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Strong and Weak Forms Practice + Key

This document provides a transcript and analysis of a conversation in phonetics. It examines words in bold to determine if they are pronounced with strong or weak forms. The analysis finds that pronouns, auxiliary verbs, articles, and prepositions are usually weak unless they are contrastive or emphatic. Demonstrative pronouns, verbs, and adjectives highlighting contrast are pronounced with strong forms. The document helps explain how to identify strong and weak forms in spoken English.

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Marco Michienzi
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466 views

Strong and Weak Forms Practice + Key

This document provides a transcript and analysis of a conversation in phonetics. It examines words in bold to determine if they are pronounced with strong or weak forms. The analysis finds that pronouns, auxiliary verbs, articles, and prepositions are usually weak unless they are contrastive or emphatic. Demonstrative pronouns, verbs, and adjectives highlighting contrast are pronounced with strong forms. The document helps explain how to identify strong and weak forms in spoken English.

Uploaded by

Marco Michienzi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Prá cti ca s Discursivas de la Ora lidad I – UNPAZ

Prof. Ma rco Mi chi enzi

STRONG AND WEAK FORMS - Practice


1) Read the following conversation and transcribe it into phonetics.
2) Have a look at the words in bold. Are they weak or strong? Account for your
answers.

A: 1Do you remember Jerry Lucas? 2He left school with hardly any qualifications.
B: Yes. What about him?

A: 3He’s lost his job. He’s out of work.


B: Poor, Jerry. 4That’s bad luck. What happened?

A: 5The enterprise he 6was working 7for went out 8of business. 9There 10was nothing he
could 11do.

B: How awful! What’s he going 12to do?


A: Well, he says 13that he wants to start his own business. But you know it’s not so easy…

B: What would you do if 14 you lost 15your job? I think I might try 16and do further studies.
A: Mmm... I think I’d probably travel round the world. After 17that, I think I’d try and set
up my own, as well. If I came back 18from my travels, 19 of course!
KEY

/eɪ / / 1 du ju rɪˈmembə ˈʤeri ˈluːkəs / / 2 hi left skuːl wɪð ˈhɑːdli ˈeni ˌkwɒlɪfɪˈkeɪʃənz /

/bi:/ / jes//wɒt əˈbaʊt hɪm /

/eɪ / /3 hiz lɒst ɪz ʤɒb / / hiz aʊt əv wɜːk/

/bi:/ /pɔ: ˈʤeri / / 4 ðæts bæd lʌk / / wɒt ˈhæpənd /

/eɪ/ /5 ði ˈentəpraɪz hi 6 wəz ˈwɜːkɪŋ 7 fɔː went aʊt 8 əv ˈbɪznɪs /

/9 ðə 10wəz ˈnʌθɪŋ hi kəd 11 duː/

/bi:/ /haʊ ˈɔːfʊl / /wɒts hi ˈgəʊɪŋ 12 tə duː /

/eɪ / /wel / /hi sez 13 ðət hi wɒnts tə stɑːt hɪz əʊn ˈbɪznɪs / /bət ju nəʊ ɪts nɒt səʊ ˈiːzi /

/bi:/ /wɒt wʊd ju duː ɪf 14 ju lɒst 15 jɔː ʤɒb / /aɪ θɪŋk aɪ maɪt traɪ 16 ənd duː ˈfɜːðə ˈstʌdiz /

/eɪ/ /m/ /aɪ θɪŋk aɪd ˈprɒbəbli ˈtrævl raʊnd ðə wɜːld/ /ˈɑːftə 17 ðæt/ aɪ θɪŋk aɪd traɪ ənd

set ʌp maɪ əʊn / əz wel / / ɪf aɪ keɪm bæk 18 frəm maɪ ˈtrævlz, 19 əf kɔːs /

1) Initially in questions, “do” can either be strong or weak.

2) Pronouns are usually weak. There’s neither contrast nor emphasis, so this requires

the default form.

3) Idem 2).

4) “That” here is a demonstrative pronoun and is therefore strong.

5) As it is not accented, the definite article is weak. What’s more, as followed by a

vowel sound, it takes the prevocalic form /i/.

6) Auxiliary for the progressive aspect: weak.

7) The preposition is in exposed position and therefore strong. The object

complement of the verb and preposition working for (the enterprise) is stranded.

8) Neither contrastive nor emphatic: weak.

9) Existential “there”. Always weak.


10) Main verb to be: weak.

11) Main verb: strong.

12) Default form: weak. No contrast, no emphasis and no stranding process.

13) Conjunction preceding a noun clause. It’s weak.

14) If not accented, the pronoun must be weak. However, if the purpose was to

highlight the contrastive construction, it could be strong.

15) As the speaker is trying to convey contrast (your job vs. his job), the adjective is

accented and therefore strong.

16) Neither accented nor contrastive: weak.

17) Demonstrative pronoun: strong.

18) Not stranded neither exposed: weak.

19) Neither contrastive nor emphatic: weak.

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