Strong Form

The strong form of a word is its full pronunciation, typically used in stressed positions or when the word is spoken in isolation. In English, certain words (especially function words) have both strong and weak forms, depending on their placement and emphasis in a sentence. For example, the word "and" has a strong form [ænd] and a weak form [?nd] or [?n]. Teaching strong forms helps learners understand variations in pronunciation and improves their ability to use stress and intonation naturally in speech.