-
Indefinite article "a"
Which are the possible weak forms of the indefinite article "a"?
Thank you.
-
Re: Indefinite article "a"

Originally Posted by
Tabeta
Which are the possible weak forms of the indefinite article "a"?
Thank you.
99.9999% of the time, the indefinite article is used in the weak form. The only time you'd give it the strong pronunciation (to rhyme with "train") would be when you want to stress the fact that you meant "one", not "more than one."
For instance, you ask your grandson to give you a chocolate.
He comes running up with a handful of chocolates: "I asked you to give me A chocolate, not a whole handful!"
-
Re: Indefinite article "a"

Originally Posted by
naomimalan
99.9999% of the time, the indefinite article is used in the weak form. The only time you'd give it the strong pronunciation (to rhyme with "train") would be when you want to stress the fact that you meant "one", not "more than one."
For instance, you ask your grandson to give you a chocolate.
He comes running up with a handful of chocolates: "I asked you to give me A chocolate, not a whole handful!"
I think that figure is a slight exaggeration.
Another common situation in which it's used is when you're ordering something, and you haven't quite made up your mind. You might say "Let's have a ..." with a strong a.
Another situation is when someone is speaking a sentence slowly for emphasis: "You ... are ... a ... bad ... boy".
Similar Threads
-
By Mister Nutty in forum Ask a Teacher
Replies: 1
Last Post: 07-Nov-2008, 22:12
-
By snade17 in forum Ask a Teacher
Replies: 2
Last Post: 19-Feb-2008, 13:46
-
By nyggus in forum Ask a Teacher
Replies: 3
Last Post: 29-Oct-2007, 13:29
-
By Jesule in forum Ask a Teacher
Replies: 1
Last Post: 20-Jun-2006, 17:13
-
By nyggus in forum Ask a Teacher
Replies: 1
Last Post: 02-Feb-2006, 05:09
Posting Permissions
- You may not post new threads
- You may not post replies
- You may not post attachments
- You may not edit your posts
-
Forum Rules

Search Engine Optimization by
vBSEO 3.6.1