Rules for "a" and "the"

When and why do we say "a" differently and "the" differently? (long a or short u sound for "a" and the with long e sound and the with short u sound)

[fiona bramble]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

When and why do we say "a" differently and "the" differently? (long a or short u sound for "a" and the with long e sound and the with short u sound)

“THE”: Before a vowel sound, THE is usually pronounced /ðі/ but /ðə/ before a

consonant sound. In very fast speech, native speakers sometimes use /ðə/ regardless of

a following vowel sound.

“A”:A is usually pronounced /æ/ but can be pronounced /ey/ when intentionally

stressed. In a sentence, A is often linked to the preceding sound and becomes an

unstressed /ə/.

“AN”: AN is pronounced /æn/ and links to the following vowel sound. AN can be

pronounced /ən/ if also linked to a preceding sound.


Sorry, I pasted this from my own notes, so the font & spacing is funky. Hope it helps though
Fiona