followed by a pronoun at the end of a phrase are stressed as a rule, eg

Have a look under it. [^mhæv ə _ˈlʊk _╲ʌndər ɪt].

Auxiliary and modal verbs have their strong forms:

(a)            at the end of an intonation group or a phrase whether stressed or not, eg

Who has done it? — Mary has. [_╲meərɪ hæz].

Are you free? — I am. [aɪ _╲æm].

(b)            At the beginning of general and alternative questions in careful colloquial style, while in rapid colloquial style they are unstressed and reduced, eg

Can you get it by tomorrow? [^mkæn jʊ _ˈget ɪt baɪ tə_╲mɒrəʊ],

but: Have you got any matches? [həv jʊ ggɒt enɪ _╲mætʃɪz].

(c)            In contracted negative forms, eg

1 don’t know the man. [aɪ gdəʊnt _╲nəʊ ðə mæn].

The following form-words should be remembered as having no weak forms whatsoever: what, where, when, how, which, on, in, with, then.

The verb to   have used as a content  verb in   the meaning  of

‘to possess’ has  no weak forms (whether stressed or not) though

often unstressed, eg

I have a little brother [aɪ hæv ə glɪtl _╲brʌðə].

The demonstrative pronoun that is never reduced while the conjunction that is, eg

I know that [aɪ _╲nəʊ ðæt],

but: I know that he is here. [aɪ gnəʊ ðət hɪz _╲hɪə].

Neither are reduced the absolute forms of possessive pro­nouns, eg.

The ball-реп is mine. [ðə gbɔ:l pen ɪz _╲maɪn].

All the form-words, auxiliary and modal verbs, personal and possessive pronouns are generally stressed and consequently have their strong forms in case they become the logical centres of phrases, eg

I’m speaking of your work, not of your sister’s. [aɪm gspi:kɪŋ əv _╲jɔ: wɜ:k | gnɒt əv jə _╲sɪstəz]