Weak forms

Some functional words exist in two forms: strong and weak. The strong form has a full vowel while in the weak form the vowel is reduced, e.g. to /ɪ/ or the schwa /ə/.

Ex. Write whether the underlined forms are strong or weak.

1. 'I have never been to Paris.' 'You have! We went there ten years ago.'
2. 'It was you who ate all the biscuits!' 'Me? What are you talking about?'
3. 'He is over there, on the chair.' 'Or is he?'
4. 'The woman we met is Brad Pitt's cousin.' 'The Brad Pitt's? It's incredible!'
5. 'Sheila can swim like a pro.' 'Yes, she can!'
6. 'Is my pencil on the shelf or under the sofa?' 'No, I said, "on the sofa".'
7. 'You simply must try it!' 'I'm full. I must've eaten too much earlier.'
8. 'Been is the past participle form of be.' 'All right. I've been told it's called the third verb form.'
9. 'I will be here tomorrow.' 'You will? I thought you were leaving at dawn.'
10. 'Meet me at five.' 'At five? Or after five?'

KEY
1. weak, strong, 2. strong, weak, 3. weak, strong, 4. weak, strong, 5. weak, strong, 6. weak, strong, 7. strong, weak, 8. strong, weak, 9. weak, strong, 10. weak, strong