ELT365 · Day 162 — Weak forms and the schwa

Idea — Many grammar words (to, of, was, for, can) are unstressed and reduce to a schwa in connected speech. Hearing the weak form, not the dictionary form, is a real listening obstacle.

Example — "I was at home" sounds like "I wuz at home"; learners listening for a clear "was" miss it.

Try — Pick a sentence with three grammar words. Read it naturally and ask learners which words "shrank" — then show why.

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